The Jammu and Kashmir administration and Tata Technologies limited on Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for setting up two Centres for Invention, Innovation, Incubation and Training (CIIITs) in the Union Territory.
The centres will come up at the government polytechnic colleges in Jammu and Baramulla in north Kashmir, an official spokesperson said, adding that the MoU was signed through video conferencing in the presence of Lieutenant Governor G C Murmu.
Initially, 18 major courses and several short term courses would be introduced with an intake capacity of roughly 1,825 students in each of the CIIITs, the official said.
It is a historic opportunity to convert these two polytechnic colleges in Baramulla and Jammu as premier skill development institutions with an aim of 100 per cent placement after training in various courses, Murmu said after the signing of the MoU.
He directed that the project be completed in time so that the first batch starts training in the institute by end of July.
A fine example of industry-academia partnership, it would serve as a model, to be replicated elsewhere, Murmu said, adding the industry linkage aspect of the outcome based project would offer immense employment potential to the trained technocrats coming out of these centres of excellence.
The Lt Governor also emphasised on the need to utilise the opportunity to build the capacity of faculty members and staff of polytechnic colleges, as Tata Technologies will train the students at CIIIT for three years through 'Train the Trainers programme'.
The capacity building will also help convert other polytechnic colleges into premier skilled development institutions in next few years, he added.
The MoU was signed by principal secretary, technical education department, Navin Kumar Choudhary on behalf of the Jammu and Kashmir administration and President of Tata Technologies Limited, Anand Bhade.
Terming it as a serious attempt by the department to reorient its focus on promoting skill development, Choudhary said the centres will help make the youth of the UT employable rather than merely acquiring degrees and diplomas.
In the coming days, he said a series of reforms in the department would be carried out to completely revamp its focus and functioning.
The centres will be established at a cost of approximately Rs 360.00 crores, out of which Rs 300 crores will be contributed by Tata Technologies, the official spokesperson said.
He said the partnership between the Tata Technologies and each college will enable efficient, effective, integrated and sustainable service delivery in the implementation of the CIIIT.
The project is aimed at bringing qualitative improvements in the field of technical education and to create a learning environment for training manpower to cater to the industry requirements in J&K and outside, he said.
The official further said that the centres are expected to create a ready pool of skilled manpower like engineers and technicians which besides augmenting the industrial growth shall help in generating avenues of self-employment.
The centers would also provide workshop facilities to the nearby colleges and MSME's, he said.
The centres, the first of their kind to be set up in the union territory, would also help in improving the academic and training curriculum in the already established technical institutes in J&K, by studying the courses in light of the requirements of the job markets besides helping innovators to develop new products and promoting technology start-ups, the spokesman said.
The government will provide the built-up, ready-to-use space for setting up of the CIIITs and Tata Technologies will provide and arrange industrial hardware, commercial technology tools, equipment and machinery for running the technology solutions in the centres, the official said.
Tata Technologies shall also look after the maintenance of the machinery and tools, besides offering all possible assistance for placement of the trained candidates, he added.
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