Human resource development minister PK Shahi (centre) addresses the meet in Patna on Friday. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Patna, Nov. 18: State human resource development (HRD) minister P.K. Shahi today said by 2022, about 50 crore people in the country would be trained in vocational courses by National Skill Development Corporation.

The Bihar Board of Open Schooling and Examination (BBOSE), an autonomous body of the HRD department, would be the nodal agency for the programme in the state.

The board, which was established in June this year, has not got any students yet.

“Till now, we don’t have any student for the vocational courses but by 2022, we have the target to train around 50 crore people with the help of National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC),” Shahi said.

The board will distribute study material and conduct examination up to Plus Two. “The board has its own syllabus and the study centres would be set up in all the 38 districts of Bihar. The schools will also provide an opportunity to those secondary students who could not appear at the annual examinations and discontinued their studies,” the HRD minister said.

While addressing mediapersons on the premises of Bihar Industries Association (BIA), Shahi talked about the benefits of the open school.

He said: “The main motive behind setting up this board is to upgrade the skills of those people who cannot utilise their talents in the best way. Though the board was set up few months ago, today we discussed several issues like how to carry out the programme.”

The news meet was a part of a daylong workshop “Skill Development Initiative in Bihar (2011-12)”.