The ICT in Education Newsletter, June 2015, is now available. Please feel free to forward it to members of your networks. To view online, click here.
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Tuesday, June 30, 2015
ICT in the Post-2015 Development Agenda (Special Edition) UNESCO Office in Bangkok
Monday, June 29, 2015
IE "Admission surge: As India Inc adopts ITIs, students make a beeline"
Admission surge: As India Inc adopts ITIs, students make a beeline
The examination fee was earlier charged only once depending on the duration of the trades but in the present system, it is charged semester-wise. The surge in enrollments last fiscal was driven mainly by the better performing ITIs where industry is actively involved as a participant.
by Anil Sasi | Indian Express | June 30, 2015
The number of enrollments in Industrial Training Institutes or ITIs has seen an incremental surge of over 20 per cent in 2014-15, as against a nearly flat growth observed in each of two preceding years.
The surge in enrollments last fiscal was driven mainly by the better performing ITIs where industry is actively involved as a participant, including the ones supported by auto majors Maruti Suzuki and Mahindra & Mahindra as well as those where utilities such as NTPC Ltd are partners. The surge is despite a total of 103 ITIs being de-affiliated during the last two financial years due to non conformity with National Council on Vocational Training norms.
The fee system for ITIs was changed since the introduction of the semester system since the August 2013 session and the examination under the above pattern has been conducted since February 2014 onward.
The examination fee was earlier charged only once depending on the duration of the trades but in the present system, it is charged semester-wise.
The biggest contributor, though, is positive industry partnership. Maruti Suzuki – the country's largest carmaker, is working on plans to scale up its skill development activities across ITIs by setting up Automobile Skill Enhancement Centres or ASEC at 45 government-run ITIs across the country.
Each of these centres are be equipped with a model workshop to provide practical training, alongside which the company plans to also appoint full-time trainers, provide tools and equipment and forge partnerships with local Maruti Suzuki service workshops to upgrade skills of ITI students and make them job-ready. The trainees will be free to seek employment in any workshop, including those not servicing Maruti Suzuki vehicles. "With the growth in the number of vehicles on the roads, quality repair and maintenance offers a major employment opportunity," according to Pankaj Narula, executive director (service) at Maruti Suzuki. Students trained at the ASECs will be awarded an additional skill training certificate, an additional incentive.
ITI Solan is among the government-run ITIs where the motor mechanic trade and electrician trade have been upgraded by utility vehicles major Mahindra & Mahindra, resulting in a sharp increase in demand for the course. Under this partnership, M&M conducts programs on various aspects of automobile manufacturing and servicing — referred to as 'Mahindra Special Technical Education Programme for Students' or 'M – STEPS' — to student community who are undergoing certain specified and government recognised technical course. This is in addition to the regular syllabus prescribed to the Institute.
The involvement of third party monitoring agencies to carry out verification of infrastructure of vocational training providers, credentials of students, trainers and assessors, curriculum compliance and training delivery and assessment processes, is another reason being attributed for the improvement in the perception of government's skill development institutions.
Studies conducted earlier bear this out. The performance evaluation studies of ITIs providing training under Craftsmen Training Scheme carried out by Quality Council of India in 2011 have shown that placement rate in the ITIs which have been upgraded has increased between 80 to 99 per cent, whereas in other ITIs it is 40 to 50 per cent. A mid-term tracer study was conducted under the Vocational Training Improvement Project to measure labour market performance of graduates passed out from government ITIs. Based on this study conducted in 2011-12, 60 per cent of project ITIs' pass-outs find employment within one year of finishing training, as compared to baseline of 32 per cent conducted in Year 2006-07. Fresh studies are being undertaken to clock performance. In the Skill Development Report of National Skill Development Corporation and KPMG, 460 million is the demand of human resource across the 24 sectors including construction, IT, Textiles & Clothing, Food Processing, Retail, etc. in 2013. This number is expected to reach to 580 million by 2022 —a combination of entry level workforce as well as the existing workforce, which would need to be freshly skilled and upskilled.
As it works to expand skilling programmes through vocational training institutes such as the ITIs and technical colleges, the Centre is also planning a scheme for entrepreneurship development that would introduce specific courses in at least 5,000 colleges over the next three years. The scheme, besides focussing on colleges, also plans to target schools for building awareness as entrepreneurship as a career option. "We will be helping roll out entrepreneurship modules in at least 3,000 colleges across the country," Ajay Mohan Goel, executive vice president, Wadhwani Foundations, which signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Skill Development in January this year, said.
- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/business/business-others/admission-surge-as-india-inc-adopts-itis-students-make-a-beeline/
For mission 'Skilled India', ITIs to undergo makeover, tailor courses to needs
The ministry, will set up 1,500 new ITIs across the country and another 100-odd such centres in North East and Left Wing Extremism affected states.
by Surabhi | Indian Express | August 4, 2014
With a focus on creating jobs for youth, the government has decided to revamp the antiquated industrial training centres that will skill over 20 lakh youth annually and devise special courses based on industry needs.
The move is a part of the labour ministry's massive overhaul of the near obsolete Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and skill development institutes that would now be armed with revised curricula, new courses and an expanded reach across the country.
The ministry, will set up 1,500 new ITIs across the country and another 100-odd such centres in North East and Left Wing Extremism affected states, has also taken advice from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to locate some of these institutes in industrial clusters.
"Based on inputs from the Prime Minister, the new institutes will not only be set up in so far uncovered areas but majorly in industrial clusters so that students can be trained according to industry needs and placed with these companies," said a senior official involved in the development, adding that the first preference to requests from industry.
But while these ITIs will be set up by the year-end, the ministry has also decided to allow the existing institutes to meet the immediate needs of industry by offering courses of their interest.
To this end, the ministry has also decided to formulate courses for the skill development institutes based on industry needs. Firms will have to sign agreements with the Directorate General of Employment and Training to avail these specialised courses and will recruit at least 80 per cent of the students for a minimum of six months. The specialised courses will be run for an 18 month period and based on their success in terms of placement will be continued on a permanent basis.
"There has already been a lot of interest from companies in sectors such as manufacturing, construction, chemical and even e-commerce. We will be holding discussions with industry chambers later this month," said the official.
Industries with at least 300 permanent workers can sign such MoUs with the DGET. The labour ministry is also banking on the over 2,500 industry bodies in the MSME sector to recruit the students.
PM Narendra Modi has stressed on his vision of transforming the country into a 'Skilled India' and the government is expected to go much beyond the targets set by the UPA government. Currently, there are 11,000-odd ITIs being run by the government as well as on PPP basis with a seating capacity of 15.5 lakh students. The new ITIs being planned will train 4.5 lakh students.
The labour ministry is also fixing the biggest challenge before these ITIs in attracting students — outdated curricula that had little use for employers. "Starting this month, new courses will be offered to students. The existing courses have also been reviewed and revised to be in tune with modern industrial techniques," said another official.
While the full scale exercise is still on for all 11 sectors where skill training is given, the DGET has already revised 63 courses and also introduced 21 courses such as mechanic auto body repair and painting, housekeeping services in hotels, beauty and spa services, welding and ITeS courses such as information technology, computer hardware and network maintenance, software testing assistance and data base system assistant.
- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/business/business-others/for-mission-skilled-india-itis-to-undergo-makeover-tailor-courses-to-needs/
The examination fee was earlier charged only once depending on the duration of the trades but in the present system, it is charged semester-wise. The surge in enrollments last fiscal was driven mainly by the better performing ITIs where industry is actively involved as a participant.
by Anil Sasi | Indian Express | June 30, 2015
The number of enrollments in Industrial Training Institutes or ITIs has seen an incremental surge of over 20 per cent in 2014-15, as against a nearly flat growth observed in each of two preceding years.
The surge in enrollments last fiscal was driven mainly by the better performing ITIs where industry is actively involved as a participant, including the ones supported by auto majors Maruti Suzuki and Mahindra & Mahindra as well as those where utilities such as NTPC Ltd are partners. The surge is despite a total of 103 ITIs being de-affiliated during the last two financial years due to non conformity with National Council on Vocational Training norms.
The fee system for ITIs was changed since the introduction of the semester system since the August 2013 session and the examination under the above pattern has been conducted since February 2014 onward.
The examination fee was earlier charged only once depending on the duration of the trades but in the present system, it is charged semester-wise.
The biggest contributor, though, is positive industry partnership. Maruti Suzuki – the country's largest carmaker, is working on plans to scale up its skill development activities across ITIs by setting up Automobile Skill Enhancement Centres or ASEC at 45 government-run ITIs across the country.
