In a bid to revamp ITIs, skill ministry de-affiliates 449,000 seats

In an order dated January 17, the directorate general of training (DGT) - apex organization under the MSDE to develop vocational training programs de- affiliated 449,000 seats in a total of 5,848 ITIs

In a bid to improve quality, ensure accountability in the skilling ecosystem, and prepare the road map for the new scheme to upgrade industrial training institutes (ITIs), the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has de-affiliated nearly half a million seats in ITIs across the country, as they had been lying vacant for six consecutive years between 2018 and 2023.

 

In an order dated January 17, the Directorate General of Training (DGT) — the apex organisation under MSDE to develop vocational training programmes — de-affiliated 449,000 seats in a total of 5,848 ITIs. These seats belonged to nearly 21,000 trades/courses in these ITIs.

 

In addition, 415 ITIs were de-affiliated due to a lack of admissions during the corresponding six-year period.

 

According to the latest data available for the academic year 2022 on the National Council for Vocational Education and Training portal, there were nearly 2.7 million seats available in nearly 15,000 ITIs.

 

“It was a long-pending decision made in the interest of improving it is’ performance and ensuring transparency, accountability, and quality in the skilling ecosystem. The current decision to de-affiliate trades/seats with zero admissions was made after a comprehensive analysis of it is’ admission records from the past six years to optimise resource utilisation effectively,” the Ministry of Skill Development told Business Standard in a statement.

 

In line with prevailing DGT norms, any trade or unit with zero admissions for two consecutive years is liable to be de-affiliated. However, in 2022, DGT provided a one-time relaxation from these provisions.

 

“To rationalise the seat matrix, an exercise was conducted by DGT to assess the number of seats in ITIs that had been lying vacant continuously for the past several years. The results of this exercise were communicated by DGT to all concerned in 2023. These ITIs were given an opportunity to submit representations, if any. However, a large number of trades/units remained vacant for six consecutive years. After reviewing all representations, valid requests for exemption were considered. The remaining units are being de-affiliated with immediate effect,” the order reads.

 

The MSDE launched the new annual data-driven grading methodology in March 2023. This new grading method involves using eight parameters/information and assigns a value between 0 and 10. Of these eight parameters, admission percentage (30 per cent) and passing results (30 per cent) carry the highest weighting.

 

“This de-affiliation will help capture accurate data on ITIs, especially pertaining to admission percentages, seat matrices, and trade requirements. This move should result in more accurate data on admission percentages, from 54.2 per cent to 65.5 per cent, enhancing resource utilization and improving the ratings of well-performing ITIs. This action aligns with the new and upcoming national scheme for ITI upgrade, which emphasises the highest standards of skill training,” the ministry’s statement said.