term Quadro System to describe the complete environment
KaVERI1
Karnataka Vocational Education Reform Initiative
What is KaVERI 1?
KaVERI 1 is a ‘Vocational Education and Skill Development’
research project as well as an implementation pilot, where
recent research findings are applied. The project is a public-
privat-partnership venture between the Government of
Karnataka (Department of Employment and Training/KVTSDC),
and SkillBuilder India.
What are the Goals of KaVERI 1?
In phase 1 the project has the following objectives:
1) To set up a ‘general fabrication’ training-cum-production
facility within an existing government ITI.
2) To establish the first-ever Mitramo Mini Skill Develop-
ment Center
3) To begin development of a vocational training ecosys-
tem, which is tailor-made to India’s unique conditions
and special needs in the area of skill and capacity building
(SCB).
Why does India need a SCB Ecosystem?
SkillBuilder’s in-depth research in the Indian skill and capa-
city building field has revealed that a fractional approach to
training prevails in the country at the moment. This approach
addresses only certain areas in an isolated and disconnected
manner. It does not attend to all aspects that make up the
greater SCB system. The only way forward toward a modern,
quality ecosystem, therefore, is to identify all existing short-
falls and weaknesses and to find effective solutions to each
one of them.
SkillBuilder divides the Indian SCB field into four main pillars
or verticals: Infrastructure, curriculum, teacher, and student.
This approach simplifies the problem-solving process and
helps to identify the individual steps necessary for creating
the closed ecocycle that is required. SkillBuilder uses the
SkillBuilder
Quadro Curriculum
u
system
Infrastructure u u Teacher
Student
u
tence in the theoretical aspects of the vocation or trade.
or ecosystem that is urgently needed at this point in time to
bring skill development and capacity building in India to global
standards.
Following is a brief summary of the main shortfalls and gaps
existing in the four verticals of the present Indian SCB system:
1. Infrastructure
Modern training infrastructure and facilities are rare. Learning
is largely book and classroom-based and does not empha-
size all-important practical experience through on-the-job or
in-company training. India now needs rapid-reaction type in-
frastructure solutions, which are effective, fast and affordable
and can facilitate the quantum leap necessary for the country
to reach global skill standards.
2. Curriculum
Existing vocational training curricula in India have their origin
in foreign learning systems, which are geared to the compre-
hension and preparation levels of youth raised in western
cultures, under very different conditions. The typical Indian
trainee or student does not have the same pre-vocational
background or preparation for a number of reasons.
Western do-it-yourself (DIY) and self-help culture, for example,
provides its young people with ample pre-vocational learning
opportunities, which often result in a considerable set of skills
acquired by a young person before even entering any kind
of formal training program. These possibilities don’t exist for
Indian children and the country’s youth is therefore seriously
disadvantaged as a result of lacking pre-vocational exposure.
The need of the hour is an ‘Indianized’ training approach
which will take these realities into consideration and will
design programs in ways that such shortfalls are compensated
for and any learning gaps are effectively closed.
Secondly, vocational learning in India should take place in
the language that a learner thinks and reasons in. Out of the
country’s 1.2 billion people, only about 200 million master the
English language to a level where reading and comprehending
a demanding technical manual becomes possible. This real-
ity (of non-existing vocational learning resources in regional
and local languages) will seriously block progress in skill and
capacity building and may even derail India’s overall economic
growth altogether.
3. Teacher
Modern vocational training systems require teachers who can
provide highest quality, state-of-the-art practical instruction.
SkillBuilder distinguishes between a vocational teacher (one
who teaches trade theory from a book or other resources) and
a vocational instructor (one who is skilled in the practical ar-
eas of a particular vocation or trade). A vocational instructor’s
proficiency in practical work is the result of extended hands-
on, (often industry) experience, along with high-level compe-
In India, modern vocational instructors are almost impossible
to find. A major initiative has to be started in the country,
which will focus on both: vocational instructor training as well
as vocational teacher training. Building a teacher training pro-
gram on the very large scale that is needed, in short enough
time, will require foreign support and participation.
4. Student
Student trainability is a major hurdle to creating a modern and
effective skill and capacity building system in India.
Student trainability has 3 main aspects:
• Motivation
• Pre-vocational Learning
• Career Guidance
All three aspects contribute toward effective preparation for
formal vocational education and skill development. In western
societies this preparation happens to a certain degree through
cultural upbringing. In the Indian system all three student
trainability aspects are weak, especially when it comes to
learning in technical areas.
SkillBuilder addresses the trainability aspects in its Quadro
System ‘Student’ vertical through the ‘Skills in Schools’
program. Student trainability is crucial to success under any
circumstances and cannot be overemphasized at this point in
India’s move toward creating world-class SCB systems.
Building the Ecosystem
In SkillBuilder’s Quadro System concept, the four main ver-
ticals all have their respective sub-verticals. The main verti-
cals together with their sub-verticals make up the complete
ecosystem or ecocycle. Creating this ecosystem is a complex
undertaking and will require in-depth research, quality devel-
opment work, vast resources, and a broad vision on the part
of decision makers.
Creating the ecosystem will also require great patience to
overcome deficits and shortfalls that have developed over
many decades or even centuries of neglecting vocational edu-
cation and skill development in the country.
From SkillBuilder’s perspective, the most important and most
crucial step toward building the ecosystem will be to greatly
enhance the trainability of students entering training insti-
tutes and programs.
This is best done by introducing relevant programs for the
earlier stages in children’s development. As an immediate
solution to improving motivation, pre-vocational learning
and career guidance, SkillBuilder proposes that these learn-
ing areas will be integrated into the Indian school syllabus,
as mandatory subjects and programs, particularly at the high
school level.
Major gaps exist in all areas of technical trainability in