Each of these centres are be equipped with a model workshop to provide practical training, alongside which the company plans to also appoint full-time trainers, provide tools and equipment and forge partnerships with local Maruti Suzuki service workshops to upgrade skills of ITI students and make them job-ready. The trainees will be free to seek employment in any workshop, including those not servicing Maruti Suzuki vehicles. "With the growth in the number of vehicles on the roads, quality repair and maintenance offers a major employment opportunity," according to Pankaj Narula, executive director (service) at Maruti Suzuki. Students trained at the ASECs will be awarded an additional skill training certificate, an additional incentive.
ITI Solan is among the government-run ITIs where the motor mechanic trade and electrician trade have been upgraded by utility vehicles major Mahindra & Mahindra, resulting in a sharp increase in demand for the course. Under this partnership, M&M conducts programs on various aspects of automobile manufacturing and servicing — referred to as 'Mahindra Special Technical Education Programme for Students' or 'M – STEPS' — to student community who are undergoing certain specified and government recognised technical course. This is in addition to the regular syllabus prescribed to the Institute.
The involvement of third party monitoring agencies to carry out verification of infrastructure of vocational training providers, credentials of students, trainers and assessors, curriculum compliance and training delivery and assessment processes, is another reason being attributed for the improvement in the perception of government's skill development institutions.
Studies conducted earlier bear this out. The performance evaluation studies of ITIs providing training under Craftsmen Training Scheme carried out by Quality Council of India in 2011 have shown that placement rate in the ITIs which have been upgraded has increased between 80 to 99 per cent, whereas in other ITIs it is 40 to 50 per cent. A mid-term tracer study was conducted under the Vocational Training Improvement Project to measure labour market performance of graduates passed out from government ITIs. Based on this study conducted in 2011-12, 60 per cent of project ITIs' pass-outs find employment within one year of finishing training, as compared to baseline of 32 per cent conducted in Year 2006-07. Fresh studies are being undertaken to clock performance. In the Skill Development Report of National Skill Development Corporation and KPMG, 460 million is the demand of human resource across the 24 sectors including construction, IT, Textiles & Clothing, Food Processing, Retail, etc. in 2013. This number is expected to reach to 580 million by 2022 —a combination of entry level workforce as well as the existing workforce, which would need to be freshly skilled and upskilled.
As it works to expand skilling programmes through vocational training institutes such as the ITIs and technical colleges, the Centre is also planning a scheme for entrepreneurship development that would introduce specific courses in at least 5,000 colleges over the next three years. The scheme, besides focussing on colleges, also plans to target schools for building awareness as entrepreneurship as a career option. "We will be helping roll out entrepreneurship modules in at least 3,000 colleges across the country," Ajay Mohan Goel, executive vice president, Wadhwani Foundations, which signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Skill Development in January this year, said.
- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/business/business-others/admission-surge-as-india-inc-adopts-itis-students-make-a-beeline/
For mission 'Skilled India', ITIs to undergo makeover, tailor courses to needs
The ministry, will set up 1,500 new ITIs across the country and another 100-odd such centres in North East and Left Wing Extremism affected states.
by Surabhi | Indian Express | August 4, 2014
With a focus on creating jobs for youth, the government has decided to revamp the antiquated industrial training centres that will skill over 20 lakh youth annually and devise special courses based on industry needs.
The move is a part of the labour ministry's massive overhaul of the near obsolete Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and skill development institutes that would now be armed with revised curricula, new courses and an expanded reach across the country.
The ministry, will set up 1,500 new ITIs across the country and another 100-odd such centres in North East and Left Wing Extremism affected states, has also taken advice from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to locate some of these institutes in industrial clusters.
"Based on inputs from the Prime Minister, the new institutes will not only be set up in so far uncovered areas but majorly in industrial clusters so that students can be trained according to industry needs and placed with these companies," said a senior official involved in the development, adding that the first preference to requests from industry.
But while these ITIs will be set up by the year-end, the ministry has also decided to allow the existing institutes to meet the immediate needs of industry by offering courses of their interest.
To this end, the ministry has also decided to formulate courses for the skill development institutes based on industry needs. Firms will have to sign agreements with the Directorate General of Employment and Training to avail these specialised courses and will recruit at least 80 per cent of the students for a minimum of six months. The specialised courses will be run for an 18 month period and based on their success in terms of placement will be continued on a permanent basis.
