The Biz Reporter
Srinagar, July 16: The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) participated in a two-day conference titled “Transforming Skilling Ecosystem in Jammu & Kashmir”, organised by the Department of Skill Development, Government of Jammu & Kashmir. Representing the chamber, Secretary General Faiz Ahmad Bakshi raised serious concerns about the outdated training curriculum, industry disconnect, and high youth unemployment in the region.
The conference brought together top officials including Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary Tourism, Principal Secretary Finance Santosh Vaidya, Secretary Skill Development Rajeev Ranjan, and Director Skill Development Shahzad Alam, alongside stakeholders from academia, industry, and national institutions.
Aimed at overhauling the skilling ecosystem, the conference focused on challenges like low placement outcomes, poor alignment with industry demands, limited career pathways, and fragmented governance. It also examined the Centre’s ₹2 lakh crore skilling roadmap targeting 4.1 crore youth over five years.
In his address as panellist, Bakshi cited a concerning youth unemployment rate of 32.8% in the 15–29 age group in J&K, as per the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI), underscoring the urgency of skilling reform. He criticised the outdated curriculum in Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and called for a complete overhaul to match global market demands.
Secretary General KCCI, Mr. Faiz Ahmad Bakshi
He also emphasised that the proliferation of training centres without upgrading content quality would be futile and stressed the importance of private sector involvement to ensure industry-relevant training and improved job outcomes.
Bakshi advocated for a shift toward market-linked programs tailored to sectors like tourism, technology, handicrafts, and emerging industries. He underlined the need to modernise traditional skills, especially in cottage industries and handicrafts, while calling for innovation in Jamawar designing and product value addition.
The KCCI also pushed for integrated district-level clusters with skill centres and a stronger role for Tourism Development Authorities to generate employment from the growing tourism economy. Bakshi urged better departmental coordination to speed up policy implementation and align skilling with real-time market needs.
The conference featured wide participation from institutions including the Ministry of Education, NITI Aayog, NSDC, TISS, FICCI, CII, Tata Group, Maruti Suzuki, Lalit Group, Wheebox India, JK Cements, SIDBI, NABARD, JK Bank, Tech Mahindra, and representatives from Kashmir’s hospitality and academic sectors.
