Telangana govt to upgrade ITIs as Advanced Technology Centres

Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Tuesday laid the foundation for an Advanced Technology Centre here as part of a plan to upgrade 65 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in the state as ATCs to hone the skills of youth and make them industry ready.

Speaking on the occasion, he said the 65 ITIs would be transformed as ATCs with project cost of Rs 2,324 crore.

“This will definitely be useful to the lakhs of students in the state. You get training here. You will definitely get either job or a means of livelihood,” he said.

Students would be not be able to get employment opportunities if they are taught old technical skills when advanced technologies are making rapid strides in society, Revanth Reddy said.

About 40 lakh unemployed youth in the state are looking for jobs in the government sector, taking coaching for competitive exams in Hyderabad, and incidents of suicides of some them are also being reported, he said.

Not just a certificate from an academic institution, but technical knowledge provides livelihood opportunities, he said.

He also said the government would work to protect the interests of youth who go to middle-east countries in search of livelihood if they face any problems.

The CM said his government began the process of upgradation of ITIs at Mallepally here (where he laid the foundation) as it wanted to promote employment opportunities for youth belonging to middle class, lower middle class and rural areas.

An official release said the Chief Minister is determined to promote Telangana as the destination for skilled youth force.

The government has already entered into a 10-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tata Technologies Limited (TTL) to upgrade 65 ITIs as ATCs in the state, it said.

It said advanced equipment and technology will be installed in ATCs to train the youth to meet the requirements of industry.

“TTL already employed 130 experts to impart training for youth in ATCs. As many as 5,860 people are being trained in six types of long-term courses every year. Training in short-term courses will be offered to 31,200 people,” the release said.

Noting that only 1.5 lakh youth have been provided training in ITIs in the last 10 years, it said four lakh people will be trained in the next ten years in the ATCs.

Out of the total project cost of Rs 2,324.21 crore, the state government will contribute Rs.307.96 crore (13.26 per cent) while TTL’s share is Rs 2,016.25 crore (86.74 per cent), the release said.

The ATCs will not only offer training in various courses but also act as skill development centres.

They will also play the role of technology centres (technology hub) for aspiring entrepreneurs in small, micro, medium and large-scale industries, it said.

The ATCs will extend their services to polytechnic and engineering students in future, the release added.