Bihar ITI reform: In a changing labour market, Bihar does not need more certificates. It needs skills that employers can use. Vocational education is central to that task. The state has a large young population, a thin industrial base, high migration, and a labour market still dominated by agriculture and informal work. That makes Industrial Training Institutes important. It also makes weak ITIs costly.
Bihar had a population of 104.1 million in Census 2011, with nearly 88% living in rural areas. It is also one of India’s youngest states. That is usually described as a demographic dividend. It is not one by itself. It becomes one only when young people acquire usable skills and find work at better wages.
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The labour market numbers show the scale of the problem. The Bihar Economic Survey 2024-25 reported the state’s labour force participation rate at 55% in 2023-24, below the national rate of 64.3%. Women’s participation was much lower: 33.5% in rural Bihar and 18% in urban Bihar. The earlier claim that female labour participation is 2% should not be used as a labour market number. It may refer to women’s enrolment in general ITIs, but it is not Bihar’s female labour force participation rate.
Bihar ITI network has expanded
Bihar has built a sizeable ITI network. The Directorate of Employment and Training lists 149 government ITIs, 1,298 private ITIs, and 37 ITIs meant specifically for women. The network is spread across districts, but its value cannot be judged by the number of institutions alone.
Patna has more institutions and a wider trade mix. Some smaller districts have fewer ITIs and mostly traditional trades. This is not surprising. ITIs follow the industrial and administrative geography of the state. But it also means that youth in weaker districts often get poorer options. They are offered trades that exist because workshops and instructors exist, not because employers demand them.
The state has also created an institutional structure for skill development. Several departments run training schemes. The SC-ST Welfare Department runs Dasrath Majhi Kaushal Vikas Yojana and schemes for specific communities. The Rural Development Department works through DDU-GKY and rural self-employment training. The Labour Resources Department, Industries Department, Education Department and Social Welfare Department also run programmes. The Department of Youth Employment and Skill Development now acts as the umbrella for ITIs and the Bihar Skill Development Mission.
That sounds comprehensive. It may also be the problem. Bihar does not suffer from a shortage of schemes. It suffers from fragmented delivery. BSDM should not merely coordinate departments. It must create common standards, common data, third-party assessment, employer feedback, and placement tracking. Without that, every department will count trainees. No one will know whether training raised wages.
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Bihar ITI trades need rationalisation
The ITI system offers around 29 trades. Enrolment is concentrated in familiar engineering trades such as electrician, welder, fitter, diesel mechanic and mechanic motor vehicle. Trades such as dressmaking, food production, housekeeping, foundryman and wireman have a smaller presence.
This pattern tells two stories. First, students still see traditional engineering trades as more credible. Second, women-oriented trades have low enrolment and low status. A women’s ITI cannot be treated as a tailoring centre. Women must be brought into electrical work, electronics repair, solar installation, digital services, healthcare support, food processing, refrigeration, and machine operations.
Trade rationalisation is now unavoidable. Bihar should not expand seats in legacy trades merely because they are easy to run. It needs trades linked to construction, agro-processing, EV maintenance, solar pumps, cold chains, logistics, plumbing, hospitality, healthcare support, electronics repair and modern machine maintenance. These are the jobs Bihar’s youth may find within the state and outside it.
Migration is central to this argument. Bihar supplies labour to India’s construction sites, factories, repair markets, hotels, transport networks and service establishments. ITIs should therefore prepare students not only for Bihar’s limited local industry, but also for national labour markets. A certified electrician, welder, machine operator or refrigeration technician can earn better than an uncertified migrant worker. But certification must be trusted by employers.
Bihar ITI quality remains the binding constraint
The state has tried to improve ITIs through public-private partnerships and Centres of Excellence. Tata Technologies’ collaboration with the Bihar government is the largest such initiative. It covers the upgradation of 149 government ITIs into Centres of Excellence. A Lok Sabha reply in July 2025 also referred to Bihar’s decision to upgrade 149 government ITIs with Tata Technologies’ support.
This corrects the impression that the PPP initiative is limited to a handful of institutions. The more relevant question is implementation. Whether upgraded workshops are functioning, whether instructors are trained, whether machines are used, and whether students get apprenticeships matters more than the announcement.
Infrastructure remains uneven. Many ITIs still lack modern machinery and adequate workshop exposure. Students cannot acquire practical skills from obsolete equipment. A welder must train on equipment used by industry. A mechanic must learn on current engines and systems. A solar technician must work with panels, inverters and testing equipment. Theory cannot substitute for this.
The instructor shortage is another constraint. The department recruited 1,279 instructors in 2025, adding to an existing base of around 500. That is a necessary correction. It is not enough. ITIs also need principals with administrative authority. A system where many institutions run on additional charge cannot respond quickly to industry, procurement, placement or faculty needs.
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The missing link is apprenticeship. ITIs cannot make students employable through classroom teaching alone. They need structured apprenticeships with MSMEs, public utilities, construction firms, repair networks, railways-linked contractors, agro-processing units and service-sector employers. The National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme exists for this purpose. Bihar must use it more aggressively. Training without workplace exposure will produce more pass-outs, not more workers.
Bihar ITI outcomes must be measured
The current debate focuses too much on institutions and too little on outcomes. Bihar should ask five questions for every ITI. How many students enrolled? How many completed training? How many passed trade tests? How many entered apprenticeships? How many were placed, at what wage, and where?
Without this data, the state cannot distinguish a functioning ITI from a building with classes. Placement numbers should not mean one-day job fairs or intent letters. They should mean verified jobs, apprenticeships, self-employment with credit linkage, or higher training. Wage data should be tracked six months after completion.
Women’s participation needs a separate strategy. Low enrolment is not just a matter of preference. It reflects transport, safety, hostel access, course timings, counselling, family attitudes, and poor returns from conventional women’s trades. Bihar has 37 women-specific ITIs. That is useful. But separate institutions alone will not change outcomes. Women need access to high-return trades and employers willing to hire them.
The same is true for rural students. Awareness is weak. Many families still see a B.A. or B.Sc. as safer than vocational training. That will change only when ITIs show visible results: apprenticeships, jobs, migration support, better wages and credible certification.
Bihar has built the skeleton of an ITI system. The next phase must be about quality. The state needs better machinery, trained instructors, full-time principals, rationalised trades, workplace apprenticeships, women’s access, and placement-linked accountability. Expansion was the easier part. Employability is the harder test.
Dr Anayatullah Nayaji is an economic researcher focusing on education, skill development, and economic policy. He works as a consultant with Medha Learning Foundation, contributing expertise in skill development, vocational training, and education policy.