UNIT 7

Vocational Education, Skilling and

Employability
VINAY SWARUP MEHROTRA
Head, Curriculum Development and Evaluation Centre,
PSS Central Institute of Vocational Education, NCERT, Shyamla Hills,
Bhopal.
Email: v.mehrotra@psscive.ac.in

Introduction

The National Education Policy-2020 (NEP-2020) focuses on the five pillars of

building a strong education system: accessibility, affordability, quality, equity,
and accountability. India’s higher education sector has undergone rapid changes
over the past decade, with increasing emphasis on training and research,
addressing the diverse needs of the student population under the Rashtriya
Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA). Although, the total enrolment in higher
education is estimated at 38.5 million, with 19.6 million boys and 18.9 million
girls, making up 49% of the total enrolment (MoE, 2020), the current Gross
Enrolment Ratio (GER) of India is 27.1% (as on 2019-20) (MoE, 2020), much
lower than that in developed countries. The NEP-2020 conceived to raise the
GER from 26.3 % (calculated for 18-23 years of age group) to 50% by 2030 in
higher education. There are many reasons for low GER in India, but the primary
one is that around 50% of the population of students in the relevant age group, i.e.
18-23, is simply not eligible to enrol in higher education as they have not
successfully completed higher secondary education. Moreover, youth
unemployment rates were high even for people with vocational education. The
separation of ‘education’ and ‘training’ has contributed significantly to the
situation where most of the people in the unorganized sector, comprising 90% of
the workforce, are under-educated, under-skilled, and under-prepared for full
participation in social, economic and civic life (Mehrotra, 2012). The
unemployment rates among those with diploma or certificate levels are also high,
which questions the quality and relevance of training programmes offered by the
technical institutions (Varghese, 2020). 1

Vocational education1 should, therefore, be made accessible in some form or the

other to ‘all students’, both at school and higher education institutions to make
general education more relevant for the world of work. The NEP-2020 expects

1
Unit 7, Module 2: 'Curriculum, Teaching-Learning and Assessment', is part of Professional Development
Programme on Implementation of NEP-2020 of IGNOU, New Delhi under PMMMNMTT. ©IGNOU, 2022

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that all HEIs become independent self-governing institutions (pursuing
innovation and excellence with leadership of the highest quality), introduce multi-
disciplinary programmes with high-quality teaching, research, and community
engagement, with increased flexibility and choice of subjects across various
streams of arts, humanities, sciences, sports, and other vocational subjects. This
Unit discusses the various aspects on how Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)
can develop as learning organisations, by making necessary modifications in the
policies, programmes, and practices, and create opportunities for better access to
quality education, including Vocational Education and Training (VET). This Unit
also discusses how quality of vocational education in HEIs can be improved
through increased access to a flexible and relevant system of VET with focus on
indigenous knowledge, building a strong foundation of general education and
vocational education with skills mapped to the needs of the industry and the
labour market under the National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF).

Learning Outcomes
After reading this unit, you should be able to:

 Describe the perspectives of National Education Policy-2020 underpinning

the importance of vocationalisation of higher education.
 Explain the need and process of integrating vocational education into
mainstream higher education.
 Describe how vocational education can address the various challenges of
employment and underemployment.
 Describe how short-term certificate, diploma and degree level vocational
courses can help in meeting the skill needs of the learners and employers.

Improving Access to Higher Vocational Education

Vocational education takes place through two basic structural streams - a small
but formal mode and a large informal mode. The formal structure includes:

(i) vocational education in schools at the secondary and higher secondary stage,
(ii) higher technical education imparted through professional colleges in courses
that last one-year (certificate course), two-years (diploma course) or a three
to four-year degree course,
(iii) vocational training in Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), and
(iv) apprenticeship training.

Vocational education at college/university level suffers from low enrolment.

Reasons for low-enrolment rate in higher vocational education is the social stigma
attached to vocational education, rigid separation of disciplines or early
specialisation and streaming of students into narrow areas of study, limited access
to vocational pass-outs in HEIs, dearth of vocational courses in local languages,

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lack of awareness of the importance of skill development, mismatch between the
demand and supply of skills, uncertainty amongst youth in career choices due to
lack of job security, lack of linkages for on-the-job training and internships and
lack of alignment of skill development programmes with social, economic and
sustainable development goals (Mehrotra, 2017).

