Chapter 51: Vocational Education and Training

Introduction

The main objective of vocational education and training is to prepare persons, especially the youth in the age group 15-25 years, for the world of work and make them employable for a broad range of occupations in various industries and other economic sectors. It primarily trains them in very specific activities, and provides a significant “hands on” experience in acquiring the necessary skills. Historically, higher education in India was designed to offer academic knowledge in humanities, social sciences, and sciences for advanced studies and research.

Though there is a need for this kind of education, it did not produce the necessary manpower required for many economically productive activities in business, industry and trade. Instead, the products of the formal educational system have created acute unemployment problem. The aim of vocationalisation is to avoid forcing students into academic channels having limited options. It offers them opportunity to take up subjects and programmes of study in a much wider field in keeping with their aptitudes, interests and ability. In turn, the system provides the vital manpower needed for the economic and service sectors and to a great extent eases the problem of unemployment. Vocationalisation also helps students to realise their own potentials and provide opportunities for self-employment or profitable employability.

As would be evident from the recommendations of every major committee and commission on educational reform since the Wood’s Despatch of 1854, there has always been a keen realisation of the importance and need for vocationalisation of education in India. Most of them stressed the importance of enriching the vocational content in the curricula at the secondary level. After Independence, the scope of professional education and training particularly in engineering and technology, both at the polytechnic and first degree level, had expanded considerably.

However, the compulsions of the job market, the frustration of the educated unemployed, and the disenchantment with many existing educational programmes led to the renewed interest in restructuring the teaching and learning process to include career goals for all students not only at the secondary level but also at the tertiary level. Vocational courses were introduced in 1988 first at the 10+2 level under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Vocationalisation of Secondary Education (CSSVSE). This was followed by the introduction in 1993-94, as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Pre-Vocational Education at Lower Secondary Stage primarily to impart training in simple marketable skills to students of Classes 9 and 10. The UGC took a major step in 1994-95 to incorporate vocational subjects in the existing first degree programmes also.

Besides, new types of first degree programmes labelled as “application oriented” and “job oriented” courses were also introduced by many universities. In fact, the “job oriented” courses have become a very popular alternative to conventional B.A, B.Sc, B.Com courses. Many universities have also introduced a plethora of professional certificate and diploma courses mostly at the postgraduate level.

In addition to integrating vocational contents in the formal educational system, there were similar efforts to provide skill orientation to those who for various reasons do not opt for formal schooling. Such efforts were aimed at creating a skill base in different occupational categories to cater to the growing demand for skilled technicians in industrial establishments. The initiative came mainly from the Ministry of Labour which also concerned with the employment issue.

Another major objective of the programmes, therefore, has been to deal with the unemployment of school drop-outs. There is yet another category of institutions which have been established outside the school and university systems mostly by the Central Government to offer a large number of vocational or professional courses. Conventionally, vocational education and training has been oriented towards a number of engineering and technical trades. Though they continue to form the core of vocational education, during the last two decades or so, its scope had been considerably widened to include many non-engineering trades also.

The wide variety of vocational education and training programmes now available may be broadly grouped into four categories: (1) programmes within the mainstream educational system; (2) technician-level vocational programmes initiated by the Ministry of Labour; (3) programmes offered by government-sponsored training institutions outside the school and university systems; and (4) miscellaneous programmes. A broad overview of each of these categories is presented in this Chapter.

Programmes within the Mainstream Educational System

This category covers vocational courses at the secondary (Classes 9 and 10), and higher secondary (10+2), first-degree level, job-oriented and application-oriented first degree programmes, and polytechnic education.

Secondary Level: As has been discussed in Chapter 1 (Career Planning and Choice of Courses) at the 10+2 level, students can opt for vocational subjects from an approved list. The Apprentice Act, 1961 was amended in 1986 to bring within its purview the training of successful candidates of the 10+2 vocational stream as “Technician (Vocational) Apprentices”. This has been discussed in subsequent section.

