No student should fail in ITIs, says Pradhan

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Wednesday said no student enrolled in industrial training institutes (ITIs) should fail as it is a "de-motivation" for students coming from diverse societal backgrounds.

Addressing a conference here on Teachers' Day, the skill development and entrepreneurship minister suggested that ITI students should be graded according to their performance but nobody should fail.

"We were reviewing yesterday, it is my suggestion that nobody should fail in ITIs, somebody should get Grade A, somebody should get Grade E but nobody should fail.

"This is a de-motivation. Look at the student's societal background. He can't speak properly but knows everything. He is not able to match your (ITIs) limited knowledge criteria linked to examinations," Pradhan said.

He observed that nobody knows which sectors would attract jobs in the future due to rapidly changing skill-sets required for new technologies.

"The skills emerging in the 21st century... Nobody knows the future of jobs," he said.

Besides, a tripartite MoU was signed between the Directorate General of Training (DGT), NSDC and Adobe India.

"The collaboration with Adobe will follow the launch of Adobe Digital Disha - a programme focused on helping Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras and ITIs leverage the power of Adobe Spark to integrate creativity and digital literacy into classrooms and curriculum, encouraging students to develop essential skills needed for jobs in the digital era.

"Adobe Digital Disha is expected to touch the lives of over 1 million students and teachers across India by the year 2020," an official statement said.

Another MoU was signed between National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and IBM India to address the demand of skilled workforce in futuristic job roles.

NSDC is partnering with IBM Skills Academy to facilitate the provision of Asia Pacific Skills Academy's Badges, Career Pathways and related IBM offerings to promote and embolden the Skill India Mission for the Future of Work through NSDC's approved training providers.

"Providing students with career-oriented training program on technologies like AI, Cloud, Big Data, Cybersecurity...will better prepare millennials for new collar jobs. With this tie up, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras will also be able to impart training using the virtual platform of IBM," the statement said.