NEP-2020, therefore, aims at integrating vocational education into all schools and
higher education institutions in a phased manner over the next decade. It has set
the goal of vocationalising education both at the school and higher education so
that by 2025, at least 50% of learners shall have the exposure to vocational
education. In order to achieve this target, institutional fragmentation will have to
be reduced through better co-ordination between the stakeholders in VET and
developing a coherent system of general and vocational education, which is
transparent and easier to navigate by the VET stakeholders. According to the
NEP-2020, the Government of India will constitute a National Committee for the
Integration of Vocational Education (NCIVE), consisting of experts in vocational
education and representatives from across Ministries, in collaboration with
industry, to oversee the effort of skill development in States/UTs (GoI, 2020).
The State Councils for Higher Education (SCHEs) can act as nodal agency for
carrying out the activities of NCIVE and ensure greater coordination at the
State/UT level with the VET stakeholders. These SCHEs can play a vital role in
coordination of skill development programmes.

Making Higher Vocational Education Responsive to

Learners Skill Needs

The higher education system will have to be made more responsive to learners’
soft and hard skill needs to help support the employability of graduates, minimise
skill imbalances through skilling, upskilling2 and reskilling3 and improving their
resilience to future changes in labour market. Introduction of VET programmes
that integrate various kinds of soft skills and vocational skills, with focus on skills
for environmental responsibility (e.g. waste management), economic
responsibility (e.g. financial accountability), and social responsibility (e.g. gender
neutrality, dignity of labour, and health), will have to be ensured to promote
quality VET at all levels (Mehrotra & Mehrotra, 2020). (see the diagram below
on various skill components).

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 Providing Flexible Learning Opportunities
3.5
3.4 3.6
Offering Bridge Courses and Preparing for the 21st Century Skills
Short-Term Training
Programmes
3.7
3.3
Developing Entrepreneurial Providing Opportunity to
Skills Earn While Learn

3.2 3.8
Addressing Gender Capacity Building of Teachers for
Inequality the New Curriculum Structure

3.1 3.9
Providing Vocational Guidance Competency Based Assessment and
and Training Evaluation System

Vocational Guidance and Counselling

Effective career guidance and counselling is a crucial element of a responsive

education system, as it helps students to make study and employment choices that
are aligned with labour market needs (OECD, 2015). The NEP-2020 envisages
that National Testing Agency (NTA) will work to offer a high-quality common
aptitude test as well as specialised common subject exams in the sciences,
humanities, languages, arts and vocational subjects at least twice a year. Students
will be able to choose the subjects for taking the test, and each university will be
able to see each student’s individual subject portfolio and admit students into
their programmes based on individual interests and talents.

Gender Equality
Gender equality is essential for the achievement of overall economic development
of a nation. It is possible with the engagement of girls and women in various
social and economic sectors, with equal opportunity in all spheres of life and
work. Though women constitute 48.1% of the total population (as in 2020), they
account for only 20.3% of the total labour force in India. Women’s labour force
participation4 was 21% in urban areas and 36% in rural areas. Of rural and urban
women aged 15–29, 49% are neither part of the labour force nor pursuing
education - general or vocational education. Entrepreneurship among women is
also restricted. HEIs can organise short term programmes on vocational education
and entrepreneurship development for women.

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Entrepreneurship and Start-ups

Entrepreneurship and start-ups drive economic growth, create employment and

foster a culture of innovation. The Government of India is addressing the
challenge of access to finance and boosting entrepreneurship through various
schemes, but there are very few colleges and universities that offer programmes
in entrepreneurship development or serving as active incubation/entrepreneurship
cells on campus to develop entrepreneurs for the growth of the economy. NEP-
2020 has recommended that “Incubation Centres” will be set up in higher
education institutions in partnership with industries to encourage high research
and development investments from government and private sectors, encourage
innovation and innovative mindset and attitude.

Bridging the Differences between the General Academic Education and VET

This would require bringing all general academic and vocational courses within a
coherent curriculum framework under broad industry or social sector groupings.
Bridge courses can be designed, keeping in view the different learning abilities,
academic standards and learning needs of learners and these can also facilitate
the bridging of the gap between the pre-university level and professional
education (Mehrotra, 2012). Skill Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for
Livelihood Promotion (SANKALP), an initiative of the MSDE aims to improve
short-term skill training, decentralize the skill development to the grassroots
level, strengthen district-level skill development through District Skill
Committees (DSCs) and bring in market connectivity and inclusivity of the
marginalised section of the society. The HEIs can provide a platform for
promoting the SANKALP, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY),
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) scheme, Skills Strengthening for Industrial
Value Enhancement (STRIVE), and Rural Self Employment Training (RSET)
scheme by setting up skill development centres in the institutions and offering
customised skill development programmes to bridge the skill gaps.

