CITS OVERVIEW

CITS Overview

The Craft Instructor Training Scheme has been operational since the inception of the Craftsmen Training Scheme. This scheme comes under the purview of the Directorate General of Employment & Training (now Directorate General of Training) in the Ministry of Labour & Employment (now Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship), Government of India.

The first Craft Instructor Training Institute was established in 1948. Subsequently, five more institutes—namely Central Training Institute for Instructors (now called Advanced Training Institutes or ATIs)—were established at Ludhiana, Kanpur, Howrah, Mumbai, and Hyderabad during the 1960s by the Directorate General of Employment & Training (DGE&T).

The objective of Craft Instructor Training is to train instructors in techniques for transferring hands-on skills to trainees, in order to develop semi-skilled and skilled manpower for industry. The structure of the training programme ensures comprehensive training in both skill development and training methodology.

In 2010, the government also allowed the setting up of Instructor Training Institutes by State Governments, Union Territory administrations, companies (such as sole proprietorships, private/public limited companies registered under the Companies Act), societies and trusts registered under relevant Acts, and promoters of Special Economic Zones (SEZs).

To maintain the quality and standards of instructor training, the National Council of Vocational Training (NCVT) has approved separate standards for infrastructure and course curriculum. Only institutes meeting these standards are affiliated with NCVT and are designated as Institutes for Training of Trainers (ITOT). Upon completion of training, trainees are trade-tested and awarded the National Craft Instructor Certificate.

To increase flexibility, a modular pattern of Craft Instructor Training replaced the conventional one-year training. This was introduced at Central Training Institutes (CTIs) and Advanced Training Institutes (ATIs) starting from the August 2009 session, and later adopted by ITOTs as well. For engineering trades, the training programme is divided into four modules, each of 3 months’ duration, for the trades grouped into the following seven categories: