The Gujarat region of The Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) today launched its ‘Pratibha – Bridging the Gap’ programme at a special function held in Surat. The initiative is supported by Sarvajanik Education Society, Surat and the event took place in the society-run College of Engineering and Technology Campus (SCET) in the city. A highlight of the launch programme was a panel discussion featuring a number of industry experts on the emerging opportunities in the G & J Sector for qualified and skilled talent.

The new initiative aims at changing the perception of the sector among the youth, and highlighting the vast opportunities that exist for them – ranging from jobs for those with minimal qualifications to openings for highly skilled talent and even young entrepreneurs.

It will aim to create awareness among those entering the job market that besides the jobs in diamond cutting and polishing as well as in jewellery manufacturing, there are also openings in areas such as diamond technology, e-commerce, software and solutions, laboratory and testing services, marketing, HR, admin and back office and many more.

The launch event was addressed by Prakash Chandra Pincha and Dinesh Navadiya, Regional Chairmen, East and Gujarat regions of GJEPC, respectively. The former, a well-known jeweller, is also Senior Advisor to the Swarno Shilpo Bachao Committee which represents over 80,000 dealers and artisans in West Bengal, spoke about the different aspects of the jewellery business.

Subsequently, Chirag Virani, Director, B. Virani & Co. gave a presentation on the Zero Physical Inventory business module adopted by the diamond jewellery online shopping platform that he has developed.

Participants in the panel discussion that followed included Janak Mistry, CEO, Lexus Softmac; Nirav Jogani, CA and Director, Lemon Technomist and Lemon Technologies; Pravin Shah, Director, Ankit Gems; Sanjay Jaiswal, Director & Partner, JewelGoldi (india) and Samir Joshi, ED, Indian Diamond Institute.

The panellists covered different aspects of the industry such as the career potential in terms of employment as well as entrepreneurship; the technology and changing dynamics of the industry; opportunities for professionals in areas such as software, solution providers, laboratory and testing services, along with case studies. 

As part of the Pratibha initiative, GJEPC will conduct similar awareness campaigns in key cities across the state. The Council and Indian Diamond Institute (IDI) will work closely to guide and train those wishing to enter the field.

Pic caption: The panel discussion held at the launch of the Pratibha – Bridging the Gap initiative