AP aims to secure 50K overseas jobs: Lokesh

Amaravati: The Andhra Pradesh government is focusing on strengthening institutions like Society for Employment Generation and Enterprise Development in Andhra Pradesh (SEEDAP) and Overseas Manpower Corporation of Andhra Pradesh (OMCAP) to create international job opportunities for the state’s youth, according to Minister for HRD, IT, and Electronics Nara Lokesh. He said the government's goal is to secure 50,000 overseas jobs in the next five years through SEEDAP.

Speaking at a ceremony where he handed over offer letters to 14 nursing and healthcare professionals, Lokesh congratulated the candidates who secured jobs in prominent German hospitals. The jobs were facilitated through the Overseas Placement Scheme, a joint initiative of the SEEDAP, Indo-Euro Synchronization, and German Healthcare.

The minister highlighted that this marks the first batch from a group of 171 candidates trained by SEEDAP, with 40 already selected for various positions. The remaining candidates are in different stages of training and are expected to secure jobs soon. He added that SEEDAP is providing training under the central government’s Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDUGKY) - Videsh to prepare rural youth for international placements.

Lokesh said Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu’s vision is for Andhra Pradesh youth to seize global job opportunities. He noted that due to Naidu’s foresight in promoting IT, 30 per cent of Indian IT professionals working abroad are from the Telugu-speaking community. The current focus is on emerging fields like AI, ML, and quantum technologies.

"The 14 of you going to Germany should be an inspiration to others," Lokesh told the candidates, adding: "Foreign jobs will transform your families' financial situations." He added that through SEEDAP and OMCAP, the government is providing training in foreign languages to help students land these international opportunities.

He also announced that the ‘Naipunyam’ portal will be launched this month to provide training in foreign languages like German and Japanese while students are still in school.

Stressing the role of women's empowerment in societal progress, he urged the female candidates to achieve their dreams through financial independence and become a source of pride for their families. He asked officials to widely publicize SEEDAP's training programs and told the nursing students that they should serve as torchbearers for others who want to work abroad. He also promised to take steps to set up foreign language exam centers within the state.

Following his speech, Minister Lokesh honored the students and gifted tablets to them for their professional use. The nursing professionals, who previously earned between Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000 a month in local hospitals, shared their emotional stories with the Minister. They expressed their disbelief at securing a job with a monthly salary of Rs 2.8 lakh in Germany, calling it a ‘dream come true’.

SEEDAP Chairman Gunipati Deepak Reddy, AP Skill Development Corporation MD Ganesh Kumar, Skill International Activities Advisor Sita Sharma, and other SEEDAP officials, were present.