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Indian Steel Training and Educational Program (IN STEP) Records

 Collection
Identifier:  0000-0172

Scope and Contents

This collection documents the administration of the Indian Steel Training Program (IN STEP) from its inception in 1957 to its conclusion in 1962. This collection includes administrative files, business correspondence, financial files, program and recreational activity planning, meeting minutes, promotional materials, training manuals, annual and quarterly reports, trainee biographical files, press photographs, and magazine and newspaper articles. A bulk of the materials were produced, received, or collected by program administrators based at the Carnegie Institute of Technology.

Dates

  • 1957-1962

Conditions Governing Access

A portion of sub-series 10 Trainee Files is restricted until January 2035. These restricted materials contain biographical files for a sampling of trainees. Please contact the University Archives for more information.

Biographical / Historical

From September 1957 to November 1961, the Indian Steel Training and Educational Program (IN STEP) trained approximately 600 Indian engineers at eleven steel companies and eight universities in the United States. The program was administered by the Carnegie Institute of Technology and sponsored by the Ford Foundation, the American Iron and Steel Institute, and the International Cooperation Administration (later Agency for International Development). For nine months, trainees attended university courses and received on-the-job training. Trainees spent four days a week at their assigned steel manufacturing site and the fifth day taking technical and non-technical courses at their home institutions.

The program handled all room and board and travel arrangements. Recreational activities were planned to encourage cultural exchange between the trainees and domestic students. Trainees attended plays, concerts, dances, picnics, and films and dined with local families. CIT hosted Indian Independence Day programs on campus, where trainees performed traditional dance and theatrical performances and observed the Diwali holiday.

Universities involved include Carnegie Institute of Technology, Pittsburgh, PA; Case Institute of Technology, Cleveland, OH; Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL; Lehigh University, Bethle The sites involved include Armco Steel Corporation, Cleveland, OH; Bethlehem Steel Company, Bethlehem, PA; Ford Motor Company, Detroit, MI; Inland Steel Company, Chicago, IL; Jones and Laughlin Steel Corporation, Pittsburgh, PA; Kaiser Steel Corporation, Fontana, CA; National Steel, Pittsburgh, PA; Weirton Steel, West Virginia; and Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company, Youngstown, OH.

After completing the program, trainees received a certificate and returned to supervisory positions in India. They were contracted to work for at least five years at Indian steel plants, including the Durgapur Steel and Roukela Steel Plants.

Extent

23.5 Linear feet (23.5 linear feet, which includes 23 file boxes and 1 oversized box. )

Language

English

Arrangement

Series 1 Administrative Files consists of records documenting the program’s internal functions, including trainee travel, accommodations, and recreational activities; correspondence, meeting minutes, reports, and budgets from participating colleges and steel plant training locations. A portion of sub-series 10 Trainee Files is restricted until January 2035. These restricted materials contain biographical files for a sampling of trainees. The files include applications, travel arrangements, correspondence, headshots, and reflections on the trainee’s program experience.

Series 2 Correspondence consists of business correspondence, the bulk of which is with program administrators based at CIT. The series is arranged chronologically, alphabetically by sender, and topically. The chronological correspondence folders follow the collection creator’s original filing system and order.

Series 3 Training Materials contains training manuals produced by the participating steel production sites and given to trainees.

Series 4 Publicity consists of program press releases, brochures, clippings, and newspaper and magazine articles.

Series 5 Printed Materials contains published articles, brochures, and newsletters not associated with the IN STEP program.

Series 6 Photographs contains press photographs documenting orientation events, campus life, site visits, and field trips.

Separated Materials

10 linear feet was seperated to create the "International Education Programs records" collection. These materials relate to educational programs administered by Carnegie Insitute of Technoloy in Roukela, India; Kabul, Afghanistan; and Pakistan.

Title
Indian Steel Training Program (IN STEP) records
Status
Completed
Author
Crystal Johnson
Date
January 10, 2025
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Carnegie Mellon University Archives Repository

Contact:
4909 Frew St
Pittsburgh PA 15213
(412) 268-5021