The world economy at large has been witnessing an increase in globalisation of national economies brought about by a revolution in communication technology and increased liberalisation. The benefits the countries could gain from globalisation depend on how strongly they can participate, ie their competitiveness and institutional capacity. With the globalisation, liberalisation and entry of MNCs, the industrial sector has taken a new shape. The emphasis is more on confirming to international quality standards, lower cost of production, forward and backward integration and emergence of new competencies.
Alongside these developments there is another shift. Employment in the organised sector is on the decline. Major growth has shifted to unorganised, service and rural non-forming sector. Vocational training, and hence its controlling body, needs reorientation so as to meet the requirements of the changing scenario.
Sprucing up
Vocational training in India has for decades been planned, guided and certified by National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT), which has come to be known not only in India, but in foreign countries too, as a quality mark of skill acquisition. For long its coverage has been mainly limited to Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), which, though have been increasing year after year in number, yet the sum-total contribution remained too small in meeting expanding national (and international) need for skilled manpower, notwithstanding occasional efforts for improvement and strengthening through several inputs including assistance from World Bank and some foreign developed countries. However the style of functioning has been too conventional, rigid, closed-ended and often sticky.
Only very recently have winds of change started blowing over NCVT too. The thinking has grown wider and bigger. In this regard, schemes which need special mention are the development of some selected ITIs as Centres of Excellence, upgradation of ITIs through public-private partnership and modular employable skills (MES) through skill development initiative scheme. These schemes extend the influence of NCVT banner to much larger target population, an extremely wide range of available skill training areas, better training opportunities for academically less educated persons, mechanism to formally recognise skills acquired through informal means,
direct involvement of industry bodies and industrial units etc.
All these are very welcome steps and were perhaps long overdue. However, this is only a beginning and much more needs to be done and achieved. In any case, however well planned a scheme may be, its utility lies in attaining the intended results, which often does not happen without challenges.
Quality control
One big challenge emerging at this stage is to ensure that the quality symbol that NCVT has come to be known for, is not eroded. For example, under PPP, the industry partner for any ITI has to be on the forefront to guide and steer its functioning. To what extent it actually happens, only time will show. It is too early to make any guesses, but stray signs of rupture have started showing up. This should, however, not be seen in any discouraging way, but as a litmus test that only serious industry partners will pass.
MES is an excellent scheme in its intent and proper implementation will bring benefit to a very large population. Assessing the outcome of training has hitherto been done by Directorate General of Employment and Training (DGE&T) internally on behalf of NCVT. It is for the first time that outside assessing bodies have been assigned this task. That perhaps is the right choice, given the volume of work which is too big for DGE&T to handle internally. What checks and balances have been provided to ensure the sanctity of NCVT quality certification is as yet vague.
The scheme of developing a substantial number of ITIs as centres of excellence is the result of deliberation over many years to produce multi-skilled craftsmen commensurate with industries' requirements. There can be nothing better way than to involve industry directly in the training process. This is what forms the core feature of this scheme. Following one year of broad based training in ITI in a given sector (like automobiles, IT, production & manufacturing etc.), trainees have to be seconded to industry for six months. How well has this concept gone down the industry has perhaps not been verified. A recent report in an important daily says that an ITI located in a well- known IT hub in northern India approached as many as 19 industrial units (and even approached industry body), but none responded positively to take trainees for six-month industry secondment. This can easily be brushed aside as some solitary case. But ignoring the budding problems can later bring immense harm.
The above illustrations have been cited only to bring out changing role of NCVT. Much more attention now needs to be paid to ensure that all those involved in the training process and desirous of NCVT quality symbol, must live up to the required standards. How should this be done, has perhaps not yet received much attention, but will have to be debated sooner than later.
|