CRAFTSMEN TRAINING SCHEME (CTS)

The Directorate General of Employment & Training (DGE&T) in the Ministry of Labour, Government of India initiated the Craftsmen Training Scheme (CTS) in 1950 to ensure a steady flow of skilled workers in different trades for the domestic industry by establishing about 50 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs). The objective was to raise industrial production quantitatively & qualitatively through systematic training, reduce unemployment among educated youth by providing employable training, and cultivate a technical and industrial attitude in younger generations.

This scheme, the most important in the field of vocational training, has been shaping craftsmen to meet the existing as well as future manpower needs through the network of Government & Private Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in the country. The day-to-day administration of Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) under the Craftsmen Training Scheme (CTS) was transferred to state governments/Union Territory (UT) administrations in 1956. Financial control of ITIs in the states and UTs was transferred to the respective administrations from April 1969.

Under the Constitution of India, vocational training is a concurrent subject of both Central and State Governments. The development of training schemes at the national level, evolution of policy, laying of training standards, norms, conducting examinations, and certification are the responsibilities of the Central Government, whereas implementation largely rests with State Governments/UT Administrators. The Central Government is advised by the National Council of Vocational Training (NCVT), a tripartite body with representatives from employers, workers, and Central/State Governments. Similar bodies termed State Councils for Vocational Training are constituted at state levels for the same purpose.

Since April 2015, the Craftsmen Training Scheme (CTS) has been transferred from the Directorate General of Employment & Training (DGE&T), Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India, to the Directorate General of Training (DGT), Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Government of India.