A PERSPECTIVE
The Employment Service in India came into existence, mainly
under the stress of post war demoblisation. Towards the end
of second world war the need for a machinery which could
handle orderly absorption in civil life, a large number of
service personnel and war workers, who were about to be
released, was keenly felt. Having regard to the complexity
of the problem and in order to ensure uniformity in policies
and effective co-ordination of efforts, it was considered
necessary that the proposed machinery be directed and
controlled by the Central Government. In accordance with a
scheme, the Directorate General of Resettlement and
Employment was set up in July 1945, and Employment Exchange
were opened in several parts of the country. With the
partition of the country in 1947, the Employment Exchanges
were called upon to deal with resettlement of a large number
of persons, who were displaced. By 1948, in response to
popular demand, scope of the service was extended to all
categories of applicants. This transition of the Employment
Service from a resettlement agency to an all India placement
organisation resulted in an enormous increase of work. From
1st November 1956 administrative control of the Employment
Service was transferred to the respective states by the
Government of India.
SET UP OF PUNJAB
EMPLOYMENT SERVICE
At present 49 Employment Exchanges are functioning in the
State, 18 as District Employment Exchanges, 25 Town
Employment Exchanges, one for Physically Handicapped
Persons, 4 Divisional level Employment Offices, one Overseas
Employment Cell.The main functions of the Employment
Department are detailed as below:
1. Registration and placement of job-seekers in gainful
employment.
2. Providing Vocational and Career Guidance to job-seekers who
visit Employment Exchanges as well as to students of Schools
Colleges and Universities.
3. Publication and dissemination of occupational and career
guidance literature.
4. Enforcement of the Employment Exchanges (Compulsory
Notification of Vacancies) Act 1959.
5. Disbursement of Un-employment Allowance to the educated
un-employed registrants.
6. Occupational Information Unit in Directorate studies and
analyses various occupants, collects and compiles
occupational information regarding training facilities
available in the State.
7. Collection and compilation of statistics regarding
Employment Market Information.
8. Providing employment assistance and guidance to those
persons who are desirous of going abroad for employment,
higher education or professional training.
VOCATIONAL
GUIDANCE PROGRAMME
The main objective of this programme is to provide guidance
and employment counselling to students of schools/colleges
and un-employed youth registered with the Employment
Exchanges keeping in view their educational and mental
capacities, interests, aptitudes and present employment
trends. The Vocational Guidance is free and voluntary and is
available to all the registrants and the students of schools
colleges and universities. 15 Vocational Guidance Units and
four Deputy Directors (Vocational Guidance) are functioning
in the State.
EMPLOYMENT
MARKET INFORMATION
This programme envisages quarterly study of employment
situation in the state. The information thus collected is
analysed, compiled and submitted to the Director General of
Employment & Training, Government of India, Ministry of
Labour, New Delhi and State Planning Board for formulating
manpower scheme. This programme helps in identifying the
changes in the pattern of employment and occupations in the
State and extent of shortages and surplus of various types
of workers. the programme covers all establishments in
Public Sector including Quasi Government establishments and
those in Private Sector (Non-Agricultural) which normally
employ 10 persons or more.
ENFORCEMENT OF COMPULSORY NOTIFICATION OF VACANCIES ACT-1959
With a view to ensuring proper compliance of the provisions
of Employment Exchanges (Compulsory Notification of
Vacancies) Act, 1959 and Enforcement Cell was setup in the
Directorate of Employment Punjab in July 1974. Its main
purpose is to acquaint and guide the employers both in
Public and Private Sectors about the provisions and
requirements of the said Act to notify all the vacancies to
the nearest employment exchange.
UNEMPLOYMENT
ALLOWANCE TO EDUCATED UNEMPLOYED PERSONS
The
Unemployment Allowance is disbursed at the rate of Rs. 150/-
per month, to Matriculates above but below graduates and
Rs.200/- per month for Graduates/Post Graduate applicants
who are registered with the Employment Exchanges in Punjab
and continously available on Live Register for three years.
Their family income should not exceed Rs. 12000/- p.a. This
amount is double for Blind and Deaf & Dumb candiadtes.
SELF EMPLOYMENT
The Government
is giving top priority to the promotion of self-employment
in the State particularly among the educated un-employed
youth. In order to have information about the different
viable projects in each District, Department of Employment
got the Self-employment surveys conducted through an agency
NITCON.