UGC-VC: As stated earlier in the academic year 1994-95, the University Grants Commission introduced the scheme for vocationalisation (UGC-VC) at the first degree level. The objective is to prepare university graduates for employment, particularly self-employment and entrepreneurship. A total of 35 subjects are offered in four disciplines (Science, Engineering and Technology, Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Commerce). A student can select one vocational subject with two to three non-vocational subjects according to the university regulations. Annexure 1 gives the list of the vocational subjects. The UGC had decided to fund the programme in 100 institutions (30 universities and 70 colleges) to the extent of Rs.3 to 5 lakhs per course. However, the implementation of the programme is beset with many problems and is being subjected to adverse criticism.

Job-Oriented and Application-Oriented Programmes: Though conventionally these two programmes do not fall in the vocational category, for all practical purposes, they are vocational in nature. As the graduates with liberal arts and science degrees did not find it easy to secure jobs, the new self-financing colleges which sprung up mostly in the South during the nineties, found it more attractive to start, with the approval of the universities and the State Governments, three-year job oriented programmes (JOP) at the first-degree level in such areas as Electronics, Computer Science, Corporate Secretaryship, Business Management, Food Service, Hotel Management, Designing. However, such programmes have also been introduced by many universities and colleges often as self-financing courses.

Generally, the awards carry such nomenclatures as B.B.A (Bachelor of Business Administration) B.B.M (Bachelor of Business Management), B.C.S (Bachelor of Corporate Secretaryship), B.F.T (Bachelor of Foreign Trade) BCA (Bachelor of Computer Application), B.E.S (Bachelor of Electronic Science), B.Sc (Fashion Design/Garment Design, B.A.S (Bachelor of Applied Sciences). Yet another type of programme is Application-Oriented Courses (AOC) which are enmeshed with the curriculum structure of B.A, B.Sc and B.Com programmes. One or two of the AOCs are offered as a substitute for an equivalent number of courses in the regular curriculum. For example, if a candidate opts for Biochemistry, he will be required to choose two allied papers from Zoology, Computer Science and Applied Statistics, two application oriented/applied papers from Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Agricultural Chemistry and Environmental Biochemistry.

In addition, he has to study two compulsory major papers-Cell Biology and Human Physiology. The nomenclature of the award would be B.Sc (Biochemistry). It was during the early eighties that a number of colleges in Tamil Nadu which had the infrastructural and teaching capabilities were encouraged to introduce AOCs. Many such colleges are of the self-financing type. Annexure 2 gives a sample list of degrees awarded under the COP (Career-Oriented Programmes) and AOC systems. The list also includes several other three-year professional degree courses primarily offered by specialised institutions, leading to degrees such as BMR (Bachelor of Mental Retardation) BMLT (Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Technology) or B.Sc (MLT). These courses fall within the category or Rehabilitation Medicine (See Chapter 17)

Polytechnic Training

Polytechnic education, just one step below the first degree educational programmes in engineering and technology, may be categorised both as belonging to the mainstream or outside of it. Though polytechnics are outside the school and university systems, the diplomas awarded by them are recognised by universities for admission to first degree courses in engineering and technology. It may be mentioned that in UK, the polytechnics, which were under the local educational authorities and used to offer both degree and diploma level courses, have since been given autonomy and achieved university status in 1992 under the Further and Higher Education Act.

Polytechnics have been set up both by the Governments and private agencies. According to the AICTE’s Directory of Approved Institutions for Diploma Programmes in Engineering and Technology, as on December 31, 1997 there were 1523 polytechnics offering engineering and technology programmes with an intake capacity of 1,84,766. The largest concentration accounting for about 35% of the polytechnics is in three States- Maharashtra (167), Tamil Nadu (175), and Karnataka (191). There are separate women polytechnics in a number of states. Besides the general polytechnics, there are also polytechnic-level specialised institutions established by State Governments which offer diploma courses only in their respective areas of specialisations. (e.g., printing technology, leather technology, tool engineering).

