Technical and vocational education has been given adequate emphasis to enhance better opportunities of employment for youth of Himachal Pradesh. However, it is not possible to provide job to every youth in government sector, the youth are being provided with technical education in various streams so as to make them capable to get employment both in government and private sectors as per the requirements of industrial houses. More than 50000 youth have been provided employment in private sector during last four and half years.
A strong network of 335 Technical Education Institutions is functioning in the State comprising five Engineering Colleges, two Pharmecy Colleges, 15 Polytechnics, 122 ITIs and one Motor Driving & Heavy Earthmoving Machinery Operator Training Institution in government sector while 14 Engineering Colleges, 13 Pharmecy Colleges, 17 Polytechnics, two D-Pharmacey Institutions,144 ITIs in private sector. The intake capacity of these Institutions is over 61000 students. As many as 42 new ITIs & 8 Polytechnics have been opened during last four and half years. E-governance has been implemented in Technical Education and counselling for admission is completely on-line.
Big Institutions like IIIT Una, IIT in Mandi, NIT Hamirpur, NIFT in Kangra, IIM in Sirmour, Plastic Manufacturing in Baddi and RVTI in Shimla are preparing the students to compete in the National and International competitions. Hydro Engineering College Bilaspur will prepare the students to get jobs in Hydro-power sector. Advance Training Instition is coming up in district Kangra for which NITI Ayog has given its recommendation.
Classes of Rajiv Gandhi Government Engineering College Nagrota Bagwan have been started from the session 2014-15. A full time five years degree in Architecture with intake capicity of 40 has been started in this institution from this year. Classes of Civil and Mechanical Engineering of Mahatma Gandhi Government Engineering College Rampur have been started in Jawahar Lal Nehru Government Engineering College Sundernagar from the session 2015-16. Similarly, the classes of Civil and Electrical Engineering Government Hydro Engineering College Bandla (Bilaspur) have been started in Rajiv Gandhi Government Engineering College Nagrota Bagwan from this session.
The classes in Government Pharmacy College Nagrota Bagwan have been started from the last year. The classes in Government Polytechnic Institutions of district Kinnaur, Sirmour, Bilaspur, Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti have been started from the session 2013-14. The State government has issued the notification of establishment of Hotel and Catering Information Institution at Paror in district Kangra this year.
With the support of Asian Development Bank, the strengthening of 50 Government Industrial Training Institutions and procurement of machinery and equipment according to NCVT standards is under process. Special facilities are being provided to promote private Industrial Training Institutions in tribal and remote areas and backwards panchayats. In Technical Education Department, as many as 1495 posts of various categories were created. The posts of principals in all Colleges and Industrial Training Institutions were filled.
With the provision of Himachal Pradesh Education Board Dharmshala notified in 2015, candidates having training of 2 years or more period from Industrial Training Institutions after passing matric would be considered equivalent to higher secondary.