Centres of excellence to come up in 25 govt-run ITIs, ETEducation
Bhubaneswar: State-run industrial training institutes (ITIs) will soon get centres of excellence (CoE)s to provide high-quality vocational training to students.
The skill development and technical education department announced a new scheme on Wednesday, ‘Establishment of Centres of Excellence in Govt Industrial Training Institutes’, under which ITIs will be upgraded into advanced skill development hubs. CoEs equipped with state-of-the-art, industry-integrated laboratories, smart classrooms, and technology-enabled learning facilities will be established in the ITIs, said commissioner-cum-secretary of the department, Bhupendra Singh Poonia.
The CoEs will act as anchor institutes to provide future-ready skilling and continuous faculty development. The scheme will benefit trainees enrolled in ITIs across all 30 districts. There are 75 govt-run ITIs in the state, and the department will select 25 of them under the scheme, which will be implemented in 2025-26 and 2026-27 academic sessions.
The scheme guidelines stated that each selected ITI will establish one CoE in a new-age trade and upgrade two to three existing trades based on institutional needs and modernisation priorities. The trades will be selected based on regional industry demand and future labour market requirements. New-age and industry-relevant trades such as automation & robotics, electric vehicle technology, additive manufacturing, mechatronics, CNC machining, artificial intelligence, and other notified trades will be introduced in the CoEs.
While the existing laboratories will be upgraded under the scheme, CoEs will get new labs in emerging sectors to meet industry standards and future skill needs. Additionally, it is planned to provide advanced add-on skill modules beyond the regular curriculum to the students to enhance their employability.
State govt will provide Rs 8 crore per ITI for the establishment of CoEs, and the scheme will be implemented by the Directorate of Technical Education and Training (DTET), Odisha. A steering committee and executive committee will be formed to monitor the implementation of the scheme.
Poonia said the CoEs will not just serve their host ITIs but also extend training, resources and technical support to nearby ITIs, thereby fostering an ecosystem of excellence and industry-readiness across the state.
Source link