All the polytechnics are under the control of the State Departments/Directorates of Technical Education. Like the engineering colleges and technical institutions, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) is also responsible for regulating polytechnic education. Establishment of new polytechnics, introduction of new courses in existing ones and the enhancement of intake capacities of various courses originally sanctioned need the prior approval of the AICTE. Polytechnic courses are three year duration leading to the award of Diploma in the concerned branch. However, there is also a four-year diploma course in Tool and Dye-making offered by several Tool Room Centres established in collaboration with Denmark and Germany (Indo-Danish and Indo-German Tool Rooms). The entry requirement in polytechnic courses is a pass in Class 10 examination. In most of the States, admissions are made on the basis of state-wide common entrance tests, e.g., Common Entrance Examination for Polytechnics (CEEP) in Andhra Pradesh, and Diploma Entrance Test (DET) in Haryana.

A wide range of vocational and engineering and technological courses (including pharmacy) are offered by polytechnics. Apart from the conventional branches such as civil, mechanical, electrical, chemical, electronics engineering, a large number of topics in several emerging areas in engineering and technology are also available. Such courses are also offered by the engineering and technical institutions at the first degree level.

An illustrative list of such courses is given in Annexure 3. However, the number of institutions offering them are small and spread over various regions. There are also courses in several non-engineering subjects. The women polytechnics, besides engineering courses, such as Fashion Design, Beauty Culture, Garment Technology, Library Science, Modern Office Practice, Secretarial Practice, Stenography. An illustrative list is given in Annexure 4.

Polytechnic education opens up doors for entry into higher level engineering and technology courses. In almost all the States the diploma holders are eligible for such lateral admission to the second year of first degree courses in specified engineering subjects. Separate admission tests are often conducted for such lateral entry. For example, the Department of Technical Education, Andhra Pradesh conducts a separate admission test “Engineering Common Entrance Test- for Diploma Holders” (ECET-FDH) for this purpose. They have also the option of pursuing post-diploma courses in various subjects offered by a number of polytechnics themselves. An illustrative list of post-diploma courses is given in Annexure 5. The number of institutions which offer post-diploma courses, however, is small and not available in all States. The Apprentices Act, 1961 entitles polytechnic diploma holders to undergo “Technician” Apprenticeship under the National Scheme for Apprenticeship Training. This has been discussed in a subsequent section.

Technician-Level Vocational Programmes

Under the Constitution of India, “vocational and technical training of labour” is listed as a concurrent subject in the Seventh Schedule (Item No.25). The development of the training schemes at the national level, evolution of policy, laying down training standards, procedures for conducting examinations, certification, etc., are the responsibility of the Centre which is handled by the Directorate General of Employment & Training (DGE&T) in the Ministry of Labour. The implementation of training schemes, however, largely rests with the State Governments and Union Territory Administrations. The Central Government is advised by the National Council of Vocational Training (NCVT), a non-statutory tripartite body having representatives from State Governments and Union Territory Administrations, employers, and trade unions and presided over by the Union Labour Minister. Similar Councils known as the State Councils for Vocational Training have also been constituted by States and Union Territories.

The programme of vocational training implemented by the Directorate General of Employment & Training (DGE&T) covers the following: (1) Crafts men Training imparted by the Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), (2) Women’s Vocational Training, (3) Apprenticeship Training (4) Craft Instructors’ Training, (5) Advanced Vocational Training, and Advanced Vocational Training in Electronics and Process Instrumentation, (6) Supervisory and Foreman Training, and (7) Executive Training. The DGE&T is also involved in the training of rationalised industrial workers under the National Renewal Fund, and developing instructional media packages at its Central Instructional Media Institute (Chennai), for use by ITIs and other institutions. A brief account of each of the programmes is as follows.

