Government has launched two major Schemes--UPGRADATION OF 1896 GOVERNMENT ITI.

Government has launched two major Schemes for upgradation of 1896 Government Industrial Training Institutes in the country





The Central Government, with the help of State Governments has launched two major Schemes for upgradation of 1896 Government Industrial Training Institutes which were in the country as on 1st January 2007. Under the first Scheme, 500 ITIs are being upgraded, out of which 100 ITIs are being upgraded through domestic funding at a cost of Rs 160 crore and the other 400 ITIs are being upgraded under the Vocational Training Improvement Project assisted by World Bank at a cost of about Rs 1581 crore. So far an amount of Rs 802 crore has been released to various states. The World Bank assisted Project not only involves up-gradation of ITIs into Centres of Excellence but also supports major reforms in the Vocational Training System of the country. The Union Minister for Labour & Employment Shri Mallikarjun Kharge addressing the 38th meeting of the National Council for Vocational Training in New Delhi today said that not only the quantity, the Government was working hard for improvement of quality of training also. The second scheme is another important initiative to upgrade 1396 Government ITIs by involving private sector by way of setting up Institute Management Committees (IMC) as registered societies wherein the local industries are being associated in a big way and academic and financial autonomy has been given to IMCs to run the institutes. They are also being provided Rs. 2.5 crore as interest free loan repayable in 20 equal annual installments in 30 years after a moratorium of 10 years. So far around 900 ITIs have been covered. A total of Rs. 2,250 crore has been released to these ITIs.







Here is the text of the “SPEECH OF THE MINISTER FOR LABOUR &EMPLOYMENT AT THE 38th MEETING OF NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR VOCATIONAL TRAINING HELD IN NEW DELHI ON 31st May, 2010.





1. At the outset, I extend a warm welcome to all the members of the National Council for Vocational Training. I am happy to chair the meeting of the Council for the first time since I have taken charge as of Minister of Labour & Employment. The Council was established in 1956 and since then it has been guiding the vocational training policies for expansion of National Vocational Training System and in maintaining standards of training in the country.





2. We all know that “Skill Development” is the key to promote employability, competitiveness and economic growth. Government of India lays great emphasis on “Skill Development” and recognizes the importance of training and skills development for decent employment maintaining high economic growth, reducing inequality and poverty.





3. I am happy to inform that Government of India has framed a National Policy on Skill Development as guiding document for Skill Development Programme in country. The policy aims at empowering all individuals through improved skills, knowledge and internationally comparable qualifications. The Policy addresses the needs of skill development of a huge population, by providing them with skills that make them employable and help them secure ‘decent’ work. The Policy has identified the unprecedented challenge faced by India, related to quality, quantity and relevance, for skilling or up-skilling of youth. It lays down a roadmap for all Ministries/Departments and State Governments for Skill Development.





4. As on 1st April 2010, there are 8,039 ITIs/ITCs are in country with total seating capacity of 11.16 lakh, against 6079 ITIs/ITCs with capacity of 8.2 lakh in year 2008. There is an average increase of about 10% institutes and seating capacity every year, in the last three years, without any investment from the Government. DGE&T has taken various other initiatives to provide vocational training in employable skills to the youth of the country. I am happy to inform Hon’ble members that during last year, DGE&T through its various schemes have trained 18.89 lakh persons against a target of 13.92 lakh.





5. Not only the quantity, we are working hard for improvement of quality of training also. Central Government, with the help of State Governments has launched two major Schemes for upgradation of 1896 Government Industrial Training Institutes which were in the country as on 1st January 2007. Under the first Scheme, 500 ITIs are being upgraded, out of which 100 ITIs are being upgraded through domestic funding at a cost of Rs 160 crore and the other 400 ITIs are being upgraded under the Vocational Training Improvement Project assisted by World Bank at a cost of about Rs 1581 crore. So far an amount of Rs 802 crore has been released to various states. The World Bank assisted Project not only involves up-gradation of ITIs into Centres of Excellence but also supports major reforms in the Vocational Training System of the country.





6. The second scheme is another important initiative to upgrade 1396 Government ITIs by involving private sector by way of setting up Institute Management Committees (IMC) as registered societies wherein the local industries are being associated in a big way and academic and financial autonomy has been given to IMCs to run the institutes. They are also being provided Rs. 2.5 crore as interest free loan repayable in 20 equal annual installments in 30 years after a moratorium of 10 years. So far around 900 ITIs have been covered. A total of Rs. 2,250 cr. has been released to these ITIs.





7. Along with these two major Schemes for upgradation of the ITIs, another Scheme called Skill Development Initiative has been launched to train one million persons in the next five years and thereafter one million every year. Under this Scheme, training is provided in demand-driven short term courses which are based on Modular Employable Skills and assessment is done by an independent assessing body. The most important aspect of this Scheme is that the training cost of the successful candidates is borne by the Central Government. It is hoped that this Scheme meets the ever increasing skill needs of the Industry. Till date, curricula of 1122 modules have been developed and 5724 Vocational Training Providers have been registered. More than 7 lakh persons have been trained/tested against a target of 10 lakh in five years (from year 2007 to 2012).





8. To facilitate an accelerated and sustainable growth and for expansion of outreach of the skill development, DGE&T has initiated action to set up 1500 ITIs and 5000 SDCs in the country in Public Private Partnership ( PPP) mode. These facilities will be created preferably in unserviced /disadvantaged blocks including hilly, difficult & backward areas so that skill development facilities could be made available at the door step of rural youth. State Governments would provide land free of cost, Central Govt. will provide Viability Gap Funding (VGF), if needed, and Private Partners would build the facility, operate for agreed period on the basis of Concession Agreement signed among the stakeholders involved. A Transaction Advisor has been appointed to undertake the Project Development Study.





9. With increasing demand of skilled manpower in the country, we have to open a large number of ITIs/ITCs and Skill Development Centers, to conduct training in various sectors of economy. While expanding in quantity, we have to ensure the quality of training is also maintained so that our trainees have skills of international standards. We have to improve our affiliation system in such a manner that training providers do not face any difficulty, it should be fast, transparent and user friendly too. Shortage of instructors is a well known fact. We have to take concrete steps for increasing the quality and quantity of instructors. India being one of the youngest nation, has the potential not only to become self sufficient but also to become a major source of supply of skilled manpower to the rest of the world. But to achieve this we have to produce skilled manpower of international standards. Therefore, we need to benchmark our competency levels to international standards, and also adopt the international best practices in the field of skill development. State Governments, Trade Unions and Industry Associations are equal partners in Vocational Training. They have to contribute actively & effectively to complement the Government efforts for improvement in the skill development of country.





10. I am very happy to note that many important issues have been taken up for discussion. I hope that this committee will deliberate constructively in detail on all agenda points and take decisions which will lead to the qualitative improvement and further strengthening of the Vocational Training system in the country.





With these words, I thank you all and hope to have very lively and fruitful discussion on all issues listed in the agenda.”



courtesy;;cgen