 "ITI scores improve in latest grading; 8.9% receive grade 8 rating")
In what could be a forerunner of better employment prospects, Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) have shown an improvement in performance in a grading by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
Of about 15,000 ITIs graded this year, 18.9 per cent scored more than 8 on a scale of 0-10 as against 12.4 per cent last year, when the new annual data-driven grading methodology started.
The Government ITI for Girls, Nellore (Andhra Pradesh), and the Government Industrial Training Institute, Barbil (Odisha), have scored the highest. The two have a grade of 9.6, the latest round of grading prepared for the academic year 2024-25 shows.
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This comes after the FY25 Budget announced a scheme to skill two million youths over the next five years, with 1,000 ITIs to be upgraded in hub-and-spoke arrangements focused on outcomes.
According to a notification by the ministry, 14,999 ITIs, private and government, were graded across the country compared to 14,951 last year. There was no grade for 122 ITIs because sufficient data was not there on account of these being new.
Among the top 25 ITIs, Uttar Pradesh (15) has the highest number of them, followed by Odisha (4), Haryana (3), Andhra Pradesh (2), and Telangana (1).
A total of 142 ITIs received a grade of 9 and above for the academic year 2024-25.
The data showed nearly 12,700 ITIs received a grading of 4 and above in 2024-25, thus enabling them to add new-age courses such as 3D printing, internet of things, and those for drone and solar technicians.
In comparison, 11,900 ITIs of the 14,951 received a grading of 4 and above in the inaugural edition of the annual grading system, released in April last year.
Sumit Kumar, chief strategy officer, TeamLease Degree Apprenticeship, said grading would make the ITIs competitive and help them achieve excellence through an upgrade of the curriculum, infrastructure, and trainers.
“ITIs are the backbone for talent in the blue-collar category. To meet industry requirements and global standards, such a grading system will make the entire ecosystem more enabling, given the focus that they are receiving from the government,” he added.
This new method of grading involves eight parameters/information items on the National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT) portal, and assigning a value of 0-10. Of the eight, admission (30 per cent) and passing results (30 per cent) have the highest weighting for the current academic year, followed by a computer-based examination (10 per cent) and average marks obtained (10 per cent).
The earlier methodology involved field visits and data validation on certain parameters. Started in 2017, Phase 1 consisted of 43 parameters clubbed into 10 broad categories. Phase 2, launched in 2019, consisted of 27 parameters classified into five categories. The grade thus obtained ranged between 0 and 5 and was valid till 2022-23.
The notification says instructor availability will be included as one of the parameters for generating grading scores in the upcoming years.
Also, the “Star Rating” will be given to ITIs with a grading of 9.5 and above, based on the availability of their placement data, including apprenticeship.