Key Takeaways

  • Gujarat added 11 technology-focused courses across 73 ITIs to align training with fast-growing EV, AI, and renewable energy sectors.
  • Rising EV adoption in the state, driven by major OEMs, is increasing demand for certified technicians to support regional manufacturing and service expansion.
  • National skilling frameworks and industry trends indicate substantial job creation potential in EV, AI, and advanced manufacturing through 2030.

Gujarat’s decision to roll out New-Age courses across its Industrial Training Institutes arrives as the state’s industrial profile shifts toward electric mobility, automation, artificial intelligence, and renewable energy. The Labour, Skill Development and Employment department introduced 11 courses that include Artificial Intelligence Programming Assistant, Mechanic Electric Vehicle, Drone Pilot, Solar Technician (Electrical), and a cluster of IoT and smart manufacturing disciplines. The program, formally launched on June 7, aims to ensure that Gujarat’s youth can move into roles that companies currently struggle to fill.

The Minister of Labour, Skill Development and Employment underscored that these courses were mapped to sectors experiencing rapid growth, such as electric mobility, smart manufacturing, and digital technologies. Over 50% of Indian employers report difficulty finding workers with advanced digital skills such as AI, machine learning, and data analytics, according to the World Economic Forum. The new programs are intended directly to reduce that skills gap.

Gujarat introduced thousands of new seats tied to these programs across government, grant-in-aid, and self-financed ITIs. Mechanic Electric Vehicle and Solar Technician (Electrical) courses have been implemented widely, reflecting the state’s sector priorities. Currently, 73 ITIs offer one or more of the New-Age courses, demonstrating an effort to distribute training capacity rather than concentrate it solely in a few urban centers.

Gujarat’s EV market is expanding quickly. Companies operating in western India, including Tata Motors, Ola Electric, and Ather Energy, are scaling their regional operations, thereby increasing the demand for certified EV technicians. Analysts estimate that India’s EV industry could generate about 10 million direct jobs and 50 million indirect jobs by 2030, necessitating large-scale reskilling in battery engineering, servicing, and diagnostics.

To meet the talent expectations of modern industrial sectors, ITIs are pivoting their traditional curricula. The introduction of Technician Mechatronics, IoT Technician (Smart Agriculture), and Additive Manufacturing Technician maps closely to core manufacturing and mobility technologies used by modern OEMs.

India’s AI market is projected to reach roughly $17 billion by 2027, growing at over 25% CAGR, according to IDC, as companies adopt machine learning and data-led automation. Furthermore, according to AEEE, states like Gujarat increasingly use public-private partnerships and revised curricula to position their workforce for EV production and servicing. Gujarat’s alignment with the National Skills Qualification Framework provides these courses with the specific standardization that industry groups require.

The inclusion of Solar Technician courses directly addresses the state's growing renewable energy infrastructure. The solar sector requires field technicians, installation specialists, and maintenance support staff, making reliable training pipelines critical for meeting tight project implementation timelines.

Employers expect technical programs to integrate global operating standards. EV charging equipment follows established protocols such as IEC 61851 and IEC 62196. Standards bodies like the IEEE emphasize the need for technician-level familiarity with power electronics and charging infrastructure, which is essential for building a reliable hiring pipeline.

Under the leadership of the Chief Minister, the state is expanding its overall skilling capacity across government, grant-in-aid, and self-financed ITIs. While existing courses span traditional roles from electrician to chemical plant operator, the arrival of AI and IoT curricula alters the portfolio mix to target next-generation industrial demands.

Workforce transformation relies heavily on practical exposure. Gujarat has provided 40 electric vehicles to ITIs for hands-on training, ensuring graduates can move straight into service roles. Employers report that hands-on proficiency is critical for fields like EV diagnostics, where theoretical grounding must be matched with physical lab experience.

The broader EV ecosystem in India, including vehicles, charging infrastructure, and components, is forecast to reach $266 billion in revenue by 2030, according to McKinsey. This implies strong, sustained demand for technicians, engineers, and maintenance workers. Gujarat’s latest initiative attempts to keep training aligned with these documented forecasts rather than reacting to labor shortages after the fact.

The ultimate measure of these programs will be placement outcomes and whether local employers adopt these ITI-trained profiles at scale. By launching 11 technology-focused courses and distributing them across 73 ITIs, the state aims to capitalize on national growth in EVs, AI, and renewable energy by consistently supplying a trained workforce for advanced manufacturing operations.