Under Skill India Mission, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship is implementing various programmes/schemes through skill development training centres to meet the demand of skilled manpower. The major programmes/schemes include Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Jan Shikshan Sansthans (JSSs), National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme, training through Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras (PMKKs) and Training Centres.  Presently, under PMKVY, JSS and ITIs, a total of about 2.24 crore candidates have been enrolled through its network of 16,502 skill development training centres across the country to meet the requirements of skilled manpower.  

Further, the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education is implementing the scheme of Vocationalisation of School Education under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of ‘Samagra Shiksha’ - an integrated scheme for school education. The scheme aims at integrating Vocational Education with general academic education in all Secondary/Senior Secondary schools. The scheme presently covers Government and Government aided schools.  In order to set up vocational infrastructure, the scheme provides for setting up of vocational labs in schools with the tools and equipments required to impart vocational skills. In order to increase the coverage of vocational education in schools, provision for Hub and Spoke model has been introduced. This model envisages utilisation of the vocational infrastructure available in the Hub schools for providing vocational education to students of nearby spoke schools. Capacity building of Vocational teachers/trainers is done through various induction and in-service training programmes.  

The outlook of the people engaged in skill development has been conventional, but it is changing with the effective implementation of the vocational education and training in various institutions. Efforts have been made to increase the enrollment by integrating vocational education with general education, arranging hands on training, field visits, on the job training for students in industrial set up and guest lecturers from industry. 

With Digital courses and Blended Models of learning, it has become possible to scale up many courses. ITI courses and PMKVY courses, as well as Skills Courses run by other Ministries, State Governments and Corporates are seeing good enrollments in such offerings. 

In school vocational education programme, provisions have been made for conducting field visits and on-the-job training in association with industries and agencies (such as National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), Sector Skill Councils (SSCs), etc.) so as to ensure hands-on learning by the students. Vocational pass outs can opt for apprenticeship training or opt for higher education. 

Presently, the reported enrollment in vocational education has increased to 15.63 lakh from 1.8 lakh in 2015-16. Further, till March 2021, 12,813 schools have been approved under the Samagra Shiksha scheme, out of which the scheme has so far been implemented in 11,710 schools.  For the year 2021-22, 1,622 new schools have been approved for vocational education under Samagra Shiksha taking the total number of schools approved for implementing the scheme to 14,435 schools. 

Corporate sector is collaborating in big way in Skills courses by CSR funding of workshops in many ITIs, in engaging Apprentices, and collaborating in many PMKVY and Sankalp special projects. 

This information was given by the Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.

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MJPS/AK