Srinagar, Sep 24: The vocational trainers staged a protest in Srinagar on Thursday, demanding removal of private companies from the vocational education system, an end to what they described as exploitation and formulation of a concrete job policy for trainers.

The protest was organized by the Jammu and Kashmir Vocational Trainers Welfare Association (JKVTWA), whose members said they have been working in government schools under the vocational education programme while seeking a defined employment framework for their services.
The association has raised concerns over the continued involvement of private Vocational Training Providers (VTPs) in engaging trainers, arguing that the system has left trainers without a clear long-term employment structure.
Vocational education was introduced in Jammu and Kashmir under the Samagra Shiksha programme in 2016. The programme has been implemented through Vocational Training Partners, which are private companies empaneled by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). Vocational subjects have been introduced in government secondary and higher secondary schools across the Union Territory in trades including information technology, healthcare, agriculture, tourism and hospitality, automotive and other sectors.
The system has expanded over the years, with Samagra Shiksha reporting more than 1,000 government schools covered by vocational education. In 2026, the authorities also initiated recruitment for 2,294 contractual vocational trainer positions in 1,346 government schools, reflecting the continuing reliance on contractual arrangements for the programme.
The trainers' association has been seeking a change in the existing engagement mechanism and a policy that provides greater employment security. It has also previously raised concerns over delayed payments and the role of private VTPs in the implementation of the programme.
The government approved an increase in the monthly honorarium of vocational trainers earlier this year. Trainers engaged before April 1, 2022, were approved an honorarium of Rs 25,000 per month, while those engaged on or after that date were approved Rs 22,000, with revised rates applicable from April 1, 2024.
During protest, the trainers reiterated their three principal demands: removal of private companies from the system, an end to the alleged exploitation of vocational trainers and formulation of a concrete job policy.