During an interactive session, the Principal of DBTI introduced the students to Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), detailing the range of technical courses available and their career prospects after Classes X and XII. Students also toured the institute’s modern training labs and workshops, gaining first-hand insight into how practical, hands-on education equips young people for meaningful employment and self-reliance.

The Principal highlighted several Government schemes supporting skill and entrepreneurship development, emphasizing their role in promoting employability among India’s growing youth population. “The students were bright, curious, and eager to learn, yet uninformed about the opportunities available through vocational and technical education. This reflects a serious gap in career guidance and skills awareness at the school level,” he noted.

Discussions revealed that most visiting students were unaware of national frameworks like the National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) or the skill subjects introduced under NEP 2020. Despite initiatives such as Samagra Shiksha—which aims to establish ITIs and vocational training centres as skill hubs—and the national SATHAQ target for 50% of schools to offer skill-based learning by 2030, awareness and implementation remain limited in rural and semi-urban schools.

The visit highlighted key challenges in implementing skill education, including limited awareness, infrastructure gaps, undervaluation of vocational careers, and inconsistent policy execution.

As a way forward, Don Bosco institutions—renowned for their technical training expertise—can play a pivotal role by linking local schools to skill centres, conducting career guidance drives, training teachers, and establishing model demonstration schools that integrate NEP 2020’s vision of holistic, skill-based learning.