Don Bosco ITI: Pioneering technical education and training with new-age courses

“Don Bosco ITI, Kurla gives importance to the new age courses that develop skills and provide employment opportunities to the learners”, says Mr. Amarr G Prabhu, Principal, Don Bosco ITI, Kurla, Mumbai.

With the emergence of Industry 4.0, a student or trainee needs to learn skills that help them contribute towards the development of society as well as for their employment opportunities. It is also necessary to keep an eye on the current situations and learn the skills accordingly. We conversed with Mr. Amarr G Prabhu, Principal, Don Bosco ITI, Kurla, Mumbai to know how the institute is bridging the industry-academia gap, how they are focussing on preparing the students for the future with new-age courses, and more.

Below are few excerpts from our conversation. You can watch the full video interview on our YouTube channel.

Q: What are the popular courses at Don Bosco ITI?

A: There are various courses at Don Bosco ITI such as Mechanic Motor Vehicle, Electrician course, and Electronics Mechanic. Along with this, we have courses on Automobile Repair, Plumbing, refrigerators, and AC repairs. This is made possible only due to industry collaboration.

We are also working on the new-age courses like the Technician Mechatronics course and E-vehicle course. As per NCVET prescribed curriculum, we are also thinking to start short-term programmes in new-age courses. We are also in touch with the industry member to start the 3D printing course. As a policy we follow, no programme will not be planned without the industry association.

Don Bosco ITI was also a part of the Maharashtra Skill Competition and conducted 21 skill-based competitions in cybersecurity, web technology, and Information Technology (IT).

Q: Brief us about the achievements received for the projects that brought recognition to the institution?

A: Don Bosco ITI has been awarded twice by Toyota for the Best Institution. They have been our partners since 2006. They recognised us for our contribution to the automobile industry. We also received the Sustainability award from Toyota along with Best Training and Best Facility award.

Our trainers also participated in skill competitions conducted by the Maharashtra government and won several awards. We were also given the Best ITI award in the Mumbai region by the Maharashtra government. We were graded fifth in Maharashtra by the Government of India (GOI).

Q: With the changes in the industry, how do you bridge the gap between the industry requirements and skills possessed by the students?

A: First thing we did was to find out the gaps in the automotive sector to make the students employable. A structured curriculum was developed and spread throughout the year. For example, we collaborated with Grohe, a German company for the plumbing course. Experts and Technicians from this company come and give lectures at our ITI. This helps us in delivering the content as per the industry requirements.

We also partnered with 23 industries that come with their own expertise and contribution towards skilling.

Q: Do you also have any faculty development programmes?

A: Faculty plays an important role in the skilling ecosystem. We do a regular faculty development programme wherein we have two broad categories.

1. Pedagogy – It is a preventive system, where trainers must be present with the class, dealing with the students in class, guiding them on the shop floor.
2. Skill enhancement programme – Faculty is sent to the field, where they must practice by themselves on any skill-based machine or product they are placed in.

Q: How did you address the challenge posed by COVID-19 in continuing the skill training?

A: The COVID-19 pandemic was challenging as the training involves 60 to 70 percent hands-on practice. It took time to shift from the conventional method of physical training to online training. It involved training for the instructor to use Zoom, Google meet, and other online learning platforms.

We have arranged for trainers to come to the institute and demonstrate through the live session to the students. We also managed to schedule a curriculum of having three days of practical training and two days of online training.

Also read: ITI Bhubaneswar: Paving the way for a bright future through world-class technical training – https://nationalskillsnetwork.in/iti-bhubaneswar-paving-the-way-for-a-bright-future-through-world-class-technical-training/

Q: Your message to the young students who want to take industry training for employment or entrepreneurship?

A: Trainees play an important role and they are the ones who are going to contribute to the development of the nation.

You need to be serious about your skills. One needs to put 100% in whatever they are learning and that should not be stopped. With the emergence of Industry 4.0, we need to keep on enhancing our knowledge. Young students need to be conscious of the social environment, economy, time, competencies, and proficiency. Trainers need to be geared up and believe in “Hum Kisi Se Kam Nahi”.