Introduction
A reliable information system is a pre-requisite for planning especially in the field of technical education and training. Having this in mind, the Government of India has set up a National Technical Manpower Information System (NTMIS) during the Sixth Plan for providing upto date meaningful information on a continuing basis needed for planning and administration of technical education on proper lines. Such studies have, however, generated expectations amongst the educational planners and administrators about forecast of future requirements of technical manpower being made based on more reliable data and using more refined methods than hitherto adopted.
Origin and Growth of NTMIS in Tamilnadu
The Government of India has set up the National Technical Manpower Information System (NTMIS) towards the end of 1983, with a view to generate and maintain valuable data and information base needed for planning and administration of Technical Education on proper lines.
The system comprises of Lead centre at the Institute of Applied Manpower Research, New Delhi and 20 Nodal centres spread all over the country, of which four are located in the Regional offices of Board of Apprenticeship Training. (BOAT). The Nodal Centre for Tamil Nadu has been initially created in Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai and later on transferred and functioning in the Department of Economics and Statistics from 1987 onwards . This scheme is a 100% Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
Categories of Institution
The number of Institutions under different categories i.e. (a) Government Institutions, (b)Government Aided Institutions (c) Anna University constituents/ Affiliated Institutions (d) Private Institutions (self finance) and (e) Special/Higher Institutions for both degree and diploma level.
The distribution of engineering colleges and polytechnics in different districts of the State shows Chennai has 8 Engineering colleges including the Indian Institute of Technology while the adjacent district Kancheepuram has the highest number of engineering colleges (61) and polytechnics (16). The ratio of engineering colleges to polytechnics in the State was 1:0.8. during 2006-07.