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New-Age ITIs
Context:
To enhance the integration between industry and the vocational training sector, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has released new draft affiliation norms for Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs).
About the Norms:
- These guidelines, introduced for stakeholder consultation, create a new category called “New-Age ITIs” and significantly reduce the compliance burden for these institutions.
- Unlike traditional ITIs, New-Age ITIs will not follow the regular affiliation process.
- A separate section will be introduced on the designated affiliation portal, with decisions to be made within four months.
- The portal will remain open year-round to enable continuous applications.
- A “New-Age ITI” can be established by a private organisation, public sector enterprise, or an industry as defined under Section 2(p) of the Industrial Code, 2020.
- Eligible industries must have at least 500 employees (including contractual staff), a minimum annual turnover of ₹250 crore, and positive net worth over the last three financial years.
- These ITIs are not required to offer four mandatory trades, allowing flexibility in the number of industry-relevant courses they can provide. They are also free from land requirement constraints.
The National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) is a competency-based framework established by the Government of India in 2013. It aims to organise qualifications according to a series of levels defined by knowledge, skills, and aptitude, facilitating the alignment of education and training with industry needs.
Why New Norms?
- These new norms come at a time when ITIs are becoming central to India’s skilling ecosystem.
- The Union Budget for FY25 announced a scheme to upgrade 1,000 ITIs in a hub-and-spoke model, aiming to skill 2 million youths over five years.
- Last month, the ministry released its annual grading of around 15,000 ITIs under a data-driven grading methodology, showing improved performance.
- This year, 18.9% of ITIs scored over 8 out of 10, compared to 12.4% last year.
- The 2024 norms align with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, emphasising the role of vocational education in building a skilled workforce.