Govt to launch skill voucher system very soon to upgrade 1,000 ITIs: Top official

NEW DELHI: The government will soon launch a skill voucher system, Secretary in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Atul Kumar Tiwari said on Thursday, asserting that the Centre is actively seeking industry partnerships to upgrade 1,000 industrial training institutes nationwide. The ambitious plan, he shared, aims to transform 200 industrial training institutes (ITIs) into hub institutions, with 800 more serving as spoke facilities as part of a major initiative to enhance the country's skill development ecosystem.

At Ficci's Global Skills Summit 2024, Tiwari announced that the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship would soon launch a skill voucher system. However, the Secretary did not divulge further details on the same. "We would like to work on a system whereby industries can align and partner with us to improve 200 hub ITIs and 800 spoke ITIs," Tiwari stated, adding, "We will launch the skills voucher system very soon as well".

The Secretary highlighted two fundamental changes reshaping India's skill development approach. The National Credit Framework, introduced under the National Education Policy, has integrated skilling and education in terms of credits. Besides, regulations now mandate that up to 50 per cent of degree course content to be skill-based or vocational education-based. Efforts are also underway to incorporate skilling into mainstream education.

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"The curriculum for classes 6 to 12 has been revised, and skilling and application-based learning have found their place, Tiwari explained. He also mentioned ongoing work on apprenticeship-embedded degree programmes, which will give industry a defined role alongside academia and students.

Tiwari emphasised the government's commitment to aligning skill development with industry requirements. "The government's intent is very clear that they would like to engage with the industry on different methods so that we can bring the skilling part in line with the industry's requirements," he said. The Secretary called for greater collaboration between industry, academia and government to scale upskilling efforts.