Chandigarh : Haryana is focusing on futuristic skill development and technology-based vocational education, with the State Government planning major initiatives in Artificial Intelligence, green technologies, digital skilling and industry-linked training systems.
During a meeting of the Skill Development & Industrial Training (SDIT) Department, Haryana Chief Secretary Sh. Anurag Rastogi reviewed various reforms aimed at preparing youth for future employment opportunities and strengthening Haryana’s skilled workforce in line with Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Viksit Bharat’.
The review focused on modernisation of Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), introduction of AI and emerging technology courses, improvement in monitoring of training programmes and development of an industry-oriented skill ecosystem. The State is also working on up-skilling government workforce personnel and expanding courses in areas such as Artificial Intelligence, Renewable Energy and Advanced Manufacturing to meet future industry requirements.
Over 7,000 Contractual Workers Already Up-Skilled
In a significant achievement, more than 7,000 contractual employees deployed through Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam (HKRNL) across various departments, boards and corporations have already been up-skilled in soft skills and IT literacy by Haryana Skill Development Mission (HSDM) through Haryana Knowledge Corporation Limited (HKCL). Another batch of employees is expected to be covered during the current financial year. The government is also preparing a strategy to up-skill Group C and Group D employees to enhance workplace efficiency and digital readiness across departments. In this regard, the Chief Secretary directed officials to conduct skill training of drivers and peons in the coming weeks at the headquarter as well as district level.
PM-SETU Initiative to Transform ITIS
Principal Secretary, Youth Empowerment and Entrepreneurship Department, Sh. Rajeev Ranjan informed that under the PM-SETU initiative, Haryana has identified four pilot ITI clusters — Sonipat, Kurukshetra, Palwal and Chhara (Jhajjar) — for industry-led transformation of vocational institutions. The State has set an ambitious target to cover all 12 clusters allocated by the Directorate General of Training (DGT) within the next three years. The proposal has already received in-principle approval from Chief Minister Sh. Nayab Singh Saini. Officials informed that an industry workshop linked to the initiative will be scheduled in next month in Gurugram to accelerate collaboration between industries and vocational institutions.
AI, Renewable Energy and Advanced Manufacturing Courses Expanded
The SDIT Department is now preparing to introduce emerging technology-based courses, including Artificial Intelligence, in ITIs from the 2026-27 academic session. At present, courses such as Solar Technician and Mechanic Electric Vehicle are already operational in the State’s vocational ecosystem. Shri Vishwakarma Skill University (SVSU), Palwal has already launched specialised courses in Artificial Intelligence, Renewable Energy and Advanced Manufacturing during the 2025-26 session. In addition, the university has introduced short-term bridge courses in Drone Design and Assembly, Mechatronics & Industrial Automation, Python Programming, Semiconductor Device Packaging and Machine Learning.
Mous Signed for Employability Skills Training
As part of efforts to improve workplace readiness, soft skills and digital skills training are already being imparted in ITIs under the Employability Skills curriculum. The SDIT Department has signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Wadhwani Foundation and Quest Alliance for training Employability Skills Instructors. The SDIT Department is also preparing a detailed five-year and ten-year strategic roadmap in consultation with stakeholders to align Haryana’s skill ecosystem with the national Vision 2047 framework.
