 "MP plans world-class and model ITIs, polytechnic colleges")
"State has chalked out a plan to make certain polytechnic and industrial training institutes model institutes with training facilities at par with any world-class institutes. It had been conceptualized earlier but modernization of these institutes has yet to begin," a highly-placed official in state government told Business Standard.
Asian Development Bank had already sanctioned a loan of $250 million to Madhya Pradesh for skill development and industrial training institutes.
These model, modern and mega industrial training institutes are being planned in Bhopal, Indore and either in Jabalpur or Gwalior. These ITIs will have multi-vocation courses. Also, after an amendment to the Apprentice Act 1961, which removed the provision for imprisonment for violating the Act, and allowed employers to fix hours of work and leave at their own discretion or policy, the state government is in talks with industries to provide apprentices training at the shopfloor.
"Some provisions of the Act were stringent. Now industry may allow apprentices or trainees from our vocational institutes like ITIs to get training at their shop-floor," another official in skill development department said.
"State chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will formally announce the plan soon," the official said. The model and modern ITIs will offer graduate courses as well as training in various streams that would make them employable.
"Companies are more interested that ITIs should introduce trained manpower. A programme launched in 2006, in which private players were allowed to be on board of any ITI, did not click" says Yogesh Tamrkar, joint president of Federation of Madhya Pradesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
In 2006, a few ITIs were chosen to have management committees with chairmen from industries. But the move did not work, as private members of the committee could not gel with various processes followed in ITIs.
So the state government devised a tool, Flexi-MoU (flexible memorandum understanding), to match the needs of industry with those of ITI students. State entity, Madhya Pradesh Council of Vocational Education and Training (MPCVE), has arranged signing of six such flexi-MoUs; Indore-based ITI with M-apps and Toyota Motors, Bhopal-based ITI with D-Auto, Jabalpur-based ITI with Maruti Development Laboratory, Budni-based ITI with Hyundai Motors and Dewas-based ITI with Maruti-Suzuki.
However, only those industrial units that have at least 300 regular employees (including contractual) and can employ at least 30 people every year will be allowed to sign such MoUs. Industry clusters have also been included, but there hasn't been much progress in roping them in.
The state has 216 government-owned ITIs with an annual intake capacity some 35,000 students.
