Tracer survey on ITIs job outcome soon, to assess performance, identify issues

New Delhi: The government has mandated an annual graduate tracer survey of all 1,000 industrial training institutes (ITIs) to be upgraded under the centrally sponsored Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs (PM SETU) scheme.

The annual survey, to be done by the industry-led special purpose vehicle (SPV) set up for upgradation of ITIs, will collect data on the employment outcomes of all graduates from these ITIs, said a senior government official.

"The move is aimed at assessing performance, identifying bottlenecks and improving programme effectiveness," said the official, who did not wish to be identified.

A graduate tracer survey or tracer study is a systematic follow-up of education and training graduates conducted by institutions to assess their transition from education to the labour market.


It captures data on employment status, salary and job relevance to evaluate curriculum effectiveness, improve training and guide future students.

As part of the comprehensive monitoring mechanism, an independent monitoring agency will be set up, both at the national and state levels, for each hub-and-spoke cluster for monitoring the SPV's performance against the identified key performance indicators. These include increase in female and overall enrolments, increase in verified placement, increase in salary of trainers, training of trainers and technology adoption at each cluster.

The plan is also to publicly disclose the performance of states and clusters in terms of fund utilisation and achievements, thereby creating transparency and positive pressure.

"States or clusters that are slow in utilisation may be highlighted to encourage prompt corrective action," the official said.