Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs): Time for Stock Taking
T he Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) are back in news with fresh announcements in the Union Bugget 2022. " Startups will be promoted to facilitate "Drone Shakti" through varied applications and for Drone-As-A-Service (DrAAS). In select ITIs, in all states, the required courses for skilling, will be started." The ITI system ideally, needs to be flexible and nimble footed to adopt to the dynamic needs of the industry to supply skilled manpower in the normal course of functioning, rather then a push from the Union Budget. These institutes (barring a few) are plagued with inefficiency due to shortage of staff specially the Principals (it is not uncommon to find one Principal managing several ITIs, in some cases hundreds of Kms apart), ill equipped trainers, outdated tools and equipment or even shortage of outdated equipment. The silver lining is that at the top level there is willingness to change things for better, hence funds are being pumped regularly int...