| 4. In which ways is the initiative creative and innovative?
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The most basic requirement to implement the Industry Interface Cell was to bring in participation from Industry personnel which is key to the success of this project. This was achieved by actively engaging with leading industries and industrial associations with prominent presence in Gujarat and convincing them of the benefits of participating in the system.
Another important requirement was to sensitize the government machinery to the new system and to help them adjust to the use of IT in managing their daily activities. This was achieved through training sessions for DET employees, ITI principals and their staff. The strategy was implemented in coordination with all stakeholders and several brainstorming sessions were held to take this forward. The directorate utilized the services provided by existing state wide IT infrastructure to reduce costs.
Course contents for iKVK were devised with the inputs from industry. Around 160 courses are being provided and these courses are spread across 70 sectors.
Methodology of Certification was devised by DET & the Industry for;
- Skill Evaluation
- Behaviour Evaluation
- Performance Evaluation
The services which would be provided through the Industry Interface Cell were listed down and the solution structure was designed.
This helped in creating Joint Certification by GCVT & the Industry for iKVK trainees.
For the Online Admissions Management and Assessment Solution, the idea was to take the system to the participants and improve the focus on the end users of the system instead. As a result small but citizen centric initiatives were planned such as SMS intimation, anywhere registration for ITI, Merit Generation, Hall Ticket Generation – all of which were previously done manually. These simple measures have brought immense convenience to prospective trainees and also led to better management of the system by DET. The solution is user friendly and makes administration easier for all stakeholders.
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| 5. Who implemented the initiative and what is the size of the population affected by this initiative?
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The following stakeholders are involved in the project
1. DET – The directorate played the lead role in this comprehensive modernization and spearheaded this initiative. On a daily basis, it plays a supervisory role and administers activities of ITIs, iKVKs, skill certification, KVKs etc.
2. Industries – Industries were brought on board after several rounds of interaction with industrial representatives. They played a key role in ensuring that training courses are up to date with the latest industry requirements. Further, they played a key role in the facilitating apprenticeship for prospective trainees.
3. ITIs/KVKs – Industrial Training Centers and Kaushalya Vardhan Kendras and iKVKs are the centers at which vocational and skill based training is provided to trainees. A total of 282 ITIs, 500 KVKs, 617 Vocational Training Providers, 475 Grant in Aid and self financed training institutions and 30 iKVKs are in existence currently.
4. Trainers – A team of approximately 6500 trainers is available to provide skill based training to trainees.
5. GIPL – Guj Info Petro Ltd has been involved in the development and implementation of Industry Interface Cell and OEACS (Online Exam Assessment and Control System).
6. National Informatics Center (NIC) – NIC is responsible for developing and maintenance of the online admissions system.
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| 6. How was the strategy implemented and what resources were mobilized?
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The project has been implemented at a basic minimum cost. The budget for the same has been provided by the department of Labour and Employment, Government of Gujarat.
The capital expenditure made on implementing the IT systems was approximately INR 1.61 crores. Further, DET makes an annual expenditure of approximately 53 lacs in operations and maintenance.
The breakup of the same is provided below:
1. In developing the Online Admission System, DET pays National Informatics Center a total sum of INR 4 lacs annually for software development and maintenance services. Apart from this, annual operations and maintenance of this system right from registration to examination and skill certification requires approximately INR 31 lacs
2. DET spent a sum of 1.12 crore in setting up the Industry Interface cell out which 58 lacs was spent in setting up apprentice training system, 25 lacs was spent in iKVK portal development and 29 lacs was spent on setting up the skill certification system. Approximately 10 lacs is spent annually in operations and maintenance.
3. The online examination and control system required 49 lacs for development and approximately 15% of the cost is spent in operations and maintenance yearly.
In developing the system, DET reached out to GIPL i.e Guj Info Petro Ltd to seek services of a technology implementation team which could help them develop the envisioned system. GIPL provided them with the software implementation team which implemented the IT system.
Apart from these resources, the department employees have been constantly engaged in planning the required functionality and monitoring implementation on a daily basis.
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| 7. Who were the stakeholders involved in the design of the initiative and in its implementation?
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Before the implementation of the system, approximately 2.8 lacs candidates applied for admissions yearly. Post the implementation of the system, in 2013, the number increased to 4.7 lacs and further went up to 5.4 lacs in 2014.
The state witnessed a clear improvement in the Employability ratio for the target audience i.e the rural masses. It was successfully able to train the unemployed masses and further connect them directly to the industry to seek jobs. Gujarat being the hub of industrial development in India, Industries were always on the lookout for semi skilled labour for their workforce. This interface helped them to identify talent easily and recruit them thus serving the two purposes.
The improvement in employability led to a better standard of living for people who had little means of livelihood earlier but could now lead their own lives. Their skill levels improved considerably and the employment further motivated them to add value to their skills and consistently improve. The trainees were provided a joint certificate by the industry and DET which in a way helped vouch for their skills and further enhanced their employability.
Of course, apart from the key outcomes, familiarization with the industry made trainees more outgoing and helped them build interpersonal skills which have added another dimension to this initiative.
Approximately 160+ sectors, 9480 companies, 1000+ courses and 31,63,398 beneficiaries are a part of this system.
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| 8. What were the most successful outputs and why was the initiative effective?
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The initiative is being managed by the Directorate and its employees. The roles and responsibilities of each of them are listed below. They are responsible for monitoring and evaluation activities.
1. Labour and Employment Department - Responsible for Framing Policies & norms and providing adequate budget
2. Director of Employment and Training - Overall Implementation, Monitoring & Supervision.
3. All district level Class I principles are declared as Skill Development Officers of that district who will take care of skill development activities for their districts. Taluka level ITI Class II principles are declared as Asst. Skill Development Officer-ASDO (Principal of mentor ITI) who coordinate with cluster villages, perform monthly inspection & evaluation, fund disbursement & skill gap analysis
4. Coordinator of the respective KVKs (Regular Foreman Instructor - Selection of courses, training activities, admission, examination & placement assistance.
5. Kaushalya Samiti at village level - Sensitize local youth, assess the local needs, evaluate quality of training & social audit.
6. Village & Block Leaders - To guide people to avail benefits
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| 9. What were the main obstacles encountered and how were they overcome?
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One of the biggest hurdles encountered was to get industrial representatives on board to join hands with the Government. Their participation was essential for the following:
1. Providing apprenticeship to trainees
2. Providing training to trainees on various industry skills
3. Providing information on latest industry requirements so that training can be kept in sync with the requirements
The hurdle was overcome by effective collaboration with industrial representatives and showing them the positives of participating in this system. With industries growing exponentially in Gujarat, there was an urgent need of recruiting work force for various skills. This system was an effective way of making supply and demand meet.
Switching to the online admissions and assessment system was difficult for employees who had never been exposed to IT. This was overcome by arranging training and capacity building sessions for them to enable them to effectively use the new system.
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