The Directorate of Vocational Educational and Training (DVET) has seen an unprecedented increase of applications for admissions to ITI’s this year.
The Directorate of Vocational Educational and Training (DVET) has seen an unprecedented increase of applications for admissions to ITI’s this year. When compared to last year’s applications, the DVET has seen an increase of almost 50,000 applications taking the total to over three lakh across the state.
According to officials, in the current economic scenario students want to start earning as soon as possible and the option of earning a decent living by the age of 18 has been one of the most prominent reasons for the increase.
According to statistics released by DVET on Monday evening, it had received around 3.03 lakh confirmed applications for its various courses. Monday was the last day for receiving applications. Last year, DVET had received 2.59 lakh applications at the same time and had received another 23,000 applications after the SSC supplementary exam results were declared.
Officials say that the 3.03 lakh figure is bound to increase after the supplementary exam results are declared this year.
Yogesh Patil, deputy director, DVET, ascribed the increase in the number of applications to increasing awareness of the courses that were undertaken by the directorate as well as the efforts put in by the government to spread information about the courses that include both engineering and non-engineering courses.
When asked if the option of earning early in life was an incentive for students, Mr Patil agreed and said, “The DVET has tie-up with nearly 18,000 companies involved in both manufacturing and non-manufacturing activities that offer students internship as well as confirmed jobs after completion of the course. The stipend earned by students while they are doing the course is around Rs 5,000-7,000, which is very attractive. The option of getting jobs and earning by the age of 18 years is also very tempting and hence there is a gradual increase in the number of applications that DVET has been receiving over the past couple of years,” said Mr Patil.
Apart from this, the relatively low fees, which ranges from Rs 350 for reserved category students and Rs 1,300 annually for open category students, is another reason students flock to join the courses after SSC.
In all there are 1.32 lakh seats in 417 government and 496 private institutes across the state and this year the number of seats has gone up by 3,000 as some new institutions have also come up. The courses that have seen the maximum applications are the electrical and engineering courses though some engineering courses have seen a decline in demand. Non-engineering courses like masonry, cosmetology, fashion technology, among others are yet to take the fancy of the students, as a result of which such courses have seen only 40 per cent of the seats being filled.
The DVET will announce the merit list on July 14.
