Guwahati: Assam Skill, Employment and Entrepreneurship Minister Biswajit Daimary on Friday reviewed various skill development, employment, and entrepreneurship initiatives, emphasising a proactive approach to align skills with the evolving job market and transform Employment Exchanges into District Youth Welfare Centres. The meeting, held at Janata Bhawan in Dispur, underscored the state government’s commitment to enhancing youth employability and fostering entrepreneurial growth across Assam.
The comprehensive review by the Skill, Employment and Entrepreneurship Department (SEED) highlighted the critical need for skill development programmes to adapt to current industry demands, ensuring that the state’s youth are equipped with relevant competencies. A key focus of the discussions was the proposed transformation of existing Employment Exchanges into dynamic District Youth Welfare Centres (DYWCs), aimed at providing more holistic support for career development and youth engagement.
What was announced
Minister Biswajit Daimary chaired the state-level meeting at Janata Bhawan, Dispur, where he assessed the progress of several key initiatives under the Skill, Employment and Entrepreneurship Department. Senior principals, principals, and superintendents of Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) from across Assam, along with officials from Employment Exchanges, attended the review.
During the meeting, detailed presentations were made on the functioning and performance of the Directorate of Employment and Craftsmen Training (DECT), the Assam Skill Development Mission (ASDM), the Assam Skill University, and the Employment Wing. Officials provided updates on key performance indicators and institutional operations.
Minister Daimary specifically reviewed ITI admissions over the past three years and evaluated the availability of ITIs across Legislative Assembly Constituencies. He stressed the importance of a proactive, result-oriented approach at the district level to create tangible opportunities for young people. The Minister also called for enhanced coordination between ITIs and Employment Exchanges to improve skill development, employment prospects, and entrepreneurial avenues for Assam’s youth.
Discussions also focused on the implementation of the Chief Minister’s Jibon Prerana Scheme, career and vocational guidance programmes, and other youth-oriented initiatives. The Minister further assessed the progress of North East Skill Centres (NESC) and CM-FLIGHT (Chief Minister’s Foreign Language Initiative for Global Human Talent) programmes.
Why it matters
This initiative is crucial for Assam as the state grapples with a significant number of registered job seekers. As of June 30, 2026, more than 15.43 lakh people were registered as active job seekers with the Directorate of Skill, Employment and Entrepreneurship. Graduates constitute the largest category of these job seekers, with 6,48,899 registrations, followed by 1,16,159 postgraduates.
The transformation of Employment Exchanges into District Youth Welfare Centres is expected to broaden their scope beyond mere registration and private sector placements. Currently, government jobs are not provided through these exchanges, and only 30,656 unemployed youths were placed in private sector jobs through them between 2016 and 2025.
The enhanced focus on aligning skill development with the evolving job market is vital to address the mismatch between available skills and industry demands. Many young people in Assam face challenges in securing employment due to a systemic absence of opportunities and a lack of structured training and mentorship from companies, according to students.
The state government has set an ambitious target of creating two lakh additional employment opportunities across the broader public sector ecosystem over the next five years, an initiative named “Nijuktir Natun Diganta.” This commitment, reiterated in the 2026-27 state Budget, aims to absorb a portion of the large pool of unemployed youth.
Background
Unemployment has been a persistent challenge in Assam. The Assam Skill Development Mission (ASDM), registered in 2015 under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, began functioning in 2017 as the apex body for skill initiatives in the state. Its vision is to build the capacity of unemployed youth and deliver quality skill training for meaningful employment.
The mission aims to achieve a skilling target of 1.50 lakh youths annually, provide quality training for gainful employment, encourage entrepreneurship, and implement centrally sponsored skilling schemes. Initiatives under ASDM include establishing training centres, placement-linked skill development programmes, “Skill Yatra” awareness campaigns, and indigenous skill training by gurus.
The state government has also collaborated with Tata Technologies to train two lakh youth in Industry 4.0 technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and Augmented Reality (AR). The Assam Skill University, a ₹1,000 crore project, is expected to be fully functional by 2025, aiming to upskill 10,000 youth annually.
In 2017, the Assam government had previously announced plans to convert all employment exchanges into district skill development centres to serve as career counselling facilitation centres, with the aim of providing skill development training to approximately 1.5 lakh youths by March 2018. This current review builds upon those earlier efforts, seeking to further enhance their impact.
The state’s unemployment rate among youth aged 15 years and above stood at 1.7 percent in Assam during 2022-23, compared to 3.2 percent nationally. While the rural unemployment rate was 1.5 percent, the urban rate was higher at 6.1 percent in Assam during the same period. The total number of registered job seekers has fluctuated, with 15,43,350 active registrations as of June 30, 2026, including 3,55,741 fresh registrations in the first six months of 2026 alone.
The state has also launched the Chief Minister’s Foreign Language Initiative for Global Human Talent (CM-FLIGHT) to equip youth with foreign language skills, initially focusing on Japanese, to prepare them for overseas employment opportunities.
Key details
The meeting emphasised the transformation of Employment Exchanges into District Youth Welfare Centres (DYWCs). This move is intended to enhance their impact by integrating career and vocational guidance, and to provide comprehensive support for youth.
Minister Daimary directed officials to ensure that skill development programmes remain dynamic and responsive to the evolving demands of the job market. This includes fostering closer coordination between Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and Employment Exchanges to create a more streamlined pathway from training to employment and entrepreneurship.
The review also covered the Chief Minister’s Jibon Prerana Scheme, a welfare initiative, and other youth-centric programmes, indicating a multi-pronged approach to youth empowerment. The state government is also planning to create a dedicated Department of Youth Welfare and Empowerment, which will bring various youth-focused programmes, including Employment Exchanges, under a single institutional framework. This new department is expected to commence operations by September 17.
What’s next
The Assam Skill, Employment and Entrepreneurship Department will work towards implementing the directives issued by Minister Biswajit Daimary, focusing on the transformation of Employment Exchanges into District Youth Welfare Centres and enhancing the market relevance of skill development programmes.
The proposed Department of Youth Welfare and Empowerment is slated to be established by September 17, which will likely consolidate and streamline many of the youth-focused initiatives currently spread across various departments. This new department will aim to improve coordination and create a unified framework for addressing youth employment, skill development, and engagement.
The state government remains committed to its target of creating two lakh public sector jobs over the next five years, with a dedicated task force already constituted under the Chief Secretary to prepare a comprehensive roadmap for this ambitious goal. Recruitment drives are expected to proceed following the recommendations of this task force.