Increasing education in industrial training institutes and human resources development in India: Special reference to Bangalore

Abstract

After economic liberalization in 1991, industrialization in India succeeded, thanks in large part to the information technology and consumer goods industries. Judging from the enormous unemployment problem in this country after independence, we need to evaluate such industrialization based on employment opportunities as well as industrial growth. In this paper, the author discusses the characteristics and problems in human resource development for skilled industrial workers, focusing on industrial training institutes (ITIs) at the secondary education level. These institutes have acted as an engine for technical training in India. ITIs were started in 1950 in India to meet the requirements for skilled manpower to ensure national industrial growth. These ITIs were based on the Craftsmen Training Scheme under the control of the Ministry of Labor and Employment. The establishment of ITIs showed a growth trend in the 1980s, which increased rapidly after the 1990 s. However, a clear imbalance is evident in the regional distribution of ITIs. South India has many more ITIs than North India, suggesting that the rapid increase in the number of ITls in India can be attributed mainly to the increase in the south. This trend is particularly true for newly established private ITIs. The increasing capacity of ITIs in South India is supported by the high rate of school attendance for basic courses and the opportunities that foreign countries provide to seasonal workers. Graduates of ITIs face uncertain job prospects; many remain unemployed after graduation. This seems to be attributed mainly to the hierarchical personnel affairs system to which Indian companies adhere and to the changing industrial labor market, which has undergone an increase in the number of contingent workers and has contributed to deskilling in recent years. An investigation of ITIs in Bangalore clarified the diversity and disparity among schools. However, large-scale government ITIs and some private ITIs have improved their educational facilities and contributed excellent skilled workers to the industrial labor market. Recently, some manufacturing companies have begun collaborating with ITIs to improve industrial training. Due to their broad distribution and large seating capacity, ITIs have the potential to reduce the severity of Indian employment problems. It is important to learn from the experiences of ITIs in South India.