Abstract

India has one of the largest technical manpower in the world. However, compared to its population it is not significant and there is a tremendous scope of improvement in this area. In India, the emphasis has been on general education, with vocational education at the receiving end. This has resulted in large number of educated people remaining unemployed. This phenomenon has now been recognised by the planners and hence there is a greater thrust on vocationalisation of education. Another shortcoming in the area of technical and vocational education is that till now, the number of engineers graduating is more than the diploma holders. This is creating an imbalance, as more workforces are required at the lower level. Hence more polytechnics and Institute for Industrial Training (ITIs) are being opened now. Besides, various Ministries are trying to impart vocational courses through innovative institutions, specially launched for the purpose. In doing so,the government is trying to maintain quality of these courses. Under the XIth Plan, vocationalisation of education has received a boost with more funds being allocated for the purpose. Besides, it is also being ensured that the marginalised sections of the society, including women, get adequate representation in these courses. It can thus be hoped that TVET (Technical Vocational Education Tool) will play a major role in improving the lives of the people of India.