With an aim to reboot the economy, the Jammu and Kashmir government has designated two Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs)— one in Jammu and Kashmir regions to provide skill-based training to the youth in agriculture, horticulture, and other allied sectors.
According to government officials, the Government’s vision and plan for sustained agriculture growth and farmers’ welfare is to introduce them to the new trends in the market.
“We have designated 2 ITIs as farm centers or ITIs for imparting skill-based training to the farmers and aspiring agriculturists, horticulturists and people associated with this sector,” Director, Skill Development Department, Sajad Ganai told Greater Kashmir.
“Government is planning to train the youth in this sector which will not only upskill them but it will also help in rebooting the economy of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
The Director said that the applications are being invited from the desirous candidates for seeking admission in Government ITI K. B. Pora, Kulgam, and Government ITI R.S. Pura, Jammu, which are designated as (Farm ITIs) for the current academic session.
“We will offer long term as well as short term Farm related trades having duration shown against each to be conducted under SCW Scheme, commencing from March 2021,” Ganai said, adding the courses would be offered in Nursery & Orchard Management (One year) with Matric as a prerequisite qualification, Floriculturuist, Protected Cultivation, Mechanic Agriculture Machinery and Gardener.
He said that the Directorate of Skill Development has been working to impart technical/ vocational training across Jammu and Kashmir.
“The integration was felt necessary to co-ordinate the related training activities and to affect more efficient utilization of the mutual resources for the overall development of the training scenario in J&K,” he said.
“Currently we have a total of 53 Industrial Training Institutes (ITI’s) and 32 Polytechnics (24 Government & 8 Private). The ITI’s, providing a more fundamental type of training, are located in all the major townships of the State while the Polytechnics, aiming at producing middle order technical personnel, are located at all the district headquarters of the J&K,” he said. “The Directorate has witnessed massive growth and diversification of the activities and we are working tirelessly to bring in more and more innovative courses on board.”
He said that since the Department is the principal agency imparting varied types of technical training in Jammu and Kashmir, the training activities of the Department are mainly centred in the Polytechnics and the Industrial Training Institutes (ITI’s) “We provide Technician Training through the Polytechnics, leading to the award of Diploma in Engineering/Non-Engineering fields. We also conduct Non-formal courses under the Community Polytechnic Scheme through Govt. and Private Polytechnics. Besides this we also go for the Craftsman Training through the ITI’s, leading to the award of Diploma/Certificate in Craftsmanship.”
“We are aiming to offer job—oriented courses, with the purpose of producing skilled workers and are conducted under the technical leadership of the National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT) through a network of ITI’s in J&K,” he said.