Providing vocational and professional education is shared by a number of departments. The Industries Department controls industrial and technical training. The University of Agriculture and Technology is in charge of Agricultural Engineering and Veterinary Services. But the initiative for developing and coordinating Vocational and Professional education in Orissa lies with the State Government.
In 1947 there were 21 institutions imputing Vocational and Professional education and the total number of students was 1227. The facilities expanded in the subsequent years. An Agricultural College in 1954-55, a Veterinary and Animal Husbandry College in 1955 and an Engineering College at Burla in 1956 were established in Orissa.
For medical technology, Gopabandhu Ayurveda Vidyapeetha in 1950 and Government Homoeopathy College, Bhubaneswar in 1970 started working. Besides, Burla Medical College (1959), Berhampur Medical College (1962) and Rourkela Engineering College (1961-62) in the Industrial belt of Orissa came into being to provide various vocations in health programmes and engineering technology.
Engineering Schools started to train Overseers in different branches of Engineering Sciences and by 1960-61, the number of schools was five. There was also one Mining Engineering School at Keonjhar, which still continues.
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During 3rd Plan Period, the number of Industrial Training Institutes rose from 7 to 9. These Training Institutes provide training to electricians, draughtsman, surveyor, motor mechanics, plumbers, welders, fitters, carpenters, black-smiths. Agricultural Schools prior to 1958 were converted for training workers under the programmes of community development.
With a view to providing diversification of courses at the secondary stage two Technical High Schools were started by the Industries Department during 1966. During Five Year Plan necessary steps were taken to increase the vocational opportunities and expansion of vocational and professional education.
In addition to the Vocational education that is imparted in the Technical Institutions under the control of other Departments the Education and Youth Services Department has taken certain steps to vocationalise the general education up to the Intermediate or ‘+2’ stage. Consistent with the national goal, preparatory steps were taken during the year to introduce suitable vocational courses at the ‘+2’ stage.
The district vocational surveys which were taken up during 1978-79 were completed. The Board of Secondary Education finalized its syllabus for teaching of socially useful productive work in all High Schools. Ten hand-books have been prepared for teachers in 1980-81 on SUPW by the Secondary Board.
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The Vocational subjects like Applied Electronics, Photography, Library Management, Secretarial practice, Dairy and Pisciculture which had been introduced earlier in eight colleges were further strengthened and six more colleges took fresh affiliation for introduction of these optional subjects at the Intermediate level. Keeping in view, the introduction of a vocational stream, infrastructure facilities like additional buildings were created in 15 Government High Schools and at the Intermediate Stage of four Government Colleges during the year 1980-81.
In order to introduce Vocational subjects in secondary schools a subject such as Socially Useful Productive Work has been introduced and for this purpose a sum of Rs. 3.69 lakhs has been provided in the Plan Budget for 1982-83 and the amount has already been released in favour of 369 Government High Schools.
It has been decided on principle to introduce +2 Courses of Vocationalisation of education in all the 248 Colleges of the State. And 50 selected High Schools will be converted to Higher Secondary Course (+2) with vocationalisation of education with effect from 1983-84 as decided recently by the Government of Orissa.