TRAINING FOR EMPLOYMENT, EXAMPLES OF FORMAL & NON-FORMAL AMENABLE TO OL CHANNEL
I.Formal Training 1. Some formal training programmes are available
under the Education, Agriculture and Rural Development De-
partments and the private sector. Their effectiveness can be
increased immensely by bringing them partly into the Open
Education System.
2. Programmes under Education Department
a) Technical Industrial Arts and Crafts Schools
There are 3720 Such schools which prepare students
for the 10th Standard but with one vocational subject from
among the following: carpentry, blacksimthy, moulding, weld-
ing, fitting, turning, plumbing, building construction, rural
technology, textile, wireman. In 1987-88 their enrolment was
3,14,104. These technical schools are concentrated in the States
of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Ker-
ala.
b) ITIs
These provide craftsman level training to pupils
with matriculation or pre-matriculation qualifications. Training
is provided in a total of 65 Trades. There are 1887 such insti-
tutes of which 224 cater only or partly for women. The intake
capacity is 3,27,000 (3, 10,000 males and 17000 females).
3. Programmes under Agriculture, Rural Development,
Labour, Cooperation, Fisheries Departments, etc.
Technical and Vocational Schools
In 1981-82, there were 2087 institutions enrolling
1,63, 564 students in technical and vocational schools run by
departments other than education viz. agricultural schools and
schools for forestry , fishery , veterinary and animal hus-
bandry,, cooperative training, commercial training , music,
drawing etc.
II.Non-formal Training 1. Non-formal training programmes are organised
both by Government Departments, NGO's and trade and indus-
try. These programmes do not normally insist on minimum
educational qualifications except for literacy and numeracy
skills They are job-related but do not lead to a formal di-
ploma. Some of these training programmes have the potential
to adopt distance education methods and thus expand their cov-
erage for increasing rural employment. Among such pro-
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grammes may be mentioned those conducted by Krishi Vigyan
Kendras; extension services of Agricultural Universities;
TRYSEM; Community Polytechnics; Bharatiya Agro-Industries
Foundation; Vigyan Ashram, Pabal; Jnaneshwar Vidyap-
eeth, Pune; Builders Association of India; Shramik Vidyapeeths;
Pre- vocational Training for Rural Child Labour run by IIRW,
Aurangabad; Training in Khadi & Village Industries.
III. Agriculture-related 1. Krishi Vigyan Kendras - These are farm centres
Programmes run for training and practice of farmers and rural youths. At
present, there are 109 functioning Krishi Vigyan Kendras
(KVKs) and 75 are in the pipeline. While 65% of the KVKs
are run by State Agricultural Universities, 25% are run by
voluntary organisations and the rest are managed by ICAR.
They are conceived as vocational training centres to impart
knowledge and skills to farmers so that they could increase
their productivity and efficiency. Each KVK has 50 acres of
land to impart training for farmers in agriculture and allied
subjects namely sericulture, mushroom culture, dairy farming
etc. The duration of the training programme varies from 1 day
to three months. The trainees are selected in consultation with
the State Departments of Agriculture. They have a strong re-
search support from State Agricultural Universities. Besides
there are 9 technical training centres to provide resource sup-
port to the professional staff and the KVKs. At present KVKs
train about 4,40,000 farmers each year.
Recently, the quantum of expansion of the KVK
Programme and its funding was considered by Planning Com-
mission and the view which emerged was as below:-
i) The existing 109 KVK's may continue to be funded
by Central Govt. on 100% basis but for the new KVK's the
State Govt. should provide 50 acres of land and these KVK's
should be run either by NGO's or industry. For that purpose
efforts Should be made to interest Chambers of Commerce,
Industry in general and fertiliser industry in particular to man-
age the KVK's. In case of new KVK's for voluntary agen-
cies,land and building Would be provided by the voluntary
agencies as their contribution and recurring cost may be sanc-
tioned as per norms.
ii) The course content of the training programme of
KVK's should be revamped so as to incorporate new thrust
areas, region-wise and crop-wise.
iii) The ICAR should conduct evaluation to examine the
impact of KVK's with regard to the increase in the productivity
of land in the areas of influence of KVK's.
2. Agriculture Universities - Agricultural universities
have their own arrangements for training of farmers apart from
KVKs. e.g. Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana runs a
variety of courses like bee-keeping, fishery, poultry, etc.
There are also courses for export-oriented market e.g. food
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processing, cut-flower cultivation etc. There are year long cor-
respondence courses for small and marginal farmers, one-year
certificate courses in home science for young women and short
courses for sons of farmers having elementary education. A
variety of materials is used: print materials, audio cassettes,
video cassettes, etc. Audio cassettes cost Rs.5 per cassette and
the monthly magazine describing seasonal calender of agricul-
ture activities costs Rs.2 per issue. There is a network of
young farmers' clubs (Naujawan Kisan Santhas) for seed culti-
vation and distribution.
