Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has said that sending youths to work overseas will contribute to Meghalaya’s foreign exchange earnings.
Addressing a Job Fair for overseas placements held at the district auditorium in Tura, West Garo Hills today he said the government has decided to support overseas placements because there is a huge potential in developed nations due to their aging populations.
“If we are able to send 1,000 youths to countries like Japan, Singapore, and the UK, they would earn roughly about Rs. 1.2 lakh a month, and would be able to save money, which in turn will significantly contribute to our state’s foreign exchange earnings,” he said.
Sangma stated that with the population of most developed nations aging and with no adequate young working population, the young population of India, especially Meghalaya would have the opportunity to bridge the gap by sending job-ready youth to work in these countries after proper training and support in terms of documentation from the government.
“Two nurses from Meghalaya who have been placed in Kobe, Japan are extremely happy for the opportunity to work there. I have personally met them in Kobe and have also met the management of the hospital. The hospital group alone requires 700 nurses every year. They require a young workforce as their country is facing a shortage of young people to work in different sectors,” he said.
The Chief Minister said that there is a huge demand not only for nurses in the healthcare sector but also in other sectors such as logistics, aviation, hospitality, music, and more, in which the youth of the state can seize this opportunity.
In the next few months, 27 youth from the state will be placed in Japan, 44 in Singapore, and 50 in the UK hopefully in the nursing sector, he informed.
Addressing concerns about fear and trust deficits, the Chief Minister said that the Meghalaya Skill Development Society (MSSDS) and the Department of Labour, Employment & Skill Development Society have been entrusted with the task of identifying the right agencies for skill training, language learning, and job placement.
“Our youth can trust these agencies as we have identified the best ones, so there is nothing to fear. We prioritize the safety of our citizens while ensuring that they have meaningful earnings,” he added.