Training and higher education in crafts

With vast geographical diversity, from each town and district in India we can find various crafts and products unique to that area. While in our previous article complementing the video, we discussed craft training institutes in India that provide a range of courses in wood, metal, bamboo, ceramics, terracota, glass, etc. In this article and video, we would like to mention institutes that are providing training and higher education in crafts like gems and jewelry, leather and footwear, along with Uttar Pradesh’s One District One product scheme and the initiatives from Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), Ministry of Textiles. 

Training and higher education in crafts

Gems and Jewelry

India has a rich knowledge and heritage of designing and making jewelry from ancient times. The jewelry sector not only has a growth and market potential domestically but also internationally. Therefore, we need skilled professionals in this domain to contribute to the economic growth of the country along with preserving the crafts. 

Here are some of the institutes with specialised courses on gems and jewelry

• Indian Institute of Gems and Jewelry (Jaipur)
• Indian Institute of Gems and Jewelry (Mumbai)
• National Institute of Jewelry

Leather and footwear 

Leather industry in India has one of the youngest workforces with around 55% of the workforce below 35 years of age. The industry is extensively skill-based and for the industry to grow, the focus needs to be shifted towards the skill development of the youth. To cater to the skill needs of the industry many institutions are offering skill development training and courses.

Here are some of the institutes with specialised courses on leather and footwear

• Central Leather Research Institute
• Central Footwear Training Institute
• Footwear Design and Development Institute 

D’Source

D’Source is collaboratively developed by the three institutions – IDC at IIT Bombay, NID at Bangalore and DOD at IIT Guwahati along with the support of other design related institutions’ and organizations. It aims at providing digital online content for design, a social networking environment for design and higher learning and creating a digital resource database on design. 

Crafts of Uttar Pradesh

With great diversity, diverse community traditions and economic pursuits, Uttar Pradesh has diverse crafts and industries across the State. The Uttar Pradesh government’s One District One product aims at encouraging and recognising this rich knowledge of crafts and promoting them across the country and beyond. The products range from asafoetida, desi ghee, fancy glassware, bedsheets, to leather goods and more.

Related Article: Craft Training Institutes – Higher education and skills – Read More: https://nationalskillsnetwork.in/craft-training-institutes-higher-education-and-skills/

Development Commissioner – Handicrafts 

Development Commissioner – Handicrafts (Under the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India) have schemes to support the training and skill development in the Handicraft sector.

One of the schemes is Ambedkar Hastashilp Vikas Yojana, which mobilizes the artisans into Self Help Groups and provides training to the groups on various aspects of forming and running the community business enterprises for self-sustainability of artisans.

Mega cluster approach is another scheme to scale up the infrastructural and production chain at Handicrafts clusters which have remained unorganized and were not able to cope with the modernization and development that have been taking place so far.