Mumbai, October 8: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Prime Minister’s Short Term Employment Program (STEP) on Wednesday, which aims to provide industry-relevant and employment-oriented training to youth in Maharashtra. The state Ministry of Skills, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, which will implement the programme, expects to provide employable skills training to 75,000 trainees this year, and about 1 lakh trainees from next year.

According to Minister for Skill, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Mangal Prabhat Lodha, the inaugural program is being organized at 600 locations across the state with artisans from the Vishwakarma community, local artists and experts in traditional crafts invited as chief guests. This will honor their contributions and enhance respect for traditional skills in the community. Navi Mumbai International Airport will play a vital role in enhancing regional connectivity, says Prime Minister Narendra Modi after inaugurating the first phase of NMIA (watch video).

“Under this programme, a total of 2,506 units will be started in 419 government industrial training institutes and 141 government technical schools in the state. Through this initiative, skill education will be decentralised, and courses will be selected according to local demand and public interest. These courses will be managed by the Institution Management Committees of each district at the local level. This will increase local participation and accountability in all aspects of education planning implementation and quality control. Minister Luda.

He further stated that the main objective of this initiative is to provide modern skill training to the youth of the state as per the changing requirements of industries and make them self-reliant. It also aims to provide self-employment opportunities for young men and women from rural areas through training at the local level. Prime Minister Narendra Modi urges people to adopt Swadeshi language, it will stimulate growth and create more jobs (watch video).

As per the government statement, the admission process for this program is completely conducted online and interested candidates must register on the website https://admission.dvet.gov.in. The training fees are set at Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 per month. About 25 percent of the seats have been allocated to trainees at the institute, and the remaining seats will be open to external candidates.

ITI students, as well as students pursuing a Diploma, 10th or 12th degree, will be eligible for these courses. The program includes courses related to modern technology, including topics such as additive manufacturing, drone technology, electric vehicles, solar energy, cybersecurity, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, green hydrogen, mobile phone repair technician, social media influencers, and others.

“Around 364 special batches will be started for women candidates, and 408 special batches will be started for emerging sectors. Special training centers will be started in Gadchiroli, Latur, Nagpur and Amravati as per the needs of the local industry. A special course ‘Vedic Sanskar Junior Assistant’ will also be implemented, keeping in view the Kumbh Mela to be held in Nashik,” Minister Lodha said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 08, 2025 06:48 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website lastly.com).