MSDE starts hunt for anchor industry partners to upgrade National Skill Training Institutes

The ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship (MSDE) has issued expression of interest (EOI) to shortlist ‘Anchor Industry Partners’ (AIPs) for the upgradation of National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs) under the PM-SETU (Prime Minister Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs) scheme, launched in October.

Besides, states and union territories (UTs) have also started releasing EOIs to identify partners who will help transform select Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), it said on Wednesday.

So far, Karnataka, Gujarat, Assam, and Chandigarh have released the EOI for modernisation of 83 ITIs across 16 clusters including advanced manufacturing, electronics, mobility, and logistics.


The union cabinet had approved the PM-SETU scheme in May 2025 with a total budget of Rs 60,000 crore. Under the scheme, the government plans to upgrade 1,000 government ITIs using a ‘hub-and-spoke’ model, where 200 main ‘hub’ ITIs will each support approximately four ‘spoke’ ITIs with high-tech machinery and equipment.

Additionally, the scheme will improve five National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs) located in Bhubaneshwar, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kanpur, and Ludhiana to create global Centres of Excellence.

Each upgraded ITI will be managed by a special purpose vehicle (SPV) with 51% ownership of the industry and 49% by the government.

“This co-investment model allows companies to lead the transformation while receiving up to 83% in government co-funding,” MSDE said.

As Anchor Industry Partners, companies are expected to play a central role in designing job-linked curricula and building advanced laboratories and digital learning spaces.

They will also focus on upskilling teachers through industry experience and creating innovation hubs on campus.

The move is expected to create a scalable pipeline of skilled workers and apprentices for the industry, aligned with their evolving needs.