SPECIAL EMPLOYMENT
EXCHANGE FOR PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED APPLICANTS
A Special
Employment Exchange for Physically Handicapped is
functioning at Ludhiana providing employment assistance to
these categories of Physically Handicapped job-seekers i.e.
the Blind, the Deaf and the Dumb and the Orthopaedically
Handicapped persons of the State, according to their
residual capacity, mobility and the degree of disability.
Recently, the exchange is given the responsibility of
verification of records of employers and placement under PWD
Act, 1995.
CAREER
LITERATURE/PUBLICATION
A Career Study Centre was established in 1971 in the
Directorate of Employment Punjab on the guidelines supplied
by the Directorate General of Employment & Training, New
Delhi. The main purpose of centre is to prepare Career
literature and publications.
OVERSEAS EMPLOYMENT SERVICE
Foreign Employment activities of Department of Employment Generation & Training,
Govt. of Punjab
In order to provide information about Foreign Employment opportunities available, Education facilities abroad, Training and Education Scholarships for foreign employment, Government of Punjab created
Foreign Employment Information and Training Centre in the Department of Employment in
1971 which was headed by District Employment Officer. It had following objectives:-
- To register candidates having valid passport;
- To guide such registered candidates regarding opportunities for employment in the foreign countries, education/ training and scholarship etc.;
- To collect and compile literature regarding foreign employment and education and training scholarship in the foreign countries;
- To sponsor/ inform unemployed registered candidates regarding advertised employment opportunities by travel agents, DGET and newspaper etc.
With these objectives in view, Foreign Employment Information and Training Centre worked upto 1992 when State Govt. taking cue from Tamilnadu and Kerala Govt. got Travel Agent licence for this Centre. The new setup started working in 1994 and continued till 1998 when Overseas Employment Cell was created, travel agent licence was surrendered. To further strengthen its working, a society styled as Punjab State Council for Employment & Training was formed.
verseas Employment Cell worked through its website www.overseaspunjab.com which at present is defunct and will not be able to cope with the present requirements. This council is charging Rs.500/- (Rs.200/- for reserved categories) as registration fees besides the Rs.50/- charges for the application form. Renewal charges per year is Rs.150/- (Rs.75/- for reserved categories). Overseas employment cell has about 9500 candidates registered with it. This Cell has helped in placing 302 candidates in foreign countries upto 2007.
With the formation of new Govt. in the State in 2007 a new department of Employment Generation & Training has been created with following special functions:-
- To improve the employability of Punjab Youth to make him employable and globally competitive;
- Creation of a Human Resource Portal (web portal) of Punjab to create data base of jobs, accept on-line registration, availability of skills and sharing of best practices among Industrial Training Institutes in Punjab.
- Get Developed/ designed/ Borrow the Curricula and course material on outsourcing basis or with in-house expertise wherever possible.
- Arrange/ tie-up/ organise Training, testing and certification,
- Arrange/ tie-up/ organise the soft skills training. Basic contents of soft skills training include English and Communication Skills, Basic IT/ computer skills, Customer care/ Handling Skills.
- Arrange/ tie-up/ organise the Examination and Certifications of skills and competencies of both, formally and non-formally trained persons.
- Arrange/ tie-up/ organise opening of new Vocational institutions in emerging trades on Franchise Model.
- To assist Punjab youth in honourable placement in job/ business/as an entrepreneur abroad.
- To Sign MOUs with foreign employers and registered recruiting agents to facilitate legal job placements of Punjab Youth.
- To establish liaison with foreign employers and their representatives in India and Abroad.
- To maintain liaison with embassies of foreign countries in India and Indian Embassies/High Commissions in foreign countries so as to ensure flow of vacancies.
- To conduct job surveys in foreign countries
- To arrange Pre-departure-cum-orientation training for desirous candidates.
To obtain license as a Registered Recruiting Agent so that arrangements for emigration of selected candidates may be made.
- To make efforts to get Director of Employment declared as POE for the region so that emigration may be regulated by linking it to the candidates getting job offers.
- To collect and disseminate information on emigration
rules of India and immigration rules of other countries
and provide all necessary assistance for immigration.
To achieve the above objectives a new high powered society styled as Punjab State Council for Employment Generation & Training Punjab under the patronage of Hon’ble Chief Minister Punjab has been registered and new Foreign Employment & Training Bureau has been created with in the ambits of this Society.
Punjab State Council for Employment Generation & Training (PSCEG&T) ...MoA
For more
details visit www.overseaspunjab.com or e-mail at incharge@overseaspunjab.com ,
mail post at Overseas Employment Cell, Punjab, SCO 1118-19,
Sector 22-B, Chandigarh, India