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The skill landscape of Meghalaya will be better understood with the complete analysis of the skill gaps with respect to different domains, trades, sectors and the available resources in terms of quality trainings and placement linkages for wage employment as well as quality trainings and financial linkages for self-employment. A comprehensive and result oriented Skill Gap Analysis (SGA) has to be taken up in the State for effective implementation of any Skill Development related approach.

• Employment opportunities in any economy are a consequence of the investments that take place in that economy. In the absence of major private investments flowing in, dependence on the public investments for the creation of employment opportunities is inevitable. In an infrastructure starved economy, most investments will create high-end jobs that will per force demand highly skilled manpower.
• Absence of local skilled manpower will create space for outside labour force to enter the local job market, leading to unemployment of the locally available, but unskilled labour. Over time, it will lead to social unrest. The problem becomes acute and volatile when even low-end jobs cannot be accessed by local people for want of requisite skills. Such a situation however, can be remedied, as most of the requisite employable skills can be easily imparted within a period of 3 to 6 months, provided a concerted effort is made.
• As per the NIPFP study, the proportion of population between 15-29 years of age in Meghalaya is 27%, which means that roughly a fourth of Meghalaya’s population consists of young people between 15-29 years of age. Underemployment and unemployment in this age group is the most worrying fact.
• The NSSO report of 2004-05 indicates that more than 8% of the unemployed population in the state consists of at least graduates, or above. Unemployment of qualified people is even more worrying because of the relative deprivation and frustration that this segment will perceive more readily than the under-qualified youth.
• It is absolutely essential to give attention to the school drop-outs who remain unemployable for the most part, because of the absence of skills and are in large numbers.
• Further, as the state’s economy does not afford enough opportunities for narrow and linear skills for want of sufficient scale, it will also be necessary to pursue the approach of multiple skill formation among the youth, both for prudential reasons (should a sector not generate opportunities for any reasons) as also, to widen the scope for employability.
• While skill development for wage employment is essential, any mature economy will have a good proportion of entrepreneurs to sustain the growth of wage employment locally. Promoting self-employment to unemployed youth by providing them the requisite skill base as also credit linkage would be a component of the Initiative. In this sense, it is necessary to put in place an integrated model with sufficient emphasis on skill development, for both the wage and self-employment streams.
• There is a large mismatch between the skills attained and those actually in demand in the market place and the graduates’ own career objectives. The graduates did not suit employer’s needs. One of the key elements related to the skill development programme needed to be addressed is sync with industry requirements, rather than meeting academic regulatory guidelines, especially in the case of the duration of the training period. It had to be short term (30 to 45 days) and not for two years as in the case of ITIs. It had to be in sync with the industry requirements and placement linked.

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