Large and Medium Industries Minister M.B. Patil on Friday sought active collaboration between public and private sector industries to drive PM-SETU scheme, which aims to upgrade 48 ITIs in the State.

The PM SETU scheme (Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs) is a ₹60,000 crore initiative of the Union government designed to modernise 1,000 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) across the country into advanced, industry-led skill centers.

Mr. Patil held a meeting with industry representatives here to discuss the possibilities of industry participation in the effective implementation of the PM-SETU scheme. Also, industries should collaborate with educational institutions to develop the skilled workforce they required, Mr. Patil reminded.

Speaking on the occasion, Skill Development Minister Sharan Prakash Patil said the scheme followed a hub-and-spoke model, under which four ITIs are attached to each hub. There are 12 hubs and 48 ITIs in the State. One hub each has now been selected in Bengaluru Urban and Kalaburagi districts, and he called upon industries in the respective regions to actively participate in the initiative.

For instance, in Bengaluru Urban, Peenya ITI has been designated as the hub, with the Tumakuru Road, Domlur, Hosur Road and Devanahalli ITIs serving as the spoke institutions. In North Karnataka, Kalaburagi Government ITI for Boys will serve as the hub, with the ITIs at Sedam, Afzalpur, Jewargi and Kalaburagi Government ITI for Women serving as the spoke institutions.

A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) would be constituted for implementing the scheme, with six industry representatives as members. Companies’ CSR divisions, foundations and other such entities would also have the opportunity to become part of the PM-SETU scheme, Mr. Patil said adding companies with an annual turnover of at least ₹500 crore and more than 1,000 employees would be eligible to participate.

Through this collaboration, companies would have the opportunity to help design the curriculum, training programmes and skill-development framework based on their requirements, he added.

Mr. Patil said that the Union government is allocating ₹112 crore, the State government ₹98 crore and the industrial sector ₹31 crore for the scheme.

Industries can adopt ITIs to make them better

There are 270 government ITIs across Karnataka and if industries come forward to adopt these ITIs, government would be happy to allow them to do so, added the Skill Development Minister.