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Top companies gear up to rewire ITIs, list out preferred states, sectors

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New Delhi: At least a dozen big companies have expressed interest in partnering with the skill development and entrepreneurship ministry in the Rs 60,000-crore National Scheme for Industrial Training Institute (ITI) Upgradation, said people with knowledge of the matter.

Eight of these - Reliance Group, Adani Group, Mahindra Group, JK Cement, Jindal Group, Toyota India, Schneider Electric and ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel - have submitted to the ministry their preferred states and the sectors in which they are keen to set up "hub and spoke ITIs" to impart skills training.

"Besides these, talks are on with Larsen & Toubro, Bajaj Auto and Aditya Birla Group as well as with major public sector enterprises including Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd, Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd to undertake ITI upgradation in their clusters," said one of the persons, who did not wish to be identified.

Under the hub and spoke model, the ITIs designated as hubs will serve as central points for training and resource sharing, while the vocational training institutes acting as spokes will connect to the hub for accessing specialised resources.

The scheme, approved by the Union cabinet in May, envisages upgradation of 1,000 ITIs and aims to impart skills training to two million youths over a five-year period with targeted courses that address the human capital needs of industries.


The Centre will contribute ₹30,000 crore under the scheme, which was announced in the budget for 2024-25, while states will put in ₹20,000 crore and industry ₹10,000 crore, with co-financing to the extent of 50% of central share equally by the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank.

"NAMTECH aims to train 500,000 youths by 2028. We stand ready to partner with the government to scale this mission and create a globally competitive, future-ready workforce," said Arunkumar Pillai, CEO of NAMTECH (New Age Makers' Institute of Technology), an educational initiative by ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India.

As per an internal presentation of the ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship, a copy of which was seen by ET, JK Cement has pitched for Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, with plans to impart skills training in construction, electrical and electronics, renewable energy and hospitality, while Mahindra Group proposes to upgrade ITIs in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Goa, and offer skills training in automotive and hospitality sectors.

Reliance Group has shortlisted Maharashtra, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh for renewables, retail, advanced manufacturing and petrochemical engineering, while Jindal Group proposes to impart skills training in conventional and new-age trades in clusters across Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Jharkhand.

While Toyota India has proposed to upgrade ITI in Karnataka for training in automobile related trades, Adani Group has pitched for upgrading ITIs across Gujarat, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Northeast for training in areas including solar power, drones and port operations.

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