SOCIAL SECURITY THROUGH SKILL DEVELOPMENT -AN EMPIRICAL STUDY

Skills and knowledge both are the driving forces of social development and economic growth in any country. Countries with a better level of skills adjust more effectively to the challenges and opportunities of the world of work. As India moves progressively towards becoming a knowledge economy, it becomes increasingly important that the country should concentrate on the advancement of skills and these skills have to be relevant to the emerging economic environment. For imparting skills after independence ITIs were set up in all the districts of the state of J&K in 1958 and the thrust of ITIs was on providing a more fundamental type of vocational training. The present study is a primary study and confines itself to Industrial Training Institutes. Among all districts of J&K state, Udhampur is one of the hilly districts where ITI was opened in the early sixties for providing vocational education and knowledge about specific trades to the youth of the district. In this backdrop, an attempt has been made in the present study to ascertain the impact of vocational training on the social security of the youth of Udhampur district. Vocational training through skill development has made a significant difference in the social security of the respondents under study in Udhampur district. The majority of the respondents have experienced an improvement in the level of income. Hence skill development has made a significant difference in the social mobility &social security of the respondents.