Sambalpur: Employment Office in Need of Employees, 27 Approved Positions & Only 5 Filled
Sambalpur: Students looking for employment rely heavily on the Employment Office. This office registers their names and provides information on job opportunities. Currently, the Employment Office is also focusing on skill development. Even though it supports thousands of unemployed youth, the office is currently looking for new employees. The situation has deteriorated, with only five employees managing the workload, while the office requires 27 approved positions to be filled. As a result, day-to-day operations have become challenging to oversee.
Skill Development at a Standstill
The Knowledge Hub, built with funds from NALCO’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiative, remains underutilized. While the hub contains over 1,000 books, students are not using them. Furthermore, the regular skill development workshops that were held there have been discontinued for several years.
Regional Employment Offices Remain Largely Inactive
Sambalpur’s District Employment and Skill Development Office can be found near Bhutapada Chowk. Students frequently visit the office or register their names online in the hopes of obtaining employment. It provides information on jobs in both the public and private sectors. Ironically, as the employment crisis worsens, the office itself is experiencing a staff shortage. In the Sambalpur district, the main office in Sambalpur, as well as divisional offices in Redhakhol, Kuchinda, and Burla, have 27 approved positions. However, only the Sambalpur office has a staff of five, while the other three offices are virtually inactive due to a lack of personnel.
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Severe Staff Shortage Affects Functionality
The Sambalpur office is currently staffed by one Deputy Director, one Junior Steno, one Senior Clerk, one Peon, and one Chowkidar. While five Junior Clerk positions remain open, only one Peon is available to fill the remaining four. Meanwhile, important positions like District Employment Officer, Sub-Divisional Employment Officer, Junior Employment Officer, and Chief Clerk remain vacant. This shortage of employees has significantly impacted the functionality of the Employment Office, making it difficult to carry out its essential services.
Impact on Knowledge Hub and Skill Development
The lack of staff has also hampered the operation of the Knowledge Hub, which was built in 2018 with funds from NALCO’s CSR initiative. The library, which houses thousands of valuable books, is frequently closed due to a lack of dedicated staff. As a result, the number of students using the library has decreased. Furthermore, the auditorium, which was previously used for skill development workshops, has been dormant since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Calls for Immediate Action
Previously, the Knowledge Hub attracted high-ranking officials who could provide valuable advice to students on how to shape their futures. However, since the pandemic, such activities have come to a halt. There is now a growing demand in Sambalpur’s intellectual circles to hire more staff at the Employment Office and restore the Knowledge Hub to its former level of activity. They are urging the authorities to act quickly and ensure that these facilities are used effectively to benefit students and job seekers alike.
