Hyderabad, June 18 : Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Tuesday launched a programme to upgrade the Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) as Advanced Technology Centres (ATCs) to hone the skills of the youth and to meet the industry needs.

The Chief Minister laid the foundation for four ATCs at an event held at ITI, Mallepally in Hyderabad in the presence of Industry Minister D. Sreedhar Babu.

In March this year, the government entered an MoU with Tata Technologies Limited (TTL) to upgrade 65 ITIs as ATCs in the state at a cost of Rs 2,324 crore.

Stating that government ITIs in the state have become useless, he said the 40-50 years old skills being imparted in these institutes are of no use to students in today's environment.

Recalling that unemployment was a key issue during the Telangana movement, he assured that the government's objective is to provide jobs and employment opportunities to the unemployed.

He mentioned that 40 lakh unemployed youth are running around recruitment boards.

The Chief Minister also said that he treats students and the unemployed as his family members.

Revanth Reddy revealed that upgrading ITIs as ATCs is his idea, asserting that the youth will get employment only if they have the right skills.

"Certificates alone will not help. You need skills with certificates," he said.

Revanth Reddy also stated that there is no need for youth to migrate to Gulf countries as the state government was giving them the job guarantee.

"Providing jobs after imparting skills to students from middle class and lower middle-class families is my responsibility," he said.

He thanked Tata for coming forward to impart skills to students by converting ITI into ATCs.

A total of 65 ITIs in the state will be upgraded as ATCs.

Training will be provided to the youth to meet the requirements of industry. For this, advanced equipment and technology will be installed in ATCs.

The TTL has already employed 130 experts to impart training to youth in ATCs.

Officials said that 5,860 people are being trained in six types of long-term courses every year.

Training in short-term courses will be offered to 31,200 people.

While only 1.5 lakh people were given training in ITIs in the last 10 years, four lakh people will be trained in the next 10 years in the ATCs.

The total cost of the project to convert ITIs into ATCs will be Rs 2,324.21 crores.

The state government will contribute Rs 307.96 crores (13.26 per cent), while TTL's share is Rs 2,016.25 crores (86.74 per cent).

The ATCs will not only offer training in various courses but also act as skill development centres.

The ATCs will also play the role of Technology Centres (Technology Hub) for aspiring entrepreneurs in small, micro, medium and large-scale industries.

TTL will also offer job opportunities to those trained in various courses in the ATCs.

The ATCs will extend their services to polytechnic and engineering students in the future.

/IANS