The Andhra Pradesh government has announced the establishment of 30 new Skill Development Colleges in the state, in partnership with multinational companies like KIA Motors, Hyundai and Bosch, to provide job-oriented training for young people in the state. The government has announced that the colleges will be set up at an estimated cost of Rs 1,210 crore.
Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy approved the model of the building for the colleges at a review meeting on Thursday. Authorities said that the construction work is expected to begin in October, and the colleges are expected to be inaugurated a year and a half later.
According to an official statement, around 120 different courses will be offered at the skill development colleges, and the government will collaborate with companies like KIA Motors, ITC, Tech Mahindra, HCL, Hyundai, Volvo and Bosch to offer these training programmes.
CM Jagan reportedly said that the companies and the colleges must work together for better results and that the students should be trained to suit the industries’ requirements.
Andhra Pradesh State Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC) Chairman Challa Madhu Sudhan Reddy said that the courses will be designed to cater to youngsters of varied qualifications, including those who have not cleared class 10 exams, graduates of engineering, polytechnic and ITI (Industrial Training Institute) courses.
Hye said that the goal of the corporation is to identify and fill the gap in the qualifications of the local youth, and the requirements of the industries located there.
“The skill development colleges will offer advanced technologies or international certification programmes, which the colleges do not teach in conventional programmes. It’s a place where youngsters can upgrade their skills for the job market. For instance, in ITIs, students are taught the same conventional lathe machine for many years. But no one uses those in industries now, as they use automated machines that are programmed,” said Madhu Sudhan Reddy.
The APSSDC plans to invite firms like KIA Motors, Hyundai and others to set up their labs or centres for excellence at the skill development colleges using their CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) funds, and even bring in industry experts working at these firms as faculty members. “If they can arrange training programmes to impart relevant skills, the students will have the opportunity to join these organisations directly,” Madhu Sudhan Reddy said.
The APSSDC plans to gather district-level data over the coming months, on the industry requirement of employees, skills and the qualification level of youngsters as well as their interests.
Earlier in July 2019, the YSRCP government had passed a legislation to provide 75% reservation for “locals” in industries and factories across the state, including joint ventures and projects set up under the public-private partnership model. The Act had specified that in case “qualified/suitable local candidates are not available, the industry/factory, within three years, with active collaboration of the government, shall take steps to train and engage local candidates.”
Of the 30 skill development colleges, one each will be set up in the 25 parliamentary constituencies, one each at the IIIT (Indian Institutes of Information Technology) campuses in the state at Ongole, Nuzvid, Srikakulam and Idupulapaya, and one more in Pulivendula, which is CM Jagan’s constituency. Madhu Sudhan Reddy said that the colleges are expected to have an intake of around 1,250 students per centre at a time.
The course duration will vary from three months to six or nine months, depending on the course, he said. A committee of education experts from the APSCHE (Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education), IIIT, as well as sector experts from various fields like the pharmaceutical, medical and manufacturing industries, will design the curriculum for the colleges, he said.