3. Bhartiya Agro-Industries Foundation (BAIF) -
BAIF is an NGO based in Pune with 3 campuses for animal
sciences, agriculture and agro-forestry, and appropriate tech-
nology, energy and human health. The BAIF Information Re-
source Centre set up in 1989 provides information in diverse
areas covering crafts, agro-forestry, animal health, appropriate
technology, human community health, dairy cattle production,
renewable energy, post-harvest technology, rural development
and sericulture. The Information Resource Centre holds not
only books and periodicals but also audio visuals, maps and
brochures and pamphlets. The BAIF treats training and educa-
tion as an integrated whole. It provides training for self-em-
ployment as well as training for crop and animal husbandry
activities. It focusses on livelihood education in the tribal areas
where it teaches tribals about wasteland cultivation and it has
done impressive work in this regard in the tribal areas of Gu-
jarat. The training is modular in terms of subject areas and in
terms of sequence. The training is short, field centred and
places a heavy emphasis on use of media and pictures rather
than words. It also operates a special training programme for
drop outs. It has been observed that training cannot be success-
ful unless post- training support is provided by way of product
design, entrepreneurial development programme and training in
marketing. BAIF also provides information services packaged
for use of trainers rather than researchers.
IV. Small Industry Re- 1. Training of Rural Youths for Self-Employ-
lated Programmes ment (TRYSEM)
The scheme was launched by Government of India
in 1979 as a facilitating component of Integrated Rural Devel-
opment Programme (IRDP). The strategy of the Programme is
to put identified youths through a period of training with the
training institutions or master craftsmen to provide necessary
technical and entrepreneural skills and, on the successful com-
pletion of training, to provide a combination of subsidy and
credit under IRDP for acquisition of income generating assets.
The programme heavily focusses on the rural poor with 40%
reservation for women, 50% for SCs/STs and 3% for physi-
cally handicapped with preference being given to adult male
literates under the NLM. There are no educational qualifica-
tions. Minimum age for providing training under TRYSEM is
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16 and the upper age limit is 35 relaxed to 45 in case of widows and freed bonded labourers, freed convict persons, leprosy- cured patients, project affected persons etc. A free tool kit costing not more than Rs. 600 is given in kind to the trainee during the course of training. A sum of Rs. 100 per trainee per month is payable to the training institution for the duration of the training. An amount of Rs.75 per trainee is payable to a craftman per month as an honourarium. On completion of training, the trainee is subjected to a performance test. The present coverage of rural youths for training under TRYSEM is 2 lakhs per annum but from 1991-92, this is being stepped up to 4 lakhs youth per year.
2. Community Polytechnics(CPs) Under this scheme started in 1979, polytechnics are selected to act an focal points to promote socioeconomic uplift- ment and qualitative improvement in the life style of the rural community with emphasis on poverty alleviation and employ- ment generation particularly for the under-privileged and the disadvantaged. The CPs carry out activities like manpower development and training, technology transfer and technical and managerial support services relevant to the local needs. R&D support is being provided by 15 Centres for Development of Rural Technology. A National Expert Committee which ap- praised the scheme recently noted the impact and recommended its continuance and expansion. Upto the end of 1990-91, 159 CPs were functioning through which about 1,60,000 rural youth were trained and over 50% were absorbed in self/wage employment. It is proposed to cover all approved polytechnics (about 500) under the scheme by the end of 8th Plan.
3. Vidnyan Ashram, Pabal Vidnyan Ashram, Pabal, District Pune, is a Centre of the Indian Institute of Education, Pune. Its innovative pro- grammes emphasise science and technology for rural develop- ment and the successful technologies evolved by this Centre are built into the school-curriculum at the secondary stage. Besides, it trains out-of-school children and youth, artisans, farmers and rural women in rural technology. Its work has made a signifi- cant contribution to building a rural base for need-based voca- tional training. The main ingredients of the experiment are:
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- There is integration of education and development.
- The emphasis is on intellectual stimulation rather than on rote learning
- The work is multi-scale
- It has taken up themes of all India relevance like environ- ment.
- Its emphasis is on full utilisation of whatever equipment was available. The cost was very modest namely Rs.50 per year per student for material within an overall per capita cost of Rs.290 per year. As a by-product, the equipment also served to build assets for the villages.In terms of student time, only one day out of a week was used.
- It provides strategic service to the villagers in a variety of fields: for example clinical (blood and urine tests, irriga- tion (water) finding) etc.
- The work had a spin-off effect. Its ex-students have set up additional workshops. Water prospecting implements were available in abundance,
- It has proposed a kit costing Rs.40,000 for pre-vocational courses of the SCERT in Maharashtra and the scheme is likely to be sanctioned during the 8th Plan.
4. Dnyaneshwar Vidyapeeth Dnyaneshwar Vidyapeeth, Pune, may be referred to as an example of an open, non-conventional, educational institution which imparts technical education in a cost effective manner. It takes the help of existing education institutions to conduct its classes and enters into arrangements with the indus- trial establishments in the vicinity to conduct practicals and has invested very little in construction of buildings and purchase of plant and equipment. The Vidyapeeth is able to impart qual- ity instruction in engineering sciences at degree level and its products have been accepted by the job market.