New Delhi:  Skill gap is real threat to Indian economic growth potential. Vocation courses is one of the channels where youths  can upskills themselves and make them ready them  for finding suitable jobs.   All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) is already running a number of schemes of vocational training courses in AICTE’s approved Colleges/Polytechnics.

Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) by Technical Institutions is most popular scheme among these. The scheme is implemented through AICTE approved Engineering Colleges and polytechnics from the Academic Year 2016-17 to impart Engineering Skills to 10 lakhs youths in next three years. The subjects offered are based on the resources/labs/workshops available in the institutions. AICTE has allowed opening of Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) by Polytechnics using their spare capacity for optimum utilization of resources and enhancing the capacity of training with minimum investment.

There is another scheme also named Community College scheme, whose details are available on the

 A ICTE website on the below link:

http://www.aicte-india.org/communitycolleges.php

The vocational courses taught in the AICTE’s approved polytechnics are popular courses and also comply with National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF). All the courses are developed by the Sector Skill Council (SSCs), which have experts and industrial representatives from the respective sectors in designing the courses.

This information was given by the Minister of State (HRD), Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey yesterday  (1 August 2016)  in a written reply to a Lok Sabha question.

The minister also informed that the course on Internet of Things (IoT) is not offered/proposed by any approved Institute of AICTE, due to non-availability of experts in their Institute and less Industry participation in the field of IoT.