Maharashtra government along with industry bodies will be able to provide the manpower required in the Samruddhi corridor in the next seven months, stated Sujata Saunik, former Additional Chief Secretary, Skill development and Entrepreneurship department of the , Maharashtra Government (she has recently assumed the post of Additional chief Secretary, General Administration Department of the state government).
Saunik was speaking at a webinar series organised by The Free Press Journal and Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC). The other panellists for the session were Ramesh Bhat, officiating VC and Dean Management studies, NMIMS University; and Lim Boon Tiong, COO, ITEES, Singapore.
Saunik said, “In the coming seven months, we should be able to develop details about the manpower that will be required in the Samruddhi corridor.” By May 2021, the first phase of Samruddhi Mahamarg will be open.
Saunik said, “We are engaging with industry and are trying to get industrial partners on board with us. In Aurangabad, we have a tie-up with Chamber of Marathwada Industries and Agriculture (CMIA) and Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA).” With these bodies, the government is developing training centres which will be able to provide training to the new job roles that will open up in the Samruddhi corridor area, claimed Saunik.
Meanwhile, NMIMS, which has eight campuses in Maharashtra, started an agricultural college at its Shirpur campus to address the needs of skilled talent for the agriculture industry. “In Maharashtra, you have a high concentration and critical mass of talent from students to faculty. The industry interface which the educational institutions are able to create is a privilege that is available to institutions in Maharashtra,” stated Ramesh Bhat. He also added that today Indian institutions are fast catching up with global standards. “The testimony of this is that many institutions which are in Maharashtra are getting and receiving a good accreditation from reputed global agencies.”
Citing the Samruddhi project, Saunik said, “Local associations, government, and industry have to collaborate. Key word is collaboration.” Echoing this view, Lim Boon Tiong said there is a need to train youth to reduce unemployment and support the industry. He added the Singapore government realised this in its early years of formation which is why skill development is one of the key pillars of the education system in the country today. Commenting about the change in skill development, Lim Boon Tiong said, “There have been five paradigm shifts in skill development. Those are: the shift from academic pathway to applied learning; classroom learning to workplace learning; early learning to life-long learning; technical skills to inter-disciplinary skills; and center-based learning to e-learning.”