VET through Open and Distance Learning (ODL)

The NEP-2020 envisages the possibility of offering vocational courses through
Open and Distance Learning (ODL) mode. The Government of India has planned
to set up virtual labs in science and mathematics, and skilling e-labs for providing
simulated learning environment. High-quality e-content in all spoken languages
will be developed for delivery via internet, mobile phones, TV and radio through
Digital Teachers. (see diagram below).

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 Massive Open Online Courses Digital University

Contexualization of Blended Lerning

Knowledge

Virtual Labs Academic Bank of Credit

(ABC)

Open and Distance Learning Credit Transfer System

(ODL)

Creating Flexible Learning Opportunities

Study Webs of Active-Learning for Young Aspiring Minds (SWAYAM), an

Indian MOOCs platform, created by MoE, Government of India. The All India
Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has permitted HEIs to facilitate credit
transfer of up to 20% in every semester from online courses offered by
SWAYAM platform to encourage and increase focus on online education.The
Academic Bank of Credit (ABC), which was launched on 29 July, 2021 by the
UGC, would digitally store the academic credits earned from various recognized
HEIs, such that credits so earned can be accounted for award of degree by any
given HEI.

The 21st Century Indians Need Transferable Skills

Transferable skills are not specific to one particular career path but are generic
across all employment sectors, to enable graduates to adapt to the new and
emerging skill demands in jobs. The 21st century skills which cover a host of
occupational skills, non-cognitive skills, interpersonal skills, life skills, and
application skills presuppose that it is not only important what knowledge
graduates have about them, but more so what they can practically 'do' with that
knowledge for integrated individual, community, and socio-economic
development (Silva, 2009). The linking of pedagogy and practice is important to
the competency of students, and the curriculum should be based on specific goals
and learning outcomes.

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Work-Integrated Learning (WIL)

It is an educational strategy in which students undergo conventional academic

learning within an educational institution, and combine this with some time spent
in a workplace relevant to their programme of study and career aims. This can be
very well implemented through Short-term Training Programmes and Open and
Distance Learning (ODL). Through WIL, students can also develop expertise and
grow in part time jobs on campus along with their studies. Students can be given
opportunities in the institutes for working on projects, like installation and
maintenance of solar power plants, surveillance network, optical fiber network,
WiFi network, waste disposal, library, computer centre, private security, etc.

Earn While Learn Concept in Higher Education: Internship Embedded Skill

Training Programme of VET at School of Vocational Education of Tata
Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai

The School of Vocational Education (SVE) of Tata Institute of Social Sciences,

Mumbai, has imparted vocational education to around 20,000 students in 19
sectors, including agriculture, automotive, banking, financial services and
insurance, electronics, healthcare, media and entertainment, pharmaceuticals,
printing and packaging, and renewable energy across 90 locations spread over 22
states.

The courses in the B.Voc programmes at TISS-SVE comply with all the
guidelines laid down by the UGC to match the NSQF requirements of levels 5, 6
and 7, with a Diploma in the end of first year, advanced diploma in the end of
second year and B.Voc. degree in the end of third year. The curriculum includes
general education courses as well as vocational theory and practical training. The
time spent by students in getting practical training is 60 percent relative to
coursework, which covers the remaining 40 percent. Students are evaluated using
a credit system in which each theory credit and each practical credit corresponds
to 15 hours and 30 hours of work, respectively. Students must take 6 credits in
vocational theory, 12 credits in general courses, and 12 credits in practical work
in each semester, making a total of 30 credits spanning 630 hours, of which 360
hours are spent in receiving practical training.

The approach adopted is called the Internship Embedded Skill Training

Programme (IESTP) during which many students may also earn a modest stipend
in select skill knowledge sectors. The aim of this ‘Earn while you learn’ model is
to enable the students to learn the skill by engaging in an internship on the real
shop floor of the industry/company along with theory taught in the classroom.
Although stipend is not mandatory for the Skill Knowledge Providers, TISS-SVE
strongly encourages Skill Knowledge Providers (SKPs) to adopt this practice.

