Dimapur: The Nagaland government on Friday opened a logistics training centre aimed at equipping 400 economically weaker youth every year with industry-recognised skills and connecting them with jobs in India and abroad.
The Centre of Logistics Training for Excellence (COLTE), located at Kushiabill in Dimapur, will provide free training, accommodation and food, and at least 20 per cent of its trainees will be women and girls, officials said.
More than 71,000 people are registered as unemployed in the Northeastern state.
The centre will train youth in warehousing, supply chain management and logistics technology, enabling them to obtain national certification and access employment opportunities across India and potentially overseas, said Deputy Chief Minister T R Zeliang, who inaugurated the COLTE.
Zeliang said Nagaland people could no longer rely solely on government employment to absorb its growing workforce and urged youth to explore opportunities in the private sector.
India's logistics and supply chain sector is projected to grow significantly in the coming years and, with proper guidance from professionals, Naga youth can excel in the sector, he said.
"The entrepreneurial spirit of the Naga people is alive and strong, but we lacked formal, industry-recognised skilling infrastructure to turn that spirit into employable skills," Zeliang said.
The COLTE was established by Redington Foundation, the CSR arm of Redington Limited, in partnership with the Logistics Sector Skill Council.
The deputy chief minister also highlighted the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Logistics Sector Skill Council and Zipaworld Innovative Private Limited for international placement.
He said government employment alone should not be regarded as the destination or measure of success.
Zeliang said the state government would work with the Logistics Sector Skill Council, Redington Foundation and Zipaworld to ensure that trained youth were genuinely placed in employment.
He expressed hope that COLTE would become a model for similar centres elsewhere in the state and help address Nagaland's unemployment problem.
MLA and Advisor for Skill Development, Labour and Employment Moatoshi Longkumer said skill development could not be treated merely as training and issuing certificates.
"Our objective is to develop skills that are relevant to the economy, and that can lead to employment," he said.
The logistics sector is expanding and becoming increasingly specialised, creating demand for trained manpower in transportation, warehousing, supply chain operations and distribution, Longkumer said.
This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.