Craftsmen Training: Craftsmen training is imparted by Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs). Though a beginning was made in 1950 with the establishment of about 50 ITIs by the Central Government, ITIs are now under the control of State Government and Union Territory Administrations. As on December 31, 1999, there were 4, 172 ITIs (1,575 established by the Governments and 2,597 by private agencies) having a total seating capacity of 6.77 lakhs. In all the States there are exclusive ITIs for women and special women wings in general ITIs. Training in Government ITIs is provided free of cost and trainees are also given stipends and workshop uniforms. Training is imparted in 43 engineering and 24 non-engineering Trades (see Annexure 6). New trades are added and obsolete ones discarded as and when situation demands.

However, each ITI offers only a small number of trades. About 70% of the training period is allotted to practical training and the rest to subjects relating to trade theory, workshop calculations, engineering, drawing, social studies including environmental science and family welfare. Students who successfully complete the training are considered semi-skilled personnel. The NCVT conducts All-India Trade Tests every year in July (main) and January (supplementary). Qualified ITI candidates and eligible private candidates can appear in the test. National Trade Certificates are awarded to successful candidates which are recognised qualifications for recruitment to relevant posts and services in Central and State Government establishments. ITI pass candidates also can undergo apprenticeship training under the Apprentices Act, 1961. They are entitled to rebates in respect of the duration of ITI training (discussed below).

Under the DGE&T, there are six Model Training Institutes (MITs) attached to the Advanced Training Institutes (ATIs) (see below). Collectively they offer programmes in 25 engineering and one non-engineering trades (See Annexure 7). The duration of the courses varies from one-year to three years. Eligibility requirement also varies from 8^th to 10+2 class pass. Besides, there are also four Model Industrial Training Institutes (MITIs) at Haldwani (UP), Chowdwar (Orissa), Jodhpur (Rajasthan), Kozhikode (Kerala) which offer training programmes on modular pattern in three specialised areas, viz., Mechanical group of trades at Haldwani and Chowdwar, Heat Engine group of trades at Jodhpur, and Electrical and Electronics group of trades at Kozhikode.

Women’s Vocational Training: The DGE&T, through its Women’s Occupational Directorate, launched the Women’s Vocational Training Programme in 1977. Under the Central Sector, training facilities for women are provided through a network of exclusive training institutes. The National Vocational Training Institute for Women (NVTI) (Noida) is the apex body. Besides, there are 10 Regional Vocational Training Institute for Women (RVTIs) at Allahabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Hisar, Indore, Jaipur, Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram, Tura (Allahabad) and Vodadara. These institutions at present offer nine basic, six advanced and two post-advanced programmes. (See Annexure 8) However, all the courses are not available in all the Institutes. The courses are open to women who have passed the Class 10 or Class 10+2 depending upon the nature of the courses. In the State sector, there is a network of exclusive Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and special women wings in general ITIs. As on November 30, 1999, there were 226 women ITIs and 451 women wings in general ITIs in the States. The total number of seats is 44,692. NCVT has also recommended that 25% of the seats should be reserved in other ITIs for women candidates.

Apprenticeship Training: The Apprentices Act, 1961 makes it obligatory on the part of employers, both in the public and private sector industries, to engage apprentices. The Act initially envisaged training of Trade Apprentices including ITI pass candidates. It was amended in 1973 to include training of engineering diploma holders and graduate engineers as “Technician” and “Graduate” Apprentices, respectively. By a further amendment in 1986, the training of candidate passing out of the 10+2 vocational stream as “Technician (Vocational) Apprentices”, was also brought within the purview of the Act.

The overall responsibility of monitoring the implementation of the provisions of the Act is vested in the Directorate General of Employment & Training (DGE&T). The Central Apprenticeship Council is the apex statutory body which lays down policies and prescribes norms and standards in respect of the Apprenticeship Training Scheme. It is a tripartite body with representation from Central and State Governments and Union Territory Administrations, the employers, and the trade unions. All the apprentices are paid stipends at specified rates which are revised every two years based on the Consumer Price Index. Expenditure on stipend for trade apprentices is borne by the employers.

