Anantapur: Need-based courses, hands-on training will create employment

Anantapur: A one-day workshop on need based courses was conducted at Southern Farm Machinery Training and Testing Institute here on Monday.

Addressing the agriculture diploma students, YVSRCET Principal Dr M Suresh Babu stated every year India produces 0.7 to 1.5 million engineers. According to a study conducted by higher education agency, more than 86 per cent of this amount stays unemployed. Though the situation has started to change now with lots of startups sprouting all over the country and MNCs coming from abroad but still it's a long way to go, he said.

Though core engineering jobs were worth working in PSUs but now with disinvestment, he said a smaller number of jobs are available for youth. Majority students in core engineering branches work in IT sector, switch to analytics, consulting and finance either after B Tech from Tier-1 institution or pursuing MBA. Core branches are not worth joining unless one has strong inclination or a family business related to the same. There are always new industries coming and demand for engineers with these branches is always there, hence the scope for job prospects. No industry can run without engineers with these branches, Suresh maintained.

SFMTTI Director Dr P P Rao observed the students of entire country were selecting the agricultural sector for their career prospects. Dr Rao welcomed large number of women players making a beeline into agriculture. Women, he said play an important role in many farming-based communities and in some countries, up to 80 per cent of the total farm labour comes from women. The hands-on training being offered by these institutes aims at promoting the judicious use of various agricultural inputs, the testing of machinery as per International test codes, on the other hand, contributes substantially in identifying trustworthy machinery.

Dr Rao opined that need based courses and hands on training will reduce poverty and achieve food security while improving people's livelihoods and to create employment for rural youth, increase farmer's income and foster local agricultural development.

Senior Agriculture engineer Kamala Bai, Engineers Mukesh, Moula, B. Venkata Ramana, faculty P Naveen Kumar, CVK Mohan, Ravi Teja, T Narasimhulu, Shabana & Farhana were present.