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| Turn Skills Into Livelihoods | | | The Centre recently approved Strategic Investment Plans (SIPs) worth Rs 475.41 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs (PM-SETU) scheme for upgrading key Industrial Training Institute (ITI) clusters across Jammu and Kashmir.
The initiative will follow a hub-and-spoke model to modernise training infrastructure, introduce contemporary courses and align curricula with evolving industry requirements and domestic and global skill demands.
This scheme marks a significant step towards strengthening the skill development ecosystem in Jammu and Kashmir. At a time when unemployment remains a major concern among the youth, this investment offers an opportunity to bridge the gap between education and employment and equip young people with skills relevant to the modern economy.
For Jammu and Kashmir, where thousands of young people aspire to secure meaningful employment, upgrading Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) is more than an infrastructure development exercise. It is an investment in human capital, economic self-reliance and a future in which local talent can compete for opportunities both within the Union Territory and beyond.
The PM-SETU initiative aims to modernise selected ITI clusters through a hub-and-spoke model. This approach can help strengthen training facilities, improve access to advanced equipment, introduce contemporary courses and promote collaboration between educational institutions and industries. By aligning curricula with changing industrial requirements, the scheme seeks to make vocational education more practical, relevant and employment-oriented. For too long, vocational education has often been viewed as a secondary option compared with conventional academic courses. This perception needs to change. In a rapidly evolving economy, technical expertise, digital literacy and specialised vocational skills are becoming increasingly important. Skilled electricians, technicians, mechanics, welders, computer operators and other trained professionals are essential for industrial growth, infrastructure development and service delivery. The challenge is to ensure that ITIs produce competent professionals who meet these requirements.
Equally important is the participation of private industries and local enterprises. Employers should be encouraged to offer apprenticeships, provide practical training and recruit qualified candidates from upgraded institutes. A strong institutional partnership between government, training centres and industry can ensure that the investment translates into measurable employment outcomes.
PM-SETU has the potential to transform ITIs into centres of excellence and make skill development a powerful instrument of economic progress. If implemented effectively, it can help Jammu and Kashmir’s youth move from job-seeking to job-readiness and entrepreneurship. The real goal must be to turn skills into livelihoods, aspirations into achievements and public investment into a more confident, capable and self-reliant generation. |
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