"There has already been a lot of interest from companies in sectors such as manufacturing, construction, chemical and even e-commerce. We will be holding discussions with industry chambers later this month," said the official.
Industries with at least 300 permanent workers can sign such MoUs with the DGET. The labour ministry is also banking on the over 2,500 industry bodies in the MSME sector to recruit the students.
PM Narendra Modi has stressed on his vision of transforming the country into a 'Skilled India' and the government is expected to go much beyond the targets set by the UPA government. Currently, there are 11,000-odd ITIs being run by the government as well as on PPP basis with a seating capacity of 15.5 lakh students. The new ITIs being planned will train 4.5 lakh students.
The labour ministry is also fixing the biggest challenge before these ITIs in attracting students — outdated curricula that had little use for employers. "Starting this month, new courses will be offered to students. The existing courses have also been reviewed and revised to be in tune with modern industrial techniques," said another official.
While the full scale exercise is still on for all 11 sectors where skill training is given, the DGET has already revised 63 courses and also introduced 21 courses such as mechanic auto body repair and painting, housekeeping services in hotels, beauty and spa services, welding and ITeS courses such as information technology, computer hardware and network maintenance, software testing assistance and data base system assistant.
- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/business/business-others/for-mission-skilled-india-itis-to-undergo-makeover-tailor-courses-to-needs/
UNEP publication “ABC of SCP: Clarifying Concepts on Sustainable Consumption and Production”
What is SCP?
Sustainable consumption and production (SCP) is about promoting resource and energy efficiency, sustainable infrastructure, and providing access to basic services, green and decent jobs and a better quality of life for all. The implementation of SCP as an integrated approach helps to achieve overall development plans, reduce future economic, environmental and social costs, strengthen economic competitiveness and reduce poverty.
Sustainable consumption and production is defined as "the use of services and related products, which respond to basic needs and bring a better quality of life while minimising the use of natural resources and toxic materials as well as the emissions of waste and pollutants over the life cycle of the service or product so as not to jeopardise the needs of future generations." Norwegian Ministry of Environment, Oslo Symposium, 1994.
SCP aims at "doing more and better with less," increasing net welfare gains from economic activities by reducing resource use, degradation and pollution along the whole lifecycle, while increasing quality of life. This change towards SCP involves different stakeholders, including business, consumers, policy makers, researchers, scientists, retailers, media, and development cooperation agencies, among others. It requires a systemic approach and cooperation among actors operating in the supply chain, from producer to final consumer. It involves engaging consumers through awareness-raising and education on sustainable consumption and lifestyles, providing consumers with adequate information through standards and labels and engaging in sustainable public procurement, among others.
Sustainable consumption has been recognized as an integral element of sustainable development and an issue of paramount importance. The UN Conference on the Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 recognized sustainable consumption and production as an overarching theme to link environmental and developmental challenges. Agenda 21 states that the major cause of the continued deterioration of the global environment is the unsustainable patterns of consumption and production. Ten years later in 2002, world leaders signed the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD). Chapter 3 of the Plan was devoted to "Changing Unsustainable Patterns of Consumption and Production" and declared that "fundamental changes in the way societies produce and consume are indispensable for achieving global sustainable development. All countries should promote sustainable consumption and production patterns." In 2012, at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio +20), countries recognized that fundamental changes in the way societies consume and produce are indispensable for achieving global sustainable development, and adopted the 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production patterns.
For more information on main terms and concepts related to sustainable consumption and production and other terms associated with sustainable development, please download the UNEP publication "ABC of SCP: Clarifying Concepts on Sustainable Consumption and Production."
