Skilling India: An Aspirational Challenge
125
Comprehensive and reliable data on
employment of ITI passed students and their
monthly earnings is not readily available.
Data collected under the World Bank funded
project throws some light on the ground
level situation. Government is implementing
World Bank funded project for upgradation
of 400 ITIs into Centers of Excellence and
33 state governments/UTs are participating
under the project. The scheme is funded in the
ratio of 75:25, that is, 75 per cent is the central
share and 25 per cent is the state share. The
project commenced in 2007 and came to a
close by September 2015. The salient features
of theproject includeproviding infrastructural
facilities, introduction of multi-skill courses
catering to the need of a particular cluster
of industry around an ITI to produce multi-
skilled workforce of world standard.
The key results achieved are presented
in Table 6.5.
The increase in wages after training at
about 50 per cent is impressive. But even
at the increased level, the real monthly
earnings of skilled workers are very low as
compared to even minimum wages fixed
by the government for unskilled labour.
38
Under such circumstances, the relevance
and utility of vocational skills training has
to be examined.
Skill training
2. Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty
Alleviation
implements urban livelihood
mission under which skill training is
Table 6.5:
Results of the upgradation project of ITIs
37
Base line—Jan 2007
As of April 2015
% of passouts with a NVCT certificate
All—61%
Male—61.5%
Female—74.2%
All—78%
Male—78%
Female—71%
% of passouts finding employment within a
year of passing out
All—32%
Male—33.4%
Female—18.7%
All—60%
Male—64%
Female—38%
% real monthly earnings measured one year
after completing training (in INR)
All—2,421
Male—2,474
Female—1,961
All—3,553
Male—3,800
Female—3,200
The Government of Gujarat established the CET
to facilitate vocational training and other skill
development programmes, which are respon-
sive to the industry needs. To strengthen the
vocational training sector, the Government of
Gujarat has embarked upon several initiatives
including revamping existing ITIs, establishing
new ITIs, setting up of Superior Technology
Centers (STC), and introducing special training
programmes in emerging sectors like IT.
There are 779 ITIs (282 Government, 113
grant-in-aid and 384 self-financed) in the state
covering all 26 districts and 225 talukas. To
make the ITIs more effective, the Government
of Gujarat has embarked upon amajor initiative
to upgrade them with modern technology,
high
tech classrooms and state
of
art labs
and workshops. The course structure and
curriculum at the institutes has been modified
to make it more relevant to industry needs.
36
The Government has also recognized a two
year ITI course after 8th standard equivalent
to a 10th standard certification. Similarly, a two
year ITI course after 10th standard is recognised
as equivalent to 12th standard certification.
These systemic changes allow ITI graduates
to enter the formal education stream, and will
also significantly enhance the acceptability of
vocational training programmes.
Source:
Dr Sandhya Bhullar, IAS.
Box 6.3:
Strengthening ITIs and educational qualification framework
35
37
World Bank, 2015, Implementation Status Results,
Vocational Training Improvement Project: P099047—
Sequence 15. Available at
.
org/curated/en/2015/05/24435905/india-india-voca-
tional-training-improvement-project-p099047-imple-
mentation-status-results-report-sequence-15
38
On the basis of increase in the Consumer Price
Index, the central government has fixed the National
Floor Level Minimum Wages from
`
115 to
`
137 per
day w.e.f. 01 July 2013.
35
Discussions with Dr. Sandhya Bhullar, IAS,
Director, Employment and Training and MD, Gujarat
Skill Development Mission, Government of Gujarat,
36
Kaushalya Vardhan Kendra (KVK), Pioneering a
flexible approach of skill development in rural Gujarat,
a case study, 2014. Available at
darpgwebsite_cms/document/file/KVK_case.pdf
