Best Practices in Vocational Training: Case of Jan Shikshan Sansthans in Tamil Nadu

Abstract

The education has a significant role in shaping the opportunities for the socio-economic development of the individual and groups. Education, in its broadest sense of development, is the most crucial input for empowering people with skills and knowledge and giving them access to productive employment and improve their quality of life. The vocational and occupational skills for their socio-economic development have been mainly main focused to enable the backward and educationally disadvantaged groups of population, particularly neo-literates, semi-literates, SCs, STs, women and girls, slum dwellers, migrant workers etc. The vocational education and training basically consists of practical courses through which one gains skills and experience directly linked to a career in future. It helps students to be skilled and in turn, get access to better employment opportunities. The vocational training and skill development imparted by different institutions run by the government, local body, private aided and private unaided. In this line of efforts, in the year 1965, the Government of India has introduced the scheme in the form of Shramik Vidyapeeth (SVP) under the guidance of UNESCO. It is one of the earlier efforts for the skill development. Since 2000, the Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS) is an improved and modified programme of SVP. Currently the country has 274 JSS to provide vocational skill training under the non-formal education system. This JSS is replicable model and its functioning could also be adopted to anywhere in the country. This institution is closely working with industry, both for providing training and also to draw the expertise to conduct training. It is a feasible, flexible and functional model to deliver the skill training programme at micro-level. This paper presents the best practices by the JSS in key functional areas adopted by the selected JSS in Tamil Nadu. The discussion is based on the study conducted by the author in three selected JSS functions in Chennai, Coimbatore and Sivaganga districts.