For other categories, the cost is shared equally between the Central Government and the employers concerned. It may be mentioned that the Ordnance Factory Board (Ministry of Defence) operates the single largest trade apprentice training programme in its 39 Ordnance and Ordnance Equipment Factories. (See Annexure 9). Two other important providers of apprenticeship training in the Ministry of Defence are Apprentice Schools of Naval Dockyards at Vishakapatnam and Mumbai. The Indian Railways also engage a large number of apprentices at its workshops.

Implementation: The DGE&T is responsible for implementation of the Act in respect of trade apprentices in the Central Government Undertakings and Departments. This is operated through six Regional Directorates of Apprenticeship Training (RDATs) located at Calcutta, Chennai, Faridabad, Hyderabad, Kanpur and Mumbai. State Apprenticeship Advisers are responsible for trade apprentices in State Government Undertakings and Departments and Private sector establishments. The Department of Secondary Education and Higher Education in the Ministry of Human Resource Development deals with “Technicians” and “Graduate” Apprentices and “Technician (Vocational) Apprentices”. This programme is known as National Scheme of Apprenticeship Training. This is done through four Boards of Apprenticeship Training located at Calcutta, Chennai, Kanpur, and Mumbai.

Trade Apprentices: The qualification requirements for trade apprentices vary from Class VIII pass to 10+2 pass. The minimum age of entry is 14 years. A total of 137 trades, under 31 trade groups, have been designated for training (see Annexure 10). The duration of training varies from 6 months to four years depending on the trade. However, candidates who have passed out from ITIs get rebate in respect of the period of apprenticeship. Trade Apprentices are paid stipends at the rate of Rs.680.00 p.m. for the first year, Rs.780.00 p.m. for the second year, Rs.900.00 p.m. for the third year, and Rs.1020.00 for the fourth year. Trade apprentices are engaged twice a year (February/March and August/September). They are under legal obligations to appear at the All India Trade Test conducted by the National Council of Vocational Training (NCVT) twice a year (October/November and April/May). Qualified candidates are awarded National Apprenticeship Certificate which is recognised for employment in government and semi-government departments and organisations.

National Scheme of Apprenticeship Training: As stated earlier, the scheme covers two categories of apprentices, viz., (i) “Technician” Apprentices. The duration of the training is one year. The Department of Secondary Education and Higher Education awards certificates on successful completion of the training. Annexure 11 gives a brief account of the scheme. While 101 subject fields have been designated for the first category, the number of subject fields for the second category is 91. Annexure 12 gives the list of the subject fields.

Crafts Instructor’s Training: The DG&ET is responsible for providing training for craft instructors. It has established six Central Training Institutes for Instructors now called Advanced Training Institutes (discussed below). Under this programme, instructors from State Government ITIs, and training centres established by industries under the Apprentices Act, 1961 are imparted training in 24 trades. The duration of the courses is one year. The total intake capacity exceeds 1000. Besides, refresher courses and modular pattern of programmes are also offered.

Advanced Vocational Training: Under this scheme introduced in 1977 in collaboration with the UNDP and ILO, training in selected skills is imparted through short-term modular courses of one to six week’s duration. The programme is conducted at six Advanced Training Institutes (ATIs) at Howrah, Hyderabad, Knapur, Ludhiana, Mumbai and Chennai (Central Training Institute) and 16 ITIs in 15 States. Besides, there are two special ATIs, one in Hyderabad and the other in Dehra Doon which train skilled personnel at technician level in the fields of electronics and Process Instrumentation (ATI-EPI). The Electronics field covers Industrial Electronics, Consumer Electronics, and Medical Electronics.

