Background: Whatever be the forms and whatever be the titles, the process of transferring specialized knowedge and skills from one generation to another or from a master craftsman to his disciples and fellow workmen, has been going on, in almost all parts of the world, since times immemorial. Look at any of the conventional arts and crafts centre, most of the artists and master craftsmen did not have the normal facility for formal education, coaching or training, but, they became master craftsmen by observing and performing repetitive production operations and sticking to high pitched qualitative goals. Apprenticeship is a buffer between formal institutional education and getting engaged as skilled workmen in an industry or commercial establishment. Almost all countries of the world have a system of apprenticeship. In some countries, successful completion of a period of apprenticeship is considered as an essential requirement for landing on regular jobs in industry. In many countries, there is a process of licensing after successful completion of apprenticeship.
Technical education and craftsman training in India: During the British period there were extremely limited facilities for technical education and craftsman training in the country. Second World War exposed almost all the chinks in the armour. There was a sudden spurt for induction of a large number of engineers, supervisors and craftsmen, in support of the war effort and for the safety, security and defence of the country. A large number of drivers were trained by requisitioning almost all types of motor vehicles available in the country. The training of technicians was initiated, wherever, even the barest minimum facilities happened to be available. A School of Military Engineering was started in the campus of Thomason College of Civil Engineering Roorkee in 1943, under military command for short term training of officers and all types of technicians and craftsmen for meeting the emergent needs of the war. School of Military Engineering was subsequently upgraded as College of Military Engineering and was shifted to Khadakvasla in Pune after the war.
After the end of the war in 1945, Directorate General of Resettlement and Employment ( DGRE ) was created and the Director General of Resettlement and Employment was entrusted with the task of rehabilitation of the demobilized personnel of the defence services. The services of DGRE were opened to civilians in 1948. The designation of Director General of Resettlement and Employment was changed to Director General of Employment and Training (DGET) in 1960. The employment wing was made responsible for Employment Exchanges and the training wing started looking after craftsman training in Industrial Training Institutes and apprenticeship training scheme of trade apprentices in industry.
Apprentices Act of 1961: Apprentices Act of 1961 was intended to regulate the utilization of facilities available in industries for the training of skilled manpower for industries and other establishments. It involves, work experience in industry supplemented by inputs of basic knowledge and skills prescribed by the departments of technical education and training. Initially the Apprentices Act was intended for training of trade apprentices. However, it was amended in 1973 to include Apprenticeship Training of graduate engineers and engineering diploma holders. Director General of Employment and Training (DGET) continued to be responsible for the implementation of the apprenticeship act in respect of trade apprentices. Ministry of Human Resources Development was made responsible for the implementation of the apprentices act for graduate engineers and engineering diploma holders. In Rajasthan, Director of Technical Education was designated as the ex-officio State Apprenticeship Advisor and was responsible for the apprenticeship training of engineering graduates, engineering diploma holders as also trade apprentices in industry.
Implementation of the Apprentices Act: Most of the major industries and establishments, normally engage their own apprentices, in addition to the apprentices notified to be engaged under the Apprentices Act. Apprentices appointed by the industries are highly motivated as they are placed on production jobs in regular shifts and are liberally paid by the industry. Bulk of the apprentices are absorbed in the regular cadres of the industry after successful completion of apprenticeship and those of the apprentices, who fail to make the cut, sometimes, find even better opportunities waiting for them in the open market, due to their high profile training in well known industries. The industries consider trade apprentices placed with them under the Apprentices Act, as an obligation and literally try to fulfill the mandated obligations, by providing basic training facilities in accordance with the guide lines of DGET and payment of their share of the stipends.
Dedicated institutions of training: In the good old days, the facilities for technical training and skill development were extremely limited and consequently, there was an acute shortage of skilled manpower needed by industries and major government establishments. That was the time when some of the major establishments set up dedicated institutions for running tailor made training and skill development programmes for meeting the specific field requirements or shopfloor needs of their establishments.. For almost one hundred years, Thomason College of Civil Engineering Roorkee, which was established in 1947 was running all types of field oriented courses for meeting the working requirements of Public Works Departments and Defence Services. Indian Railways Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineers at Jamalpur was established in 1888 as a technical school and presently, it is one of the six centralized training institutes of the railways for the training of mechanical and electrical engineering officers and subordinates, for the operational requirements of the railways. School of Military Engineering was established at Roorkee in 1943 for meeting the emergent needs of officers and technicians during the war and is presently functioning as College of Military Engineering at Pune for the training of military personnel at all levels.
Employability: Almost, at all times, the industries and commercial establishments find that there is a tremendous shortage of trained personnel at all levels, for running the wheels of their establishments, whereas, a large number engineering graduates, technicians and craftsmen leaving the portals of technical institutions find that they do not have sufficient avenues of satisfying employment. Normally, the technical education and training in the institutions is broad based, whereas, industries and commercial establishment look for specialized knowledge and skills in extremely specific areas, relevent to work in their establishment . In almost all major industries and commercial establishments, the task of every worker is very specific and is limited to few basic operations. Therefore, such establishments pick up talented young men with strong academic background from colleges and universities and induct them in the work force after short term training in their establishments.
Conclusion: All establishments, which include government departments, public sector undertakings and industries and commercial establishments of the private sector, like to recruit skilled workers, who can smoothly fit in, within the culture and work regime of their establishment. To make the ball rolling, the establishments can identify the basic knowledge and skills expected from each category of their personnel, including officers and workers. Once this process is gone through, they will find a large pool of young and talented boys coming out from academic colleges, technical institutions and other professional institutes waiting anxiously to fill up the vacuum. The little gap which exists between the working requirements of the establishment and the raw attainments of the aspiring candidates can be bridged, if the establishments decide to pick up the best suited candidates for the jobs in hand and place them on their rolls for three to six months or more and provide them the benefit of in-service training to fit into the desired slots. That will ensure that the establishment has a stake in the training of the selected candidates and the candidates know, that, they are working for a coveted job. If this can be done, it is possible to train the aspiring youngmen for all types of specific jobs and operations. All major establishments are already doing it. There are a number of technical institutions, who can do it for all other establishments, who do not happen to have the resources and skills to do it.