National Vocational Education Qualification Framework (NVEQF) will make youth employable the moment they are out of schools.
Vocational courses are no longer going to be simple, non-glamorous courses that churn out mechanics, plumbers, electricians and tailors. Riding on the ideas of Human Resource Development (MoHRD) minister Kapil Sibal, who wants to make vocational training glamorous and tailor-made for the job market, the government on Saturday launched its ambitious project - National Vocational Education Qualification Framework (NVEQF) - that will make youth employable the moment they are out of schools.
From 2012, vocational studies will be a full-fledged course that can be pursued along with arts, science and commerce courses in senior secondary classes across all boards. NVEQF will start from Class IX onwards (certification level 1) where out of 1,000 teaching hours each year, 200 hours will be devoted for vocational courses. There will be such seven levels of certification ending at the university level.
The NVEQF will be integrated with mainstream education and will provide multi-level entry and exit options to students so that they can take up jobs after class XII, and then come back to continue studies at any level. It will link schools, vocational institutes and colleges with one system and will provide placement assistance.
It aims to create a skilled and productive workforce that matches international standards of quality and productivity through integration of vocational education and training with the mainstream of education. It is expected to facilitate grey, blue and rust collared workforce to enhance their skill set and also to enable them to acquire university level degree.
It is estimated that NVEQF will not only empower about 20 crore students, including dropouts, by 2011-12 but also help secure career opportunities to about 15 crore who may not even have access to higher education by 2020.
Sibal said the NVEQF will make vocational training more acceptable to the society. “As of now, the society is more concerned about the plain paper degrees such as graduation and post graduation etc.
Parents too like their children go for regular graduation instead of vocational degrees. So while we have a lot of educated youngsters they also at the same time remain unskilled. With NVEQF now a student can get various levels of certification in vocational courses even as he or she pursues school and college level education,” Sibal said.
He said that the industry is hungry for skilled workers and India with its huge young population wants to provide the workforce for the world. The MoHRD has collaborated up with various industries to help students get proper working-training and can be placed easily in these companies.
Besides being armed with a proper vocational degree the students will also be polished in communication and other soft skills that make them easily employable. The courses offered under the programme include agriculture, BPO/ITeS, construction, infrastructure, manufacturing, chemical industry, banking, finance, electronics, travel tourism, retail, sales and marketing, telecommunications, security and facilities management, motor vehicle engineering, etc.
The NVEQF has been launched by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) for courses in polytechniques and engineering colleges. Since it will be linked with the industry needs, AICTE chairman SS Mantha said that the new vocational education will help school-leaving students fetch a job easily.
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