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Officer Trainees OTs

About the Course

 

About the programme

 

The total training period for IFS Officer Trainees in India is around one year, comprising of:      

 

  • Foundation Course: Foundation Course is organised by Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie for IFS Officer Trainees along with other civil servants selected by UPSC through Civil Services Examination. The duration of the Course is around three and half months. As the OTs are fresh entrants into the administrative system, the focus is on familiarizing them with the environment of political, economic, social and administrative matter. Aim of the FC is to initiate a process of crafting an open, responsive, effective and vibrant public administrative system by injecting professionalism, skills, competencies and right attitides amongst its member, thus creating officers with depth of character, breadth of vision and requisite skills to deliver on the tasks bestowed on them.

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  • Induction Training Programme: Induction Training Programme(ITP) is organized at the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service (SSIFS), New Delhi. It equips the IFS Officer Trainees with requisite knowledge, skills and mindset to shoulder the responsibilities and challenges on one hand and harness the opportunities for national development through diplomacy on the other. The total duration of the programme at SSIFS is around nine months. ITP comprises of:
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  1. Orientation Phase: The programme begins with call on External Affairs Minister & Foreign Secretary. Orientation Phase is for a period of one month where the OTs get to understand the big picture of Indian Foreign Policy & Diplomacy through sessions with most eminent speakers, resource persons, former Ambassadors, and senior serving officers. It aims to familiarize the OTs with the guiding principles of Indian Foreign Policy, its evolution since independence, its future direction, and its role in the vision of Viksit Bharat. This phase also gives OTs an exposure to different thematic dimensions of Diplomacy such as Economic Diplomacy, Defence Diplomacy, Public Diplomacy, Cultural Diplomacy & Multilateral Diplomacy. They are initiated to different toolkits available for acquiring writing, reading, communications, & digital skills to become smart, efficient, effective, and accomplished diplomats.
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  3. Phase-I: The duration of Phase-I is two months and it has two major focus areas - understanding the processes of Ministry of External Affairs & functioning of Missions abroad, and Economic Diplomacy, including its science & technology dimensions. Administration, Finance, Consular, & Protocol related processes are explained in this phase through theory & practice sessions. Economic Diplomacy part is focused on introducing the OTs to multiple stakeholders in economic processes of the country where there is an interface with diplomatic missions abroad. Scientific, technological, & innovation dimensions are also presented in this phase.
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  5. Desk Attachment: Desk Attachment at the Ministry of External Affairs: During the Induction Training Programme, IFS Officer Trainees are deployed in Divisions of the Ministry for a period of three months with an objective to familiarize them with functioning of the Ministry. During this period, the OTs are given exposure of functions and hands-on experience under the supervision of senior officers.
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  7. Phase-II: The duration of Phase-II is three months and it focuses on broadly Defence Diplomacy, Public & Cultural Diplomacy, and Multilateral Diplomacy. This phase provides OTs a deeper understanding of our defence needs, our strategic partnerships, case studies of our past diplomatic experiences, our increasing cultural brand value and our global initiatives in line with our thinking of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”, negotiations skills for multilateral diplomacy, international law & international relations theory.
  • The Induction Training Programme concludes with calls on VVIPs in the last week of the programme. The Induction Training Programme also includes short attachments/modules: Mission orientation attachment, Army attachment, State attachment, Bharat Darshan, Visits to Institutions of Economic importance, etc.?The Induction Training Programme encompasses a wide array of co-curricular activities that include Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, shramdaan, annual sports meet, photography competition, quiz competition, cultural programmes, appreciation of world cinema, and mentoring.?The methodology of Induction Training Programme is increasingly focusing on skills development through simulation exercises, role play, case studies, success stories, workshops and hands-on sessions with interactive lectures for essential knowledge. 

  • ITP thus aims to prepare the OTs for their first posting in Missions abroad to study the allocated Compulsory Foreign Language (CFL).