Lucknow: Minister for vocational education, skill development and entrepreneurship, Kapil Dev Agarwal, on Wednesday directed officials to ensure that all training programs are conducted in a time-bound manner and aligned with the specific needs of industry.Chairing a review meeting, Agarwal said skill development should not be limited to the issuance of certificates and focus on connecting the youth with either wage employment or self-employment opportunities.Stressing the need to further strengthen collaboration with Tata Technologies, Agarwal said training curricula must be made industry oriented to ensure that trainees secure employment immediately upon completing their courses.On a virtual presentation by Deloitte India, he pointed out the need to update skill modules that align with emerging technologies.He instructed officials to equip Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and skill development centers with modern machinery, state-of-the-art laboratories and improved infrastructure to bring training standards on a par with international norms.Taking a serious note of the rising dropout rates within the skill development mission and ITIs, Agarwal asked officials to identify the root causes and implement effective solutions. He emphasized the need to develop an incentive mechanism to encourage a greater number of young people to complete their training.Officials were asked to implement regular industry visits, on-the-job training (OJT), and the dual system of training (DST) on a large scale to help trainees gain practical experience.Assessing the progress of ‘Project Praveen’, Agarwal asked officials to introduce new-age courses like those on AI, automation and drone technology.“Successful trainees must be encouraged to share their experiences and stand as role models for new recruits,” he said.
