Going abroad to work? Ministry will enhance your skills

The programme will initially cover Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra from where maximum labourers go abroad for work. The Ministry has apparently taken a cue from the Non-Resident Keralities Affairs Department NORKA, which conducts short term preparatory training programme for paramedical staff and housemaids before sending them overseas.

The focus areas will be construction industry, paramedical staff, tailors and barbers. 8216;8216;The programme is aimed at skill enhancement of Indians taking up jobs in the construction industry, as paramedical staff, tailors, barbers etc abroad. A sizeable number of those who want to emigrate are either unskilled or semi-skilled. They stand to benefit if we sharpen their skills. This can also save them from ill-treatment at the hands of foreign employers,8217;8217; sources in the Ministry said.

The schemes will be undertaken by respective state governments with a grant from the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs. Tamil Nadu has already sent a proposal for skill training programme, seeking a financial support of Rs 15 lakh from the Ministry. Though the Ministry is yet to decide on how to raise the funds for this, the officials say money cannot be a problem.

Funds for the programme will either be allocated from the budget of the Ministry, or a nominal Rs 100 would have to be charged per emigrant to raise a corpus for the scheme. At least for the time being, there is no plan to make the training programme mandatory for securing emigration clearance.