The Overseas Development and Employment Promotion Consultants (ODEPC) will enhance the recruitment of doctors, nurses and other professionals to work establishments in European countries this year, Labour Minister T.P. Ramakrishnan has said.
After inaugurating the new interactive web portal of the ODEPC and a conducted tour package with Thomas Cook, Mr. Ramakrishnan told reporters here on Wednesday that the decision was made in view of nationalisation in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries.
As many as 250 nurses were selected for appointment in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Discussions were on for recruitment to German and Japan, he said. If the employers were unable to reach here for interviewing the candidates, they would opt for online recruitment, the Minister said.
Countries such as Kuwait and Qatar had also evinced interest to directly recruit nurses, paramedical staff, drivers and other skilled workers in different sectors. An MoU for recruitment would be signed soon. The thrust was on eliminating middle-men and ending the exploitation of private companies.
The travel division of ODEPC would be handling the conducted tour packages within the country and overseas. A 50% credit facility would be given for government employees who planned their leave travel packages through the travel division, he said.
There was considerable increase in the rate of recruitment through the ODEPC since it was streamlined. From an annual recruitment ranging between 200 and 250, it had gone up to 1,010 this year. ODEPC and Norka would work in tandem in the interest of overseas job seekers, he said.
ODEPC chairman N. Sasidharan Nair, managing director Sriram Venkitaraman, Protector of Emigrants Dijay Selvaraj and Thomas Cook representative Santhosh Khanna, were also present.