Bhopal : In a decisive step toward deepening industry participation in India’s
skilling architecture, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
(MSDE) convened a high-level Industry Leadership Conclave on PM-SETU (Pradhan
Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs) in
Bhopal on 25–26 February 2026. The two-day strategic consultation marks a
critical milestone in embedding industry-led governance within the Industrial
Training Institute (ITI) ecosystem and accelerating reforms aimed at making
India’s training infrastructure globally competitive and demand-driven.
The
Conclave was chaired virtually by Ms. Debashree Mukherjee, Secretary, MSDE, and
witnessed the participation of the Director General, Directorate General of
Training (DGT), the Principal Secretary (Skill Development), Government of
Madhya Pradesh, and senior officials from the Governments of Madhya Pradesh,
Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Gujarat.
Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Debashree Mukherjee, Secretary, MSDE, underscored that PM-SETU
represents a structural reform that goes beyond incremental upgrades. She
emphasized that the scheme places industry at the centre of governance by
empowering partners to take leadership in designing, managing, and delivering
training across adopted ITI clusters. The reform, she noted, seeks to align
skilling outcomes with real-time industrial demand, ensuring that graduates are
employment-ready and future-ready.
More
than 20 leading industry players participated in the Conclave, including ArcelorMittal, BHEL, CREDAI, ITC Limited, Mahanadi Coalfields Limited, Motherson Group, Tata Power
Skill Development Institute, and UltraTech Cement, among others.
Industry
leaders described PM-SETU as a timely and transformative reform that provides
employers the flexibility to co-create curricula, deploy modern equipment,
restructure institutional clusters, and embed global best practices in training
delivery. They viewed the initiative as a significant opportunity to build a
steady, high-quality talent pipeline while addressing persistent skill
shortages across core sectors such as manufacturing, construction, energy, infrastructure,
and advanced technologies.
The
consultation served as a pivotal platform to translate the Prime Minister’s
vision of a future-ready, globally competitive, and industry-integrated
skilling ecosystem into actionable partnerships. Deliberations focused on
governance frameworks, cluster restructuring, funding models, industry
incentives, and mechanisms for outcome-based accountability.
The scheme is currently in the preparatory and phased
rollout stage. The National Steering Committee has been constituted and
guidelines approved. So far, 33 States and Union Territories have identified
ITI clusters for upgradation, 31 have formed State Steering Committees, and 14
have floated Expressions of Interest or Requests for Proposal to select
Industry Partners.
Parallel
efforts are underway to internationalize India’s technical training ecosystem
through strategic collaborations for National Centres of Excellence. A Letter
of Intent has been signed with France for establishing a Centre of Excellence
in Aeronautics at NSTI Kanpur. A Joint Declaration of Intent has been concluded
with Germany for collaboration in the renewable energy sector at NSTI
Hyderabad. Additionally, an MoU has been signed with Singapore for setting up a
National Centre of Excellence in Advanced Manufacturing at NSTI Chennai. These
partnerships aim to bring global standards, advanced technologies, and
cross-border expertise into India’s skill development landscape.
Institutional
capacity building has also commenced in parallel. As part of leadership
strengthening initiatives, 100 ITI Principals from 27 States and Union
Territories have already undergone specialized leadership training to enhance
institutional governance, industry engagement, and operational readiness under
the PM-SETU framework.
The Bhopal Conclave signals strong industry confidence
in PM-SETU and reinforces MSDE’s commitment to transforming ITIs into globally
competitive, industry-integrated institutions that power India’s growth and
employability agenda.