Source: http://www.unep.org/resourceefficiency/Home/WhatisSCP/tabid/105574/Default.aspx
Biofuels and Sustainable Innovation - Project and Conference Report, RIS EUT
Biofuels and Sustainable Innovation - Project and Conference Report
Under a research project on Biofuels and Sustainable Innovation Eindhoven University of Technology (EUT) held a conference in April 2015 at EUT. The Conference report is attached. More information about the project and conference are available at
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Co-ordinates:
Krishna Ravi Srinivas PhD
RIS,CORE -IV B, IVTH FLOOR,INDIA HABITAT CENTER
LODHI ROAD NEW DELHI 11 00 03 INDIA
TEL +91 11 24682177 - 80 Fax: 91-11-24682173-74
email: ravisrinivas@ris.org.in, k.ravisrinivas@gmail.com
http://www.ris.org.in
Krishna Ravi Srinivas PhD
RIS,CORE -IV B, IVTH FLOOR,INDIA HABITAT CENTER
LODHI ROAD NEW DELHI 11 00 03 INDIA
TEL +91 11 24682177 - 80 Fax: 91-11-24682173-74
email: ravisrinivas@ris.org.in, k.ravisrinivas@gmail.com
http://www.ris.org.in
Saturday, June 27, 2015
CfPs, National Convention on Smart Village, 21-22 August, at Ranchi, Jharkhand
National Convention on Smart Village
21-22 August 2015, at Ranchi, Jharkhand
Organized by Dept. of Rural Development, Govt. of Jharkhand
21-22 August 2015, at Ranchi, Jharkhand
Organized by Dept. of Rural Development, Govt. of Jharkhand
Call for Papers
Rural Development Department, Govt. of Jharkhand invites original and unpublished work from individuals active in the broad theme of the convention. The maximum length of the paper is 10 pages (including figures and references). The paper should not contain page numbers or any special headers or footers. Authors should submit their papers online. Further guidelines for submission, information brochure is posted at www.sirdranchi.nic.in
All papers that conform to submission guidelines will be peer reviewed and evaluated based on originality, technical and/or research content/depth, correctness, relevance to conference, contributions, and readability. The manuscripts should be submitted in PDF format. Acceptance of papers will be communicated to authors by email. All accepted papers will be published in the proceedings. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
• Good Local Governance by Gram Panchayats
• Energy Sufficiency and Smart Grid in Smart Villages
• Rural Industries in Globalized Market Driven Economy
• Improving Educational Opportunities for Interior Rural Students
• Better Public Health though E-health and M-Governance in Rural Jharkhand including use of IT.
• Watershed Development as Source of Livelihood and Agriculture
• Skill Development for Rural Economy
• Rural Tourism in Smart Villages
• Rural Sanitation and Waste Management.
• New Technologies for Harnessing Rural Potential
• Improving Connectivity and Connectedness with Outer World.
Key Dates:
Last date to send Abstract : 20 July 2015
Notification of Acceptance : 22 July 2015
Submission of Full Papers : 12 August 2015
Conference : 22 August 2015
Selected papers will be considered for publication in the Convention Report by State Institute of Rural Development, Ranchi.
Send Your Abstract and Final Papers to: smartvillage.jh@gmail.com
Brochure: http://www.sirdranchi.nic.in/bro.pdf
Registration Form: http://www.sirdranchi.nic.in/Reg.pdf
Friday, June 26, 2015
[UNESCO CI News] CI highlights
UNESCO Communication and Information Weekly Newsletter
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25.06.15
UNESCO will release three new documents during the VI Latin American Forum on Public MediaThe upcoming celebration of the VI Latin American Forum of Public Media: Economic, Social and Cultural Sustainability (June 25-26, Bogota, Colombia) will launch three new working tools from UNESCO.
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24.06.15
UNESCO and SMEX to launch an online training course for Arab digital journalistsUNESCO and SMEX are launching an Arabic-language online course and open curriculum for independent media, designed by working Arab digital journalists for aspiring Arab digital journalists.
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Seven-country report finds underrepresentation, glass ceilings and sexual harassment common, while offering pathways to improve gender equality.
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24.06.15
Foreign policy must recognize the importance of media viabilityAs media in developing countries face an uncertain economic future, the question of media viability came under intense review at a panel discussion organized by UNESCO's International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) on 22 June 2015, alongside the Deutsche Well Global Media Forum currently taking place in the German city of Bonn.
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23.06.15
Assessment of journalist safety in Iraq launchedA comprehensive analysis of the safety situation of Iraqi journalists using the UNESCO Journalists' Safety Indicators (JSI) has started last week in Baghdad with a workshop during which the Iraqi Journalists' Rights Defense Association (IJRDA), UNESCO's partner in the assessment, presented the research project.
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23.06.15
Director-General deplores killing of Ukrainian journalist Sergii NikolaievThe Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, has deplored the death of press photographer Sergii Nikolaiev on 28 February.
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23.06.15
Global Media Forum highlights safety of journalistsCurrent challenges to free and safe journalism were the focus of a plenary session at Deutsche Welle's annual Global Media Forum in Bonn on Monday, 22 June, in which UNESCO participated.
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