The National Steering Committee (NSC), chaired by Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Secretary Debashree Mukherjee, approved the SIP for the Visakhapatnam ITI Cluster in Andhra Pradesh during its third meeting held at Kaushal Bhawan in New Delhi.
With the approval, Andhra Pradesh becomes the first state to operationalise an industry partnership under PM-SETU and onboard an Anchor Industry Partner (AIP), setting the stage for industry-led management of government Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs).
The move is significant as PM-SETU seeks to transform 1,000 government ITIs across the country through a hub-and-spoke model that places industry at the centre of curriculum design, infrastructure development and workforce training.
The Visakhapatnam cluster is expected to serve as a pilot for future collaborations between state governments and industry players, demonstrating how vocational institutions can be aligned more closely with evolving labour market requirements.
The NSC meeting was attended by senior officials from the Directorate General of Training (DGT), Capacity Building Commission (CBC), National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET), and ministries including Commerce and Industry, Heavy Industries, and Labour and Employment. Industry representatives from companies such as Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, Hero MotoCorp, Bajaj Auto, ITC and AM/NS India also participated, along with development partners including the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank.
The committee reviewed the progress of PM-SETU implementation across states and discussed measures to strengthen industry participation, improve institutional governance and enhance the financial sustainability of Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) that will manage the projects.According to the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, the approval of the Visakhapatnam cluster marks the first concrete implementation step under PM-SETU and is expected to encourage other states to accelerate their own industry-led skilling initiatives.
The government said PM-SETU aims to create a future-ready workforce by modernising training infrastructure, improving employability outcomes and establishing National Centres of Excellence in high-growth sectors such as advanced manufacturing and emerging technologies.
Implementation momentum is gathering pace. So far, 32 states and Union Territories have constituted State Steering Committees, while 12 states and UTs have issued Requests for Proposals (RFPs) to invite industry participation for selecting Anchor Industry Partners. Several of these selection processes are nearing completion.
The ministry expects more Strategic Investment Plans to come up for approval in the coming months as the programme moves from the planning stage to large-scale execution, supporting the government’s broader vision of building a skilled workforce for Viksit Bharat 2047.