PATNA: Altogether 60 government-owned Industrial Training Institute (ITIs) will be upgraded as centres of excellence by March next year in collaboration with the Tata Technologies at a cost of Rs 2,188 crore.
Tata Technologies, a subsidiary of Tata Motors, will spend 88% of the amount while the rest 12% will be spent by the state government to upgrade the ITIs to impart advanced training to the state's youths.
“The work of upgrading 60 ITIs under Industry 4.0 will begin from April 1 this year and will be completed latest by March 31, 2022. An average of Rs 36.46 crore will be spent on each ITI,” state’s labour resources minister Jibesh Kumar told TOI over the phone on Thursday.
"After the upgrade, every year around 15,000 students would be imparted advance training on latest machines and technologies at the 60 upgraded ITIs," the minister said.
“Though Tata Technologies has agreed to upgrade all 149 government-owned ITIs across the state, 60 of them which have their buildings and other necessary infrastructures will be upgraded in the first phase,” an official of the labour resources department told TOI.
Earlier in the day, Sushil Kumar, vice-president, Tata Technologies, and Pushkar Raj Kaulgud, director, Global Technologies, and labour resources principal secretary Mihir Kumar Singh made a detailed presentation about the programme before CM Nitish Kumar.
After reviewing the presentation, the CM asked officials to complete the construction of buildings of all ITIs, which currently don't have their campus.
Nitish said the students would get better placement after being trained in advance technologies. It would also help the industries grow further.
The CM also ordered to increase the number of trainers in each ITIs as per requirements. He also asked for starting physical training for students along with online training.
The state government will provide 1,000 square feet of space in each of the 60 ITIs to Tata Technologies for the company to install its new and advance machines, the official said.
“In the entire programme, Tata Technologies, which has the support of well-known companies of the world including big industries of the country, will also act as a primary partner with 60 ITIs in the first phase. Tata Technologies will bring all global industrial partners together for the upgrade of ITIs," the official said.
"A baseline study will be prepared for this project and the prevailing industry needs assessed in the light of physical infrastructure and available industrial environment,” the labour official added.
Tata Technologies will provide 120 trainers along with a partner industry as well as 20 expert trainers at the nodal centre. Through these trainers, a subject-based industry expert will get regular and timely supervision. “Students who will be given training under this programme will be given priority by the selected partner industry in giving employment to them,” the official said.