Karnataka: Study flags low placements, joblessness among ITI graduates

Bengaluru: Students from the trades of carpentry, civil draughtsmanship and dressmaking were the most unemployed among graduates of Industrial Training Institutes (ITI), according to a tracer study commissioned by Karnataka government. 

ITIs are widely considered as the backbone of vocational education. The study covered 4,905 out of 14,758 students who graduated from more than 90 ITIs in 2020-21.

It was commissioned by the department of skill development and carried out by Mysuru-based GRAAM (Grassroots Research and Advocacy Movement). The report was made public recently by the Karnataka Monitoring & Evaluation Authority. 

“Nearly one-fifth of ITI alumni are unemployed, with unemployment rates higher among female alumni (38%) than male alumni (18%),” the study showed.

“In rural areas, 23% of the alumni faced lack of job opportunities, 22% struggled with finding jobs in their field and 4% lacked the necessary experience. In urban areas, 35% of the alumni faced regional job shortages, 28% found it difficult to get jobs in their field and 2% lacked the necessary work experience,” the study found. 

According to the study, a “maximum” number of female ITI alumni respondents said they were unemployed due to marriage and their families objecting to work in faraway places. 

In fact, most ITI students did not take up job offers during campus placement.

The most common reason is non-availability of the right jobs and their locations. Apparently, students are finding it difficult to secure a job from their field of study.  “Relevance of courses to present-day industry demand is of utmost importance and course structure should be evaluated and revised after every 3-4 years, especially given the constantly evolving nature of workplace skill requirements in the country,” the study recommended. 

The study found that ITI alumni in rural areas got an average monthly income of Rs 13,974 in their first job and Rs 16,693.36 in their current job.

This is slightly lower in urban areas where they got Rs 13,315.68 in the first job and Rs 15,018.20 in the current one. 

However, the study flagged that the first job salary was “lower than the lowest” minimum wage for ‘skilled’ labour categories (Rs 14,948).

However, the first job salary in rural areas matched the minimum wage fixed for semi-skilled categories (Rs 13,847).

“All ITI students should be linked to job opportunities that provide at least the minimum wage for ‘skilled’ categories,” the study said.