Rifat Mohidin
SRINAGAR: To help combat growing unemployment rates in Kashmir, a group of youth have launched a website which they say will assist people in finding a place to chip in all around the globe.
www.thecareerpost.org has been started with an aim “to help Kashmiri youth find jobs” and will also provide information to students about admissions, scholarships and fellowships offered around the world.
Zubair Ahmed, a journalism passout and his three friends say they have to do a lot of research on the internet to find suitable opportunities for Kashmiri youth looking for jobs.
“We surf a lot of websites, of companies and other institutions. Then we collect the information and publish it on our website,” Ahmed says.
Kashmir is grappling with rising unemployment rates, and more than half a million youth have got themselves registered at various District Employment and Counseling Centers, run by the government.
But with a new employment policy, which has abolished pensionable government services and offers a revised pay scheme, many are opting for jobs outside the Public sector.
Real experience
With more than two decades of violence marked by a systemic collapse gradually waning, the private sector is making a space.
But many believe this sector has still a long way to go to alleviate rising unemployment in this Himalayan region. A lot of people are moving outside to find jobs now.
But not many, Ahmed says, are reaping benefits as they don’t know where to go and look for jobs after moving out of the valley.
“Our effort is based on our experiences which we faced while searching for a job,” he says.
“Usually, everybody has this notion, that once you complete your degree you will get a job, but it is really important to know how and what to do? Also where to go? And that is where our website comes as help.”
The site offers information about placement opportunities not in the country, but all around the world, Ahmed adds.
No monetary aim
The website is probably the first initiative of its kind in the valley, where amateur news portals sprung up in 2010, when massive protests rocked the valley.
But Anees Amin, a co-founder of the site, says they have no revenue in mind.
“We have faced many problems while getting information about what to do. We don’t want our juniors to face the same,” Amin said.
“We have no monetary aims, but only want to help our Kashmiri fellows in getting information when they need it the most.”
