Capacity Building

Skill development

Skill development is crucial for the State to take advantage of the demographic dividend of our population in the coming years. Technological advancement in the existing areas and emergence of new areas in various sectors necessitates the imparting of more skills. Currently, there is a severe mismatch between the talents and skills, required by the industry and skill-sets possessed by workforce. This results in majority of the people remaining unemployed. The aim of the government is to create a skilled and technically qualified workforce which would contribute to the growth and development of the nation and to provide quality training to its people so as to achieve the national goal of 500 million skilled persons by 2022. Based on the population of the State and the number of matriculates passing out in Kerala, around 1.5 lakh to 2 lakh skilled man-power has to be trained annually to reach the national target.

The State has taken several measures to encourage skill development. But much needs to be done to equip its workforce to international standards. In order to address this, the Additional Skill Acquisition Programme (ASAP) was introduced in the State. ASAP is meant for those studying in various colleges in the State. The physical details of ASAP is given in the Education section in Chapter 4. ASAP strives to transform the State of Kerala to a human resource hub of the region, which is well positioned to capture growth opportunities. ASAP aims to impart industry-specific skills to the needy students in the selected schools and colleges along with their regular studies through modular courses with the active participation of industry partners. Students enrolled with ASAP will get opportunity to learn sector specific skills of their choice. Communicative English and Basic IT modules are integral component of ASAP Programmes. The Additional Skill Enhancement Programme (ASEP) has been developed for the students of ITIs and Registrants of Employment Exchanges. Along with this, a Modular Employable Skill Programme is also being run with the support of vocational training providers in the State.

Craftsman Training

Industrial Training Department implements Craftsman Training Scheme to ensure a steady flow of skilled workers in different trades for the domestic industry There are 82 Government ITIs, one Basic Training Centre, one Staff Training Institute, Two AVTS, 486 private ITIs and 44 ITIs under Scheduled Caste Development Department (SCDD) exclusively for SC and 2 ITIs under Scheduled Tribe Development Department (STDD) exclusively for ST students functioning in the state. There are about 85 trades in which seats are allocated for Craftsman Training with a total seating capacity of 96,702. The details of ITIs and its trade and enrolment are given in the Appendix. The strength and enrolment of Government ITIs are given in Appendix 7.1. The trade/duration wise intake and out turn of Government ITIs are given in Appendix 7.2, Appendix 7.3, Appendix 7.4, Appendix 7.5 and Appendix 7.6. Details of new trade introduced during 2014-16 is given in Appendix 7.7.

Apprenticeship Training

The Apprenticeship Training scheme is being conducted as per Apprentices Act, 1961, which was enacted with the objective to regulate the programme of training of apprentices in the industry so as to conform to a standard syllabi, period of training, and skill sets and to utilize the facilities available in industries for imparting practical training with a view to meeting the requirements of skilled manpower for the industry. Apprenticeship is a contract between an apprentice and an employer to provide training in a particular skill in the establishment for a particular period and provide a stipend fixed as per the Apprentices Act. The Central/State government acts as the third party in contract regulating and monitoring the process. It was enacted with the purpose of utilizing the facilities available in industries for skill training and certification by the National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT). Trade Apprenticeship training in Kerala is both a Central and State Initiative. Apprenticeship schemes in the state are implemented through Related Instruction centres in nine districts and ITIs in the remaining five districts.

There are 84 trades in which 10404 seats have been allocated for Apprenticeship Training, of which around 5000 seats are utilized. Around 2000 trainees are certified every year under this scheme. Government sector accounts for more than 50per cent of apprenticeship placements in the State. Institution wise details of apprentices is given in Appendix 7.8.

Skill Development Initiative Scheme

Skill Development Initiative Scheme aims to give free training in Modular Employable Skill courses (MES) to early school leavers and existing workers especially in unorganized sectors for employable skills. Existing skills of person can also be tested and certified under this scheme. The successful trainees will be issued certificates by the National Council for Vocational Training.The Department of Industrial Training is the authority for implementing & monitoring training in the Skill Development Initiative Scheme in the state of Kerala.

Skill Updating Institute For Staff Training (SUIIT)

Skill Updating Institute for Staff Training, Kerala was started in 1999 at Kazhakkuttom, Thiruvananthapuram to update the technical knowledge of Instructional Staff and others in pace with technical developments.The activities of this institute are preparation of course design, research in new methods of teaching, Skill updating programs of technical staff, soft skill training, training programmes under State training policy at IMG, off campus training programmes, monitoring of virtual class training, and coordinating DLP training of DGE&T.

Kerala Academy For Skills Excellence (KASE)

KASE is a Section 25 company fully owned by Government of Kerala. The objective of this company is to facilitate mass human resource development through specialized skill development courses across the state. The participation of leading public and private industries is envisaged in the domains of construction, retail, finance, IT & ITES, tourism, and hospitality. The main purpose of the academy is to spearhead the creation of highly skilled and safe professional workers, for all the levels of work in the industry, through scientifically designed specialized courses for various categories of workers. Training will be imparted to sharpen the technical skills as well as soft skills. To be at par with international standards, the workers need to be trained in soft skills like communication skills, language skills, safety and environment awareness , which is currently lacking in our work force as well as professional course students, who graduate from various colleges. It aims at imparting theoretical as well practical training of skill sets needed for each category -from supervisory level to working class.

Capacity building is required to improve efficiency, enhance productivity and promote innovation. The State needs to focus on this vital aspect to improve the outcomes of its policies and programmes. The labour force, though educated and literate, lacks in skill quotient. Steps taken to promote skill development needs to be revamped and be more focused. Sector wise gaps needs to be identified and courses suited to meet the skill requirements of the emerging needs of the industry have to be undertaken. The State is well placed to convert its labour force into its greatest asset through multilevel skill development efforts.