CSTARI Inaugurates Week-long Training of Trainers (Pedagogy) Programme under PM-SETU

Kolkata, 29 June 2026: The Central Staff Training & Research Institute (CSTARI), Kolkata, under the Directorate General of Training (DGT), Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Government of India, inaugurated a week-long Training of Trainers (Pedagogy) Programme under the PM-SETU (Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs) scheme.

The programme has brought together 76 Government ITI instructors nominated by the State Governments of West Bengal, Bihar, Assam and Meghalaya. The training aims to strengthen the pedagogical competencies of instructors, enabling them to deliver industry-aligned, learner-centric and competency-based training for enhanced employability.

Shri Rajeev Kumar, IAS, Principal Secretary, Technical Education, Training & Skill Development Department, Government of West Bengal, who had kindly consented to grace the inaugural function as the Chief Guest, could not attend due to unavoidable official exigencies. His message to the participants was conveyed by Shri Subrata Das, Additional Director, Directorate of Industrial Training, Government of West Bengal, who reiterated the State Government’s commitment towards strengthening technical education, instructor development and quality skilling.

The inaugural function was chaired by Shri S. S. Naik, Deputy Director General (Eastern Region), DGT, who appreciated CSTARI for taking the lead in organizing the programme under PM-SETU. He highlighted that the Eastern Region, comprising the RDSDEs of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Assam, along with the National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs), is committed to strengthening the instructor training ecosystem. He further informed that the NSTIs in the region would soon commence domain-specific Training of Trainers (ToT) programmes, complementing the pedagogy training being conducted by CSTARI.

Welcoming the participants, Shri Rajnish Kumar Jha, Director, CSTARI, emphasized that instructors are the backbone of the country’s skilling ecosystem and that continuous faculty development is essential for achieving the objectives of PM-SETU. He reaffirmed CSTARI’s commitment to developing instructors as “Change Agents” who will drive innovation, adopt modern pedagogical practices and create a multiplier effect by transforming the quality of training in their respective ITIs. Among the distinguished dignitaries present were Shri Assem Roy, Joint Director, NSTI Howrah; Shri Manish Mishra, Deputy Director, NSTI Howrah; and Shri Abhishek Anand, Deputy Director, RDSDE, West Bengal.

The programme concluded with a formal Vote of Thanks proposed by Shri Pabitra Ghosh, Joint Director, CSTARI, who expressed gratitude to the dignitaries, participants and the organizing team for their valuable support in making the inaugural programme a success.

The week-long programme will continue till 3 July 2026, covering modern pedagogy.