To improve the functioning to the Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in the state, the Kerala State Industrial Training Department (KSITD), under the Ministry of Labour, is all set to modernise the infrastructural facilities and upgrade the internal efficiency of the 75-odd government-run ITIs in the state.
The move comes in the backdrop of the Labour Department’s plan to transform the ITIs in the state to Excellent Skill Development Centres, on par with international training institutes in a phased manner.
‘’We also plan to give ISO certification for the ITIs for which we will appoint a certification agency. The agency will bring out a detailed project report after visiting government as well as private ITIs in the state. The infrastructure as well the internal efficiency will be studied and the upgradation will be carried out as per the report,’’ said A Shainamol, director of Employment and Training, KSITD.
She said that based on the evaluation of the agency, funds would be allotted for the ITIs for the procurement of equipment and other teaching aids. The State Government has allotted Rs 63.10 crore for the project for this financial year of which Rs 16 crore has been earmarked for capital expenditure. When Kerala’s GDP grew by a handsome 8.24 per cent in 2012-13, much faster than the national growth, the worrying factor is that the unemployment rate stood at 7.4 per cent, much higher than the national average of 2.3 per cent.
According to the latest Economic Survey, there are 39.78 lakh unemployed people in the state.
Labour Minister Shibu Baby John said that the Labour Department is finetuning various schemes for enhancing skill sets of the students in various sectors in the state including ITIs to make them employable.
‘’In the local job market those passing out from the ITIs in the state are getting placements. But now we looking at enhancing their skill set to make them fit for the international job market. We are also tying up with overseas companies to make those passing out employable in other countries,’’ he said. Already, the state has taken the initiative to set up the Kerala Academy for Skills Excellence (KASE) to administer and implement focused and specialised skill development programmes in various domains right from the traditional sectors of the economy to the emerging domains of the knowledge economy.
‘’We will be working with KASE to upgrade the skill levels and grading system will be introduced based on the quality of the ITIs,’’ said Shainamol.