CRAFTSMEN TRAINING SCHEME (CTS)

• CTS is India's flagship long-term vocational training scheme, operationalised through Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) to deliver NSQF-compliant skilling to youth for wage and self-employment.
• Launched in 1950, it is the oldest formal skilling architecture in India and the backbone of the country's blue-collar skill pipeline.
• Implemented by the Directorate General of Training (DGT) under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE).
• Relevant for UPSC under GS-II (welfare/government schemes) and GS-III (skill development, employment, human capital).