ITIs will be put under the vertical of an education board to enable students taking vocational training courses at these institutes qualify for matriculation and higher secondary certificates, Union Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy said today.
"ITIs are going to be put under the vertical of an education board where ITI will have an equivalence of matriculation and higher secondary certificates, and two more subjects required for this will be put under ITI course curriculum so that students don't have to wander about for certification," the Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship said here.
Rudy was speaking in a seminar on skilling and human capital organised at the 8th Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit.
The Directorate General of Training (DGT), which manages ITIs -- institutes imparting vocational trainings in skills such as draughtsman, trainer, machinist, wireman, among others-- was moved from Ministry of Labour to the Ministry of Skill and Entrepreneurship by the present central government.
Rudy said earlier around 2.3 million students who passed out of ITIs were not qualified for matriculation certificates, and those who joined ITIs after matriculation were not being recognised for higher secondary certificates, which hampered their movement up the education vertical.0
"All those who went for ITI structure would never qualify to move further. For the first time for all these 2.3 million ITI students, we have opened a small bridge course exam to make them qualify for matriculation and higher secondary boards," said the Minister.
Rudy also questioned the National Sample Survey Organisation survey that put India's skilled workforce at 3.5 per cent, and said he is in talks with the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation to "probe upon the ingredients of sampling of skills."
"The process does not convince us that India's skilled workforce is only 3.5 per cent. We are trying to rectify it. We have already talked to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation to probe upon the ingredients of sampling of skills," he added.
Further speaking on the government's initiatives, Rudy said his government has for the first time created a National Skills Qualification Framework "to impart skills in short term."
"We have for the first time created this framework to impart skills in short term. This is our reaction to the great demand created by the industry, which says we do not have the workforce of what is required," he added.
"We want a manpower which is professional and hands-on. When we look at apprenticeship, you require manpower which knows specific skills of work. For the first time the country is using the language of skills," he said.
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