Advance / High Skill Training Component of the Development of Industries Scheme (Puducherry)

What is the Advance / High Skill Training component in Puducherry?

Advance / High Skill Training is the second-stage training component of the Training scheme under Development of Industries, run by the District Industries Centre of the Directorate of Industries and Commerce, Government of Puducherry. Its purpose, in the District Industries Centre's own words, is "to enhance the skill of those who have completed the basic training and interested for advance training in their trade or the candidates having technical qualification who are willing to undergo some special high skilled training".

The component differs from In-Plant Training in three ways that matter to an applicant. First, it is not delivered inside Puducherry. Selected candidates are sponsored to courses at reputed training institutions in neighbouring states. Second, it has no fixed duration, the period is whatever the institution prescribes, which may be a few weeks or several months. Third, it pays more, because the stipend slabs start where the In-Plant slabs top out.

Advance / High Skill Training assumes you already have a base. It is not an entry route into a trade. A candidate with an ITI certificate, an engineering diploma or a completed In-Plant Training year is the intended profile.

Who is eligible for Advance / High Skill Training?

You can be sponsored if:

• You are aged 18 to 35 years.
• You are a native of the Union Territory of Puducherry, or a continuous resident of the Union Territory for at least the past three years. The Directorate's scheme document repeats this as a minimum three-year continuous residence requirement.
• You meet the educational qualification prescribed by the training unit or institution for the course. The District Industries Centre does not set its own qualification bar here. It defers entirely to the institution.
• You have either completed basic training in the trade, or you hold a technical qualification and want a specialised high-skill course.

You are not eligible if:

• You are outside the 18 to 35 age band.
• You are neither a native of Puducherry nor a three-year continuous resident of the Union Territory.
• You do not meet the admission requirement of the institution running the advanced course.
• You have no base training or technical qualification to build on. A complete beginner should apply for In-Plant Training, Vocational Training, or Training in Handicrafts instead.

Existing industrialists and entrepreneurs seeking short courses in finance, marketing or quality control are not the audience for this component either; they are covered by Management Training, where the government subsidises 90 per cent of the participation fee.

What does the scheme pay for Advance / High Skill Training?

Four heads are paid, which is what makes this component unusually generous for a state training scheme. The candidate does not pay the fee and does not pay the hostel charge. The Directorate's scheme document states that course fees, honorarium and accommodation charges "as proposed to the trainee will be granted to the trainer as per their norms and conditions", that is, the money goes directly to the institution rather than passing through the trainee.

The travelling allowance is deliberately narrow. It covers one journey there and back, and it is capped at second-class train fare regardless of how the candidate actually travels.

How to apply for Advance / High Skill Training in Puducherry

1. Identify the course and the institution. Because the component funds external courses, the candidate normally comes with a specific advanced course in mind at a recognised institution in a neighbouring state.
2. Collect the prospectus or admission offer showing the duration, the course fee and the accommodation charge. These three figures drive the entire sanction.
3. Apply to the District Industries Centre, Industrial Estate, Thattanchavady, Puducherry 605009, enclosing your basic training certificate or technical qualification, nativity or residence certificate, date of birth proof, Aadhaar and bank passbook copy. Karaikal candidates apply at the Rural Industrial Estate, Kottucherry 609609; Yanam and Mahe candidates at their Civil Station offices.
4. Wait for the sponsorship order. The District Industries Centre sanctions the fee and accommodation to the institution and the stipend to the candidate.
5. Join the course on the date the institution fixes, and keep your travel tickets and fee receipts for settlement.
6. Submit the completion certificate to the District Industries Centre when the course ends.

There is no online application route. All submissions are offline at the District Industries Centre counters.

When can I apply, is there an annual window?

Unlike In-Plant Training, which has a fixed January application window and a July start, Advance / High Skill Training does not run on a published annual calendar. The District Industries Centre sponsors candidates as suitable advanced courses become available at the training institutions, and the period of training is set by those institutions.

Practically, this means you should approach the District Industries Centre as soon as you have identified a course, rather than waiting for a newspaper advertisement. Sanction takes time, and a candidate who applies after the institution's admission has closed cannot be helped.

How do I check the status of my sponsorship?

Status is tracked offline. Call the District Industries Centre on +91-413-2248987, +91-413-2248391 or +91-413-2249392, or the Directorate of Industries and Commerce on +91-413-2248476, quoting the date of your application and the name of the course. Karaikal applicants should call +91-4368-266467, Yanam +91-884-2321257 and Mahe +91-490-233235.

Because the fee is paid to the institution and the stipend to the candidate, follow up on both separately. A course that has started while the fee sanction is still moving is a common friction point, and the institution will usually hold a seat on the strength of the sponsorship letter.

Why do Advance / High Skill Training applications fail?

• No base training or technical qualification. The component is explicitly for candidates who have already completed basic training or hold a technical qualification.
• The candidate does not meet the institution's own admission requirement, which the District Industries Centre adopts as the qualification test.
• Residence proof short of three continuous years for a non-native applicant.
• Age above 35.
• No prospectus or fee structure attached, so the sanction cannot be quantified.
• Applying after the course has already begun, leaving no time to sanction the fee to the institution.
• Claiming travel beyond second-class train fare, or claiming more than one to-and-fro journey, which the scheme does not allow.

How does this differ from the other Puducherry training components?

Advance / High Skill Training is the only component that funds travel and accommodation outside the Union Territory, and the only one whose duration is not fixed by the government.

Where do I raise a grievance?

• District Industries Centre, Industrial Estate, Thattanchavady, Puducherry 605009 to +91-413-2248987, 2248391, 2249392
• Directorate of Industries and Commerce, same address, +91-413-2248476, 2248168, 2248320
• Email, dic.pon@nic.in
• Secretary to Government (Industries and Commerce), Chief Secretariat, Puducherry 605001 to +91-413-2336115

No fee is charged for applying, and the course fee is paid by the government directly to the training institution. Any demand for money to secure a sponsorship should be reported to the District Industries Centre.