The proposed Advance Skill Development Training Institute (ASTI), Berhampur, is likely to function on a temporary basis from the premises of Industrial Training Institute (ITI) here from February next year. A nine-member expert team of the funding agency, Asian Development Bank (ADB), visited the ITI on Wednesday for inspection of its infrastructure. “We are prepared to spare space for functioning of the ASTI on ITI campus. During the discussion with us, the ADB mission appeared satisfied with the existing infrastructure facilities,” ITI principal Rajat Panigrahi said.
The government has earmarked five acres in front of the ITI here for construction of the permanent campus of the ASTI. The construction of the building and other facilities for the institute will take two years.
The temporary campus of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Berhampur, started functioning from the ITI campus this year.
To impart skill training to around two lakh youths in the next five years, the state government has decided to set up six ASTIs in different places of the state. Besides Berhampur, the other places selected are Rourkela, Ambaguda (Koraput), Jharsuguda, Bhubaneswar (Gandamunda) and Balangir. These five ASTIs will also function from ITIs. The government has called a meeting of the principals of the ITIs for further discussion in Bhubaneswar on Saturday, official sources said.
Most advanced skill development and industry-oriented training will be imparted in the ASTIs. Two lakh youths will be trained at a cost of Rs 1,050-crore. Out of it, the state government would provide one-third and the rest amount would be availed from ADB as loan, the sources said.
The Odisha Skill Development Society would be the nodal agency for implementation of the project.
Besides ITI passouts, other target groups to receive advanced skill development training are unemployed IT graduates, unemployed engineers and general graduates and polytechnic graduates, they said.
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