GUWAHATI:
Tata Technologies Limited, on May 11, signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with the Assam government to transform 34 state polytechnics and 43 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) into futuristic Centres of Excellence (CoEs) entailing an investment of Rs 2,390 crore.
The MoA has been signed for a period of 10 years and it entails an investment of Rs 2,390 crore, which will be a major boost in the technical education sector in the state after Karnataka.
“Today we’ve taken a huge step towards enhancing the employability of our youth and making them ready for Industry 4.0. An MoA signed by our government with Tata Technologies Ltd for upgrading 34 polytechnics and 43 ITIs into Centres of Excellence will go a long way in improving our human resources,” Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said at the function.
“As part of the Rs 2,390.80 crore project, we’ll provide built-up space of 12,000 sq ft in each institute for setting up technology labs and workshops in which around 20,000 students can be upskilled every year for recruitment. The Assam government will bear Rs 366.06 crore in the total project cost. This project will also have placement opportunities, and approximately 15,000 to 20,000 youth will get job opportunities every year,” Sarma said.
The CM also said that the technology up-gradation of polytechnic and ITIs will lead to better employment opportunities for the local youth and transform the state of Assam into a potential investment destination for all those industry players keen on embracing Industry 4.0 and smart technologies for manufacturing.
“We also believe that this initiative would greatly benefit the MSMEs who can not afford high-end technological equipment, which will be facilitated for usage at the polytechnic,” Sarma added.
Subramanian Ramadorai, chairman Tata Technologies Ltd, said the Centres of Excellence will not only cater to the advanced skill requirements of students aligned to the key industries in Assam, but also act as a technology and industrial hub for MSMEs and support entrepreneurship. He also added that technology is evolving rapidly and there is a huge shortage of skilled manpower.
“To keep pace with these evolving technological trends, and lateral shift towards Industry 4.0-powered smart business operations, it is imperative to train the youth on latest technologies by upgrading the state polytechnics and ITIs in the country,” Ramadorai said.
“The upgraded COEs would offer a wide variety of courses to upskill youth of Assam on various traditional and new age industries empowering the northeast region of India, a key focus for the Tata Group,” he added.
Tata Technologies managing director and CEO Warren Harris said, “Through this collaboration with the Assam government, we will leverage our product engineering expertise and manufacturing domain knowledge to create future-ready courseware and training platform that allows students at polytechnics and ITIs to develop their skill sets and capabilities in line with the requirements of Industry 4.0 technologies and be part of the rapidly transforming ecosystem.”
Others who were present at the function were state industries minister Chandra Mohan Patowary, education minister Ranoj Pegu, principal secretary of skill development B Kalyan Chakravorty and senior officials of Tata Technologies and the state government were also present at the programme.