Zato Sumi
NPYF President Dimapur
Nagaland today has become very good at one thing—not creating jobs, but creating certificates. Thousands of young people across the state have been trained over the last 10 years in areas like hospitality, carpentry, computers, retail, and even drone operations. These trainings are carried out under various government schemes such as the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), Skill India Mission, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), and other state-linked skill development programmes. On paper, it looks like progress.
But in reality, a simple question remains unanswered: after all the training, where are the jobs?
The truth is clear—training is increasing, but jobs are not. Across Nagaland, many trained youths are still sitting idle.
They have certificates, they have completed courses, but they are still waiting. The system appears strong from the outside, but inside there is a serious gap. Every year, youths are trained, certificates are distributed, photos are taken, and programmes are celebrated. But after that, many are left on their own.
The problem becomes more serious when we look at job opportunities. Government jobs are very limited, and only a small number of vacancies come each year. The private sector remains weak, industries are almost non-existent, and there are very few avenues for large-scale employment. So the question arises—what happens to all the trained youth?
The answer is visible everywhere. They leave. Many go to cities like Bengaluru, Pune, and Delhi in search of work.
This has become a common reality. Today, people are openly saying, “Nagaland trains, India employs.” It is a painful statement, but it reflects the truth on the ground.
Skill development is supposed to match real job demand. But in Nagaland, it often feels like training is happening first, and jobs are expected to come later. However, jobs do not appear simply because people are trained. Jobs come when there is a strong economy, when there is investment, when there are industries, and when there is proper planning.
At present, Nagaland is training its youth without building the system to support them. This is not real development.
This is a growing gap between promise and reality. The focus has remained on training numbers rather than job creation.
And in the end, this is not just about statistics or reports. It is about real lives. It is about a young graduate sitting at home with a certificate but no job. It is about parents who believed education would secure their children’s future. It is about hope slowly turning into frustration.
The truth is simple and hard—“a certificate cannot feed a family.” If this situation continues, Nagaland will not just face unemployment; it will lose its youth, its energy, and its future. What is happening today is clear: we are not just training our youth, we are training them to leave.
The time has come to stop celebrating training alone and start creating real job opportunities within the state.
