The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Panels formed to restructure vocational courses

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Wednesday, May 14, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Panels formed to restructure vocational courses

Special Correspondent

Bangalore: The State Government has set up 29 expert committees to review and restructure all the vocational training courses being offered in the State.

Speaking after inaugurating a workshop organised by the Karnataka State Vocational Education Directorate, T.M. Vijay Bhaskar, secretary for Primary and Secondary Education, said the committees would submit their reports within 90 days.

The reports would take a comprehensive look at the feasibility of courses, their syllabus, duration and other factors and suggest changes.

Vocational training is being provided in 552 private, government and polytechnic colleges throughout the State.

Mr. Bhaskar said while making changes, the committees could bear in mind the Modular Employability Scheme (MES) framework formulated by the Centre to provide skills to school dropouts, existing workers and ITI graduates. They should frame course material to help students, he said. Internship in industries should become part of the course, he added.

A modification in the conventional understanding of vocational skill training was necessary because India faced a paradoxical situation of having a huge number of unemployed youth even as there was a lack of skilled workers for industries, said Mr. Bhaksar. Many vocational training programmes now running did not have enough applicants, he added.

A study conducted by students of the Indian Institute of Management had suggested revamping of the vocational training structure in Karnataka. The report, submitted in 2006, had suggested periodic auditing of courses to determine the demand, level of skills involved and the need for upgradation. It had suggested that vocational education be accorded a professional course status on par with other professional streams. The study had pointed out that several vocational training institutions not only lacked infrastructure, but also failed to provide adequate course material. It said most courses were conceived without an understanding of the needs of the industry and heavy on theory without enough on-the-job training.

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