KaVERI1
the present Indian system, which urgently need closing. In the KaVERI 1 Pilot, the training needs of two very
SkillBuilder’s research has identified a considerable shortfall in target audiences are addressed:
entry-level technical skills and competences. These should be
in place first, before students enter formal technical training, Self-Motivated Learners Institutional Learners Karnataka Vocational Education Reform Initiative
whether at the ITI or college levels or any other level.
In response to the need for such preparatory courses and Training-cum-Production Center Existing ITI Establishment
as part of the KaVERI project, SkillBuilder is designing the
modular ‘Basic Engineering Skills’ (BES) course. The entry-level
technical skills taught through this course are fundamental
TcP ITI

Ç
and common to all engineering branches as well as to manu- SkillBuilder Level 2 Level 2
Training Training
facturing. One of the main course objectives is to compensate Quadro
for non-existing pre-vocational learning experience and skills System
in young people coming out of school (SSLC or PUC) in India.
Ç Ç
This course is a universal basic technical training course and is Basic Engineering Skills
suitable for training in high schools, colleges, ITI’s, in industries Entry-level training through

Ç
as well as for hobby and DIY learners. Mitramo Train Station
Besides focusing on technical skills, the BES course also has a (Mini Skill Development Centers)
strong focus on thinking skills, problem solving, and technical
intelligence. These skills are crucial to any kind of technical Ç
learning and provide the foundation for a methodical, prob- Motivation, Pre-vocational
lem-solving oriented and creative approach to engineering. Learning and Career Guidance

Ç
The BES course is targeting both types of learners: Candidates for Training
(School leavers, dropouts)
The Self-Motivated Learner The Commissioned Learner
1 2
As part of the KaVERI 1 pilot, the following unique training
Self-taught, (often) self- Classroom and projects will be established on the premises of the Department
employed learners in: institute-based learners in: of Employment and Training, ITI Hosur Road, Bangalore:
• Micro, small and • Schools 1. Training-Cum-Production Center
medium industries • Colleges A sustainable, self-funding training center for general
• Industries in general • ITIs and ITCs fabrication skills that manufactures and markets products
• Small contractors • Polytechnic institutes and supports itself through the revenue generated.
• Own account workers • Vocational Training
• Craftsmen Centers 2. The first-ever Mitramo Train Station
• Employees with a need A mini skill development center for entry-level technical
for upgrading skills training in Basic Engineering Skills.
• Adults seeking vocational
As part of the KaVERI 1 pilot project, R&D work will com-
further-education
mence toward creating the greater ecosystem that is need-
Ç Ç ed in India to facilitate effective, modern skill and capacity
building in the country. This includes R&D work in:
The present situation in India: Learners have no foundation
in pre-vocational learning and technical preparation due to: • Scalable infrastructure design
• Curriculum development for use at the national level
• Lacking Motivation • Scalable vocational instructor training programs
• Missing Pre-vocational Preparation • Student trainability program development
• Absence of Career Guidance
• A Broad Set of General Social and Cultural Issues Contact: info@skillbuilder.in Phone: 98866 48052