Supervisory and Foremen Training: Two Foremen Training Institutes (FTIs) have been established at Bangalore (1970) and Jamshedpur (1982) by the DGE&T. The Bangalore Institute was set up in collaboration with State of Baden Wuerttember (Germany). These two institutes offer, besides regular diploma and post-diploma courses, short-term and tailor-made programmes.

Executive Training: Established in 1968 with the technical collaboration with Germany, the Central Staff Training and Research Institute (Calcutta), offers training programmes to the junior and senior management personnel of the training departments of industries, industrial establishments, ITIs, ATIs, etc.

Programmes in Government-Sponsored Institutions

Many specialised institutions have been established mostly by the Central government to offer training programmes in a number of areas. They offer courses only in their respective areas of specialisation. The entry requirements range from a pass in Class 10 examination to graduation. Some of them offer short-term courses also. While these institutions are under the administrative control of the government, many courses offered by them are regulated by the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) if the subjects fall under its jurisdiction.

For example, the Tool Room Centres established by the Government of India which offer four-year diploma (after Class 10) in Tool and Dye-making is approved by the AICTE. The postgraduate and post-diploma courses in sugar Institute (Kanpur) established by the Ministry of Food are similarly recognised by the AICTE. The courses available in these institutions include Tool & Die-Making, Sugar Technology, Electronics, Packaging Technology; Cement Technology, Foundry and Forge Technology, Thermal Power, Footwear Technology, Handloom Technology, Glass Technology, Plastics Technology, Secondary Steel Technology, Footwear Design, Design, Fashion Design, Scientific Instruments, Software Technology. Most of these courses have been discussed in the relevant chapters. A comprehensive list of the institutions is a given in Annexure 13.

Miscellaneous Programmes

A brief account of seven vocational programmes follows:

Open Vocational Education: This is a unique vocational education programme launched by the National Open School (NOS) (See Chapter 6-Learning from a Distance for more information about NOS). Its objective is to offer need based and job-oriented courses basically to suit the requirements of the unorganised sector, to prepare skilled manpower for self-employment, entrepreneurship, and income-generating work. The programme is targeted at persons who cannot get admission in ITIs, polytechnics and other vocational education and training institutes. Training is provided at Accredited Vocational Institutions (AVIs) spread all over the country. The National Open School conducts the examinations and issues certificates. It must be made clear that there is no provision for the recognition of the programmes by other agencies or determining their equivalence with corresponding programmes in the formal system.

Courses are offered in the areas of (1) Agriculture, (2) Business & Commerce; (3) Engineering & Technology; (4) Health & Paramedical; (5) Humanities, Applied Sciences and Technologies; (6) Home Science and Management; and (7) Secretarial, Computer and Office Practice. There are several options for students: (1) a mix of academic and vocational subjects at the Foundation, Secondary and Senior Secondary levels (described in Chapter 6-Learning from a Distance); (2) Package course in three areas-Secretarial Practice, Radiography, and Library Science, (3) Courses of six-month and one-year duration in several trades; and (4) Stand-alone Vocational courses (Secondary and Senior Secondary levels).

The entry requirements vary from primary school pass to a pass in 10+2. A small number of courses is also available for those who are literate. Admissions, on first-come-first-served basis, are open during May-July and October-December. Examinations are held twice a year in May and November. Like any other distance learning programmes, NSO provides specially prepared reading material as well as audio, video cassettes, practical manuals and study guides, and contact classes, laboratory and workshop sessions.

Shramik Vidyapeeths: Shramik Vidyapeeths, sponsored by the State Departments of Education, offer short-term training programmes to enrich the personal life of the unprivileged and underprivileged and their families by providing opportunities for adult education. The target groups covered include socially and economically backward, unemployed youth, street children and rag pickers, slum dwellers, housewives, scavengers, and prisoners. There are four categories of programmes: (1) programmes useful for women to supplement their incomes; (2) general educational programmes (such as, first aid, fire-fighting, environmental sanitation, child care, care of the aged, immunisation); (3) technical training in such areas as radio and TV repairing, telephone operation, watch repairing, typewriting; and (4) electronics and computer courses. The locations and timings of programmes are fixed taking into consideration the convenience of learners.

