Computer Operator & Programming Assistant (COPA)
Computer fundamentals, office productivity software, databases, web design, networking basics and programming concepts.
About this trade
COPA is the office and IT trade of the ITI system. It covers computer hardware fundamentals, operating systems, word processing, spreadsheets and presentations, database concepts, web page design, computer networking, accounting packages and an introduction to programming.
For many trainees it is also the trade that brings the first exposure to digital government services and online job applications.
Where this trade can take you
Computer operator and data entry operator in offices, banks and government departments; office assistant; desktop support; accounting assistant with Tally; entry-level web and IT support roles; self-employment running a service centre.
Course structure
As with every trade under the Craftsman Training Scheme, the year is divided between practical work in the trade workshop — which takes the largest share of contact hours — and the supporting subjects:
- Trade Practical — the exercises and jobs that build the skill itself.
- Trade Theory — the principles behind the practical work.
- Workshop Calculation & Science — the arithmetic and applied science the trade depends on.
- Engineering Drawing — reading and preparing the drawings used on the job.
- Employability Skills — communication, workplace behaviour, basic IT and entrepreneurship, as prescribed by DGT.
Trainees are assessed internally through the year and sit the All India Trade Test at the end of each year. The full syllabus for this trade is published by DGT on Bharat Skills.
After the course
Trainees who complete the trade may take up employment directly, register for apprenticeship training under the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme — which carries a stipend and counts as recognised experience — or apply for the Crafts Instructor Training Scheme to become an instructor themselves. Many also set up on their own account.