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Poor industrialisation a growing threat to training centres

LUCKNOW: Poor industrialisation exemplified in the absence of industrial clusters, with the exception of Noida and Greater Noida, threatens to impede the development of 10 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in Uttar Pradesh as “Centres of Excellence” (COE). The Union Government-aided COE scheme, launched in 2005, aimed at training the ITI students in different trades to be absorbed by the industries after completion of their training.

It is proposed to develop 500 ITIs in the country as Centres of Excellence with 100 institutes being taken up in the first phase, of which 10 belong to the State. The ITIs chosen from UP are in Agra where specialised training will be imparted in electronic sector, Allahabad (production and management), Bahraich (automobile sector), Ghazipur (electrical trade), Gorakhpur (automobiles), Kanpur (electronic), Lucknow (automobile), Meerut (electrical) and Noida (information technology).

Sources in the UP Directorate of Training and Employment said this scheme was suggested by the industrial houses but experience had shown that the State’s poor industrial scenario had not helped the cause of the pass-outs. Sources said around 50 Lucknow ITI-trained students were absorbed by the TELCO unit in Lucknow and around the same number from the Allahabad ITI Centre of Excellence were lucky enough to get jobs in industrial units like Triveni Structural Limited.

“What do the trainees do to earn a livelihood in a place like Ghazipur which has an old opium factory and no other industries. Similar problems are being faced in Bahraich,” said a senior official of the Directorate.

Politics also played a part in defeating the purpose of COE. Sources said the Bahraich ITI was chosen to be developed as Centre of Excellence because the Labour Minister in the Mulayam Singh regime belonged to that district. Employment officials, though, said that notwithstanding the negligible numbers of industries, the ITIs have been able to train a large manpower resource. “It has at least provided them with the opportunity of becoming self-employed,” said an official.

In the Supplementary Budget for 2007-2008 passed last week in the UP Assembly, a provision of Rs.1.10 crore has been made by the Mayawati Government for developing the 10 ITIs as Centre of Excellence.

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