Nearly 1,500 youths who had completed or are appearing for final year degree examinations — from B.E., BCA courses, and diploma-holders from polytechnics from different parts of the district — participated in the ‘Udyog Mela’ held here on Monday.
The fair was organised by the district administration, District Employment Exchange, and Diya Systems Pvt. Ltd. on the MGM College campus.
District Employment Officer S.D. Basavaraju said as many as four software companies such as Mphasis, Winman Software, Grameen Business Solutions and Diya Systems participated in the Mela.
These four companies were offering 500 openings in BPOs and the software development sector. The students had to face to written examinations and viva voce for these openings. The LIC of India also participated in the mela to select agents.
Poor responseBut in the case of openings for 28 nurses and 24 drivers for the 108 ambulance service, the response was poor. “Only nine persons applied for openings for nurses and 13 for the openings for drivers in the ambulance services,” Mr. Basavaraju said.
Earlier, inaugurating the Udyog Mela, Urban Development Minister Vinay Kumar Sorake said that eco-friendly employment generating industries would be promoted in the district. There was a lot of scope for development of non-polluting sectors such as tourism and software in the district, he said.
He said he had urged Higher Education Minister R.V. Deshpande to start employment-centric Industrial Training Institutes and polytechnics in the district.
Efforts were on to convert the Employment Exchange Centre in Udupi into a Human Resource Development Centre, Mr. Sorake said.
Pramod Madhwaraj, MLA, said he had discussed the issue of persuading a few important Information Technology (IT) companies to open their branches or BPO outlets in Udupi with concerned officials.
A bigger Udyog Mela should be held to provide more job opportunities to the local youth, he said.
