PIB Press Release

Press Information Bureau
Government of India

20 June 2007
	Ministry of Labour & Employment
	LABOUR MINISTRY LAUNCHES SATELLITE BASED DISTANCE LEARNING IN THE VOCATIONAL SYSTEM
	16:0 IST

	Satellite Based Distance Learning in the Vocational System has been launched by the Directorate General of Employment and Training (DGET) in the Ministry of Labour and Employment on a pilot basis. The DGET-EDUSAT Pilot Programme was launched recently from the Vishveswaraiah Technological University (VTU) Studio in Bangalore. It is transmitted to 12 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) being covered under the Centres of Excellence(COE) scheme of DGET in Karnataka. The Pilot Programme is also being received in a number of other locations in the southern states. During the Pilot Programme the lectures are being telecast from the VTU Studio for 2 hours every day during June, 2007 in subjects like life skills and engineering drawing. The Government of India is the nodal agency for monitoring, supervision and coordination of vocational training in the country. The Secretary, Labour and Employment Smt. Sudha Pillai said while inaugurating the Pilot Programme that it will help the ITIs especially those located in remote areas with quality teaching faculty. Highlighting the importance of introducing distance-learning programme in the Vocational Training System in the country Smt. Pillai said that through the Satellite Based Distance Learning system, widely disbursed locations could be covered in shortest possible time. She emphasized that this system can ensure uniformity of content, control on the quality, repeatability of the lecture content and sharing of the network by other user groups. This system can lead to substantial reduction in cost on account of travel, logistics and other infrastructural facilities, she added. The Director General of Employment and Training Shri. Sharda Prasad said that the Pilot Programme has been launched to test the technology in the Vocational Training System and subsequently DGET proposes to introduce it in all the ITI s of the country by setting up a National Studio at the Apex Hitech Institute in Bangalore and Regional Studios in different parts of the country in a phased manner. ********** MLD/L-66:(Sat. prog vocational)(20.6.07).