Nagaland Chief Secretary calls for industry-oriented courses to address skill gap

Nagaland Chief Secretary Sentiyanger Imchen on October 30 urged universities and colleges in the state to introduce industry-oriented courses and strengthen practical learning to bridge the gap between academic education and employment opportunities.

Addressing a consultative seminar on 'Emerging Trends: Introduction and Realising Potential', organised by the Department of Higher and Technical Education, Imchen said rapid technological advancements, climate change and changing economic demands were reshaping the education and employment landscape.

Quoting the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) report of March 2026, he said Nagaland's unemployment rate among people aged 15-59 stood at 7.3 per cent, compared to the national average of 3.5 per cent.

Youth unemployment in the state was 17.5 per cent, against the national figure of 9.9 per cent, he added.

Citing a 2025 report on unemployment, skills and migration in Nagaland, Imchen said 92 per cent of the state's residents lacked formal vocational or technical education, while 78 per cent of workers had no prior work experience.

He called for the introduction of emerging disciplines such as artificial intelligence (AI), data science, cybersecurity and renewable energy, along with other programmes aligned with industry requirements.

Welcoming Nagaland University's decision to introduce AI components in postgraduate and PhD programmes from the 2026-27 academic session, Imchen urged other higher education institutions to follow suit.

He also emphasised the need for institutional collaboration, industry partnerships and faculty-sharing arrangements to address infrastructure and staffing constraints.

Delivering the special address, Nagaland University Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Dipak Sinha said emerging courses could be introduced by updating existing curricula instead of setting up entirely new programmes.

He stressed the need to integrate AI across disciplines and highlighted the importance of practical training, career guidance and entrepreneurship.

The seminar featured technical sessions on renewable energy, agriculture, veterinary sciences, AI, machine learning, cybersecurity, medical technologies and emerging teaching methods in arts and commerce.