With the intake of students continuing to go down, Industrial Training Institutes in Tiruchi are facing a tough time.According to sources, there are 28 ITIs in Tiruchi. Of them, 20 are run by private managements and eight by the State government. The ITIs at Tiruverumbur, Pullambadi, Manikandam, and Manachanallur were among the institutes that offer skilled vocational training in trades such as electrician, fitter, diesel mechanic, welder, wiremen, and others. The sanctioned strength of ITIs vary from one institute to another. While the average strength of private ITI hovers around 300, some government-run ITIs have a strength of 700 to 800.However, sources say that most ITIs get less than 50% of the sanctioned strength, thereby causing enormous financial pressure. None of the institutes admitted the sanctioned strength of students in 2025-26. The same trend continues this year also.August 14 will be the last date for seeking admission in the ITIs. However, a private institute in the city has got fewer applications against the sanctioned strength of 300. Similar is the situation in most private institutions. The admission is not rosy in government ITIs as well. There is no enthusiasm among the students for getting admission in ITIs.“We are really worried over the poor admission. We take a number of steps to fill the seats. But nothing works out. We could not even get applications for the 50% of seats,” says a principal of a private ITI in Tiruchi.Sources said the government offered 100% scholarship for SC/ST students to study in ITIs. It takes care of tuition fees fully. It is said to be working well for some institutes to get applications. However, it has not rescued the institutes as the government credits the scholarship in the accounts of the students directly. Many institutes could not even pay salaries to their staff members.“Financial health of many institutes is precarious. It becomes increasingly difficult to pay salaries on time. If the situation continues for a few more years, the private institutes will have no future,” says the principal of another institute. Published - August 13, 2026 06:57 pm IST