Guwahati, Jul 6 (PTI) Skill training will be a key sector of collaboration between Singapore and Assam, with a northeast centre having been set up as part of the “first stage of partnership”, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, a minister in the island nation, said here.The exemplary initiatives undertaken for skill education in this northeastern state can be emulated by the rest of India, he maintained.Expressing satisfaction over the “first stage of partnership” with the formation of North East Skill Centre (NESC), the minister said more such collaborations would happen in the future.“The first and foremost area of collaboration between Assam and Singapore will be skill (education),” Shanmugaratnam said after ITE Education Services (ITEES) of Singapore formally handed over the reins of NESC to Assam Skill Development Mission (ASDM) here on Tuesday.The ITEES, Singapore, and government of Assam had signed a MoU in October 2016 to develop state-of-the art infrastructure for imparting skill training to the youth of northeast, leading to the setting up of the NESC.“Skill needs to be continuously developed and it is an evolving process,” he said.Assam Skill, Employment and Entrepreneurship Department (SEED) Minister Jayanta Malla Baurah, who was present at the programme, expressed his gratitude to ITEES and the Singapore government for their cooperation.Baruah said the NESC, which began functioning in 2019, will train 400 candidates in four sectors – beauty and wellness, retail services, food and beverage service, and housekeeping.Managing director of the ASDM, under which NESC operates, Ankur Jain, said placement record of students passing out of the Centre has been “remarkable”, with top brands recruiting them and offering them a handsome salary package.Jain said the faculty members have been trained at Singapore and NESC has been collaborating with leading industrial partners to facilitate hands-on training of the students. PTI SSG RMS RMS