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Jamshedpur, Oct. 19: Students belonging to the reserved category — SC and ST — is set to receive free training in short-term courses being run by Indo-Danish Tool Room (IDTR) from this year.

The cost for the free classes would be borne by the Union government. The facility would also be available at the Patna and Raipur extension centres of the tool room — apart from the Gamharia branch here.

IDTR officials believe that some hundreds of SC and ST students would benefit from the classes and from the short courses as the placement records of these courses are excellent.

Some of the courses offered include computer numerical control, computer-aided design and manufacturing, maintenance, total quality management, safety and housekeeping. The classes also include intensive computer training.

The courses run are of one to six months duration and cost between Rs 20,000 and Rs 60,000. Each year, around 1,200-1,300 students undergo training at the IDTR. “All the courses are made to suit industry’s requirements and we provide the best training to students. The initiative taken by the government would be a boon for the SC and ST students, as all our students get placed in good jobs in industrial houses,” said senior administrative officer, IDTR Ashutosh Kumar.

Students going for the scheme, however, would have to bear the accommodation and other establishment expenses during the session. The number of students for the short-term courses would be decided on the basis of the state’s government’s reservation criteria.

IDTR also runs a two-year advanced machinist course for SC, ST, OBC and minority community students in the state that was started in 2006.

“We run the short-term courses all the year round and a few students from the special category are already taking the benefit of the scheme. The institute would advertise further and ensure that more reserved category students avail the benefits,” added Kumar.