The Centre is working out strategies to involve the private sector and social organisations for implementing the Skill Development Policy that aims to provide skill training to 50 crore youth by 2022.
“Targets are being given to different ministries for providing the training. The Labour Ministry will be providing the training to 20 crore youth, as part of this policy,” Kodikunnil Suresh, Minister of State for Labour and Employment, told mediapersons on the sidelines of the seventh National Skill Conference here today.
Areas that are affected by Left-extremism will be getting special focus in this programme, as providing skills to youth there could wean them away from extremism.
He said another programme was being taken up to modernise the ITIs and make some changes in the curriculum to suit the current needs for skilled people. “Also plans are afoot to set up new ITIs through private-public partnership programmes,” he said.
The aim is to have at least one ITI in each development block. The 12{+t}{+h} Plan envisages setting up of 3,000 ITIs and 5,000 skill development centres across the country.
Earlier speaking at the conference, Suresh said the Government was willing to partner with organisations such as Functional Vocational Training and Research Society to provide skill training.
The society, which organised the conference, has provided training to 1.10 lakh people in the country since it started functioning in 1993.
Antony Kariyil, President of the society, said it had 800 vocational training projects with facilitation from local NGOs in various trades.
“Only two per cent of the population in India is skilled and demand outstrips supply for skilled labour,” he pointed out.
The society works towards empowering underprivileged youth by engaging with grass-root non-profit organisations and supporting them financially for building capacities.