Create skilled local workers, industry players urge govt

Coimbatore: With the outflow of guest workers from north India in large numbers to their home states, micro and small industry representatives said the state should take steps to ensure the vacuum left by these workers is filled by creating skilled workers locally.
They said the state should offer skill development courses for unemployed rural youth and pass an order mandating that students of industrial training institutes (ITIs) and polytechnic undergo internships in micro and small units.
Speaking to reporters, representatives of micro and small industry associations on Tuesday said according to their estimates, there were around 1.5 lakh north Indian guest workers in the district. “We have skilled and trained these workers, and if they leave, it would be loss of skilled workforce,” they said.
While a portion of the guest workers have already left for their home states, those who are remaining are getting restless and have been running around to police stations in a bid to get enlisted to return. They are also seeking their employers to make arrangements to send them back. “They are not in a state of mind to work,” said J James, district president of Tamil Nadu Association of Cottage and Tiny Enterprises (TACT).
As it was uncertain as to when the guest workers would return if they leave for home, micro industry representatives said the state should seek to produce skilled labourers. While earlier, there was a skill development scheme for rural unemployed youth, now it was in a lull, they said. “The state should bring it back.”
They also said the state should also make internships and training in micro and small units mandatory for students of polytechnic colleges and ITIs.