IITs, NITs to audit quality standards of ITIs
To improve the quality of industrial training institutes (ITIs), the Union ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship has decided that the IIT and NIT will now audit their standards of technical training and other infrastructure.
Two of the country’s top engineering institutions, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and National Institute of Technology – NIT, earlier known as Regional Engineering Colleges (RECs), will now audit the quality standards of technical training and other infrastructure of industrial training institutes (ITIs) in their respective states.
Based on the audit, the National Council on Vocational Training (NCVT) under the Union ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship will award recognition to these ITIs.
In a major policy shift, the ministry has decided that the NCVT will withdraw recognition of ITIs that fail the quality audit conducted by IITs and NITs.
As an industry norm, the government-run organizations, public sector units (PSUs) and large national and multinational companies employ candidates only from NCVT recognized ITIs.
Therefore cancellation of NCVT recognition could severely impact the probable employment of the trainees of such ITIs in reputed organizations and their career in long run.
India has a total of about 13,000 ITIs. Of this, about 9000 are private and 4000 are government-run.
Earlier, the recognition to the ITIs was used to be accorded by the NCVT on the basis of the audit report of Quality Council of India (QCI).
KP Krishnan, secretary, ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship told HT that the government was withdrawing the role of the QCI in deciding the quality standard of ITIs.
“The top priority of the ministry is to strengthen the regulatory mechanism in the ITI structure to improve the employability of the trainees. For this, we have decided to change the norms fort the accreditation and recognition of it is,” Krishanan said.
The ministry has also decided to accord powers to state government for granting accreditations to the ITIs. It was earlier done by the directorate general of training on the basis of the audit report of the QCI.
Krishnan said that the skill development ministry has decided that the respective state government’s state council for vocational training (SCVT) will be allowed to accord accreditation.
However, the ministry will have the power to cancel the NCVT recognition for the want of which the ITI might lose its significance in term of employability of its students.
“The ITI may get accreditation from state government/SCVT but if it fails on the audit of the third party which is IIT/NIT, NCVT will withdraw its recognition. Central government, PSUs and MNCs and other large corporation employ only NCVT products,” Krishnan said.
The NCVT had earlier cancelled the license of many under-performing ITIs but they moved courts against it. There are about 700 cases pending in various courts.
“NCVT will not cancel their license but withdraw recognition,” said the secretary.
