Failing quality standards lead to loss of affiliation for 400 ITIs

About 5,100 ITIs are currently being inspected by third parties and certification assessment agencies.

About 400 out of 13,000 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) have been de-affiliated when it was found during quality inspections  that they lacked the required infrastructure and trainers to impart vocational training.

“We get (them) inspected, we see the quality of infrastructure, the trainers that should be there as per the guidelines. When it is not there the ITIs are de-affiliated because ultimately if you have to be an ITI at the NCVT (National Council for Vocational Training) level, there are certain minimum conditions that you have to meet,” said Rajesh Agarwal, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship joint secretary.

He added that the ITIs are being monitored by the skill development ministry to push them to maintain quality standards and introduce voluntary self grading. About 36 per cent of the 7 million people enrolled in various training programmes in India come under the ITIs which also administer the government vocational training programmes.

“We are trying to see that centres or institutes which are not up to the mark or quality are slowly chucked out of the system,” Agarwal said. He added that about 5,100 ITIs are currently being inspected by third parties and certification assessment agencies, while being graded under the star rating system.

“ITIs who get graded and are doing well, there are incentives for them to grow, whereas the ones not getting graded will slowly phase out,” Agarwal said noting that it is a voluntary process and that the government is trying to build incentives around grading.