By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, June 7, 2015 :

Odisha government has unveiled an ambitious five-year Advance Skill Training Institute (ASTI) Programme to establish eight ASTI in a hub-and-spoke model to cover 30 ITI at an estimated cost of Rs.1015 crore.

“This will not only link world class Finishing Schools-cum-Production Centres to ITIs, Engineering Colleges, Diploma holders in the State, but also provide career oriented courses. These centres will also impart skill training to youth in various sectors under Government of India and the State Government under umbrella programmes”, minister for employment, Sanjay Kumar Das Burma said at a meeting of sub group of chief ministers constituted by NITI Ayog for Skill Development held at Raipur, Chhatisgarh.

The state government has already formed the Odisha Skill Development Society. A team from Asian Development Bank [ADB] is currently in the State to finalise the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for lending USD 110 million in soft loans for the purpose. .

Odisha government also has decided in principle to create a large group of technical experts including retired ITI trainees and form assessment groups under the supervision of the State Council of Technical
Education and Vocational Training (SCTE&VT).

“After due accreditation from DGET, this group will address shortage of skill assessors. They will attend to third party agreement”, he added. .

Besides, the state government is working on a plan establish ITI in each sub-division of the State during the current financial year 2015-16.

“We have also implemented 72 Skill Development Centres (SDC) which will take care of the shortage of training infrastructure and where PIA will impart skill development training under various State and Government of India programmes. Each SDC costs about Rs.75 lakh to Re.1 crore and the State Government has already committed this from its own resources. The State has also spent Rs.57 crore to establish six Institutes for Training of Trainers (IToT)” he told the meeting.

The State has already launched the “Chief Minister Employment Generation Scheme” with a vision of skilling 11 lakh youth in the state including 9.3 lakh youth in rural areas at the rate of at least 150 youth in