Community Colleges: A new entrant into the arena of vocational and job oriented education is the Community Colleges in Tamil Nadu. Although, it borrows the name from the USA, it is quite different from the one in existence there for more than a century. In the USA, the Community College “is defined as a publicly supported, regionally accredited institution of higher education that offers the associate’s degree as its highest degree and receiving most of its financial support from public tax dollars. The community college primarily serves commuter students, for most community colleges do not have residential facilities… In simplest terms, the mission of the community college is to provide education for individuals, many of whom are adults, in its service regions… Some colleges put more emphasis on technical education”. (George B Vaughan: The Community College Story. Washington, DC, American Association of Community Colleges, 1995. p.2-3)

The National Policy of Education (1986) recommended the “establishment of Community Colleges dealing with vocationalisation of subjects related to service sector on line with community polytechnics.’ The Madras Centre for Research and Development of Community Education (MCRDCE) which is the coordinating agency of the Community Colleges in Tamil Nadu wants the system to be recognised by the State and Central governments, universities and the UGC as an educational alternative.

There are now 33 Community Colleges in operation in Tamil Nadu and 13 more are in the pipeline. According to the MCRDCE, the Community College is a job-oriented, work-oriented, skill-based institution, which provides access to cost-effective skill based and life-coping education. It is promoted as an educational alternative to 12^th standard passed students, 10^th standard passed students, school dropouts, rural youth and rural women…’ At present, four types of courses are offered: (1) one-year diploma programmes for students who have passed the Class 10 and Class 10+2 level examinations; (2) Certificate programmes for students below 10^th standard; (3) Certificate programmes of shorter duration ranging from one month to six months for industrial workers; and (4) self-employment programmes for rural women and youth and the underprivileged. The Colleges claim to have strong industrial linkage for designing the curriculum, on site training and job placement.

Food Craft Courses: They are offered by Food Craft Institutes and hotel management institutes. This has been discussed in Chapter 34 (Hotel, Tourism and Travel Management).

Vocational Course in Railway Commercials (VCRC): A two-year full time job linked course has been introduced by the Indian Railways in 1990-91 in Railway Schools located one each in Secunderabad, Chennai, Delhi, Guwahati, and Gorakhpur and two each in Calcutta and Mumbai. The course, recognised by the CBSE is open to candidates who have passed 10^th class examination with at least 50% marks in the aggregate. Admission is made on the basis of entrance test conducted by the Railway Recruitment Boards.

Aircraft Maintenance Engineering (AME): The course is offered by institutions approved by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation which also conducts the qualifying examinations (See Chapter 52 – Mixed Bag).

Ship Radio Officers: Radio Electronics Certificate of Proficiency. (See Chapter 52 – A Mixed Bag)

AICTE-CEP: The All India Council for Technical Education has introduced a scheme of Continuation Education Programme (AICTE-CEP) under which it recognises job-oriented short-term programmes offered by various private institutions.

Update

National Vocational Education Policy: The government has prepared a comprehensive National Vocational Education Policy aimed at meeting the demand of skilled man power in the face of first-track technological development marked by unprecedented changes in the work culture, both within and outside India. The Policy is marked by specific provisions for improved participation of women, disabled and other disadvantaged groups in Vocational Training. The Policy will also provide a new training ethos with multiple entry and exit points coupled with a flexible delivery system.

Reference have been made to National Council of Vocational Training (p.570) and Central apprenticeship Council (p.572), two non-statutory advisory bodies in the Ministry of Labour. These two bodies will be replaced by a single statutory authority by an Act of the Parliament.