Advance Skill Development Training Institutes To Impart Training To 2 Lakh Youths In Odisha

BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha government has decided to set-up  Advance Skill Development Training Institutes (ASTIs) in the state to give skill training to around 2 lakh youths within a period of 5 years.

This was discussed in the 1st General Body meeting of Odisha Skill Development Society (OSDS) held under the chairmanship of chief secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi in Secretariat on Thursday.

The meeting deliberated on the institutional structure and modalities for implementation of the project.

Chief secretary directed the Skill Development & Technical Education department to build in the quality elements in the programme from the very beginning.

He directed that the bid document itself should emphasise on quality parameters and in the process the department must bring in the best quality training partner.

Padhi further directed to design the courses in alignment with National Skill Quality Framework (NSQF) so as to facilitate smooth migration between vocational training and general education.

Chief Secretary also directed to set timelines against each milestone of the project and adhere to it in implementation.  The department was advised to run the training in available buildings until completion of the civil works.

Replying to a media quarry after the meeting, Skill Development & Technical Education secretary Laxmi Narayan Gupta said that it was decided to set up 8 STIs in different parts of the State out of which 6 would on be Demonstration mode with major investment from government and 2 would be on PPP mode.

The places like Angul, Balasore, Bhubaneswar, Berhampur, Jeypore, Bolangir, Jharsuguda and Rourkela were proposed for establishment of the ASTIs.  These institutes would impart skill training in 142 courses of 12 priority sectors of the government.

The scheme targets to train 2 lakh youths, impart advanced & finishing skills to 50,000 ITI pass outs and support skill training to 5000 people for self-employment. Besides, customised skill upgradation training and certification would be provided to 25,000 skill workforce in their respective trades under Recognition of Prior Learning ( RPL) previsions.

Gupta further added that the targeted group of the scheme includes unemployed IT pass outs, unemployed engineers, general graduates and polytechnic graduates.  The project has been designed for 5 years. The estimated cost of the project is around Rs.1051 Cr out of which State Govt would provide 1/3rd, and the rest would be availed from Asian Development Bank as a loan.

The OSDS would be the nodal agency for implementation of the project. For the purpose, a General Body has been formed under the chairmanship of chief secretary with representatives from Banks, Industries, Govt of India and concerned agencies.

The Executive Committee has been formed under the Chairmanship of Development Commissioner. The meeting decided to constitute 2 sub-committees namely Civil Construction Sub-Committee and Procurement Sub-Committee to look into various technical and financial aspects.