Chandigarh, Oct. 5 -- At the Model Jail in Sector 51, where 29 convicts have enrolled in vocational courses at the Jeevan Dhara Industrial Training Institute (ITI) for the 2026-27 academic session, inmates will soon be able to learn mobile phone repairing as authorities are set to start more courses. Jail authorities said these 29 convicts are acquiring practical trades designed to prepare for life beyond prison walls. The institute was set up in September 2025 and formally inaugurated by the Chief Justice of India in December 2025. Jail records show that 14 inmates are receiving training to become woodwork technicians, while 15 inmates, including six women, are studying sewing technology under three teachers. Inspector general of police (prisons) Pushpendra Kumar said, "Only convicts are allowed to pursue these classes as their sentence is fixed. Once the convicts are released, the jail authorities help them get jobs by contacting furniture shops and tailors to help rehabilitate them." The authorities are looking to start more courses to train inmates in mobile repairing and electrical work, for which teachers will be roped in from other ITIs. The institution was established under the directions of the Punjab and Haryana high court. It offers practical and vocational training that integrates hands-on experience with theoretical knowledge. Successful trainees will receive formal certification from the National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET), enhancing their employability in both the government and private sectors. For the 2025-26 academic session, two one-year certificate courses-sewing technology and woodwork technician-were launched. In addition to skill development courses, several inmates are completing their schooling and pursuing higher education while in jail. As per data shared by officials, 41 inmates are currently enrolled in different courses at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). This includes 33 enrolled in certificate courses and eight who are pursuing undergraduate degrees. Apart from this, 35 inmates are enrolled in foundational education programmes for classes 1 to 8. As many as 58 are enrolled under the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) and are pursuing secondary and senior secondary education (classes 9 to 12). The jail currently houses 1,037 inmates, including 280 convicts....