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Teacher Capacity Building

Teachers need to build their capacity for implementing the new curriculum
structure, comprising a mix of face-to-face programmes, online modules,
webinars and workshops. The HEIs can establish a coordinating body in charge of
setting up a forum that provides guidance to teachers in planning, developing and
engaging in professional development through study-leave incentives and online
courses. The government launched Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya National
Mission on Teachers and Teaching (PMMMNMTT) which aims at building a
strong professional cadre of teachers by setting performance standards and
creating top class institutional facilities for innovative teaching and professional
development of teachers in higher education. Teachers have to be trained on the
use of vocational pedagogy in their teaching with an increased emphasis on
communication, discussion, debate, research, and opportunities for cross-
disciplinary and interdisciplinary thinking.

Assessment Motive

 Entry level
 Evidence based Understand
employment
 Portfolio based ing and
 Career growth
 On-demand Training
 Personal interests
assessment Learners
 Certificate/degree
Competencies VET Delivery

 Vocational pedagogy/andragogy
 Vocational knowledge and
 Self-paced learning
skills
opportunities
 Employability skills
 Blended learning
st
 21 Century skills  On campus learning
 New age skills opportunities
 Life skills  Workshop practice
 Virtual lab
 Industry based

Assessment

Assessment serves as a feedback mechanism that allows for a determination of

the progress of student learning and identification of a requirement to take
necessary measures to close any learning gaps. The teacher can assess the
‘performance gap’ and take remedial measures for filling the gap and help the
student to achieve mastery level of skill. The assessment should encourage the
learner to learn and improve his/her competency. The assessor or the academic
supervisor should collect direct evidence of the student’s capability. The student
should have an opportunity to view the supervisor’s assessment and respond to it.

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Making Higher Vocational Education Responsive to
Employers’ Needs

Employers benefit from a having a certified skilled worker because certified skills
can improve firm competitiveness and productivity. Skilling people, especially
the existing work force can also bring about higher productivity and excellence.
With 15 million youngsters entering the workforce each year, more than 75% are
not job ready due to lack of employability skills5. The unemployment rate6 for
graduates aged 20–24 was 29%, for those 25–29, 12%, and for those 30–34, 4%.
The problem of unemployability is related to the poor employability skills that the
higher education students possess, even after pursuing courses in various
disciplines, including science, art, commerce, language, mathematics, etc. In
2021, as many as 45.9 % of graduates are employable, a decline from 46.21% in
2020 and 47.38% in 2019 (India Skills Report, ISR-2021). In India, the skill
attainment of population and the labour force is very low; there exists wide
disparities between female and male and rural and urban (Saxena & Kumar,
2017).

Partnerships with industry and potential employers can facilitate the involvement
of industry professionals in VET teaching. Such a strategy should be combined
with flexible training and qualification programmes in place to allow these
industry professionals to also develop the necessary pedagogical skills. The
National Policy on Skill Development 2015 provided the framework and
strategies, including promotion of public-private partnership (PPP) to meet the
challenge of skilling at scale with speed and standard (quality). Skill gap studies
were conducted by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) over the
period 2010-2014, which indicated that there is an additional net incremental
requirement of 109.73 million skilled manpower by 2022 in 24 key sectors. The
sectors in which demand for jobs has increased are information technology, e-
commerce, financial technology, health care, logistics and the automotive
industry. There is a need to connect the supply of skilled human resources with
sectoral and employer’s demands.

Need for Identifying the Skill Gaps – A Case Study of IT-ITes Sector

The National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM)

estimates show that 1.5–2 million people (both fresh entrants and existing
employees) need to be reskilled and upskilled—or 38–50% of the workforce in a
sector that employs 3.9 million workers. As interlinkages between the IT/ ITES
(IT enabled services) and manufacturing and other service industries grow, the
demand for workers with expertise in advanced analytics and computing skills,

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 along with subject matter expertise and higher non-cognitive skills, is expected to
increase. NASSCOM noted the importance of subject matter expertise in areas
such as design, humanities, sociology, security, finance and payments.

4.2

Promoting
4.1
Sustainable
Connecting Supply Development for
with Demand for

4.3

Training People for

New Age Skills and Gig

Skill Gap

It is the difference in the skills required on the job and the actual skills possessed
by the employees need to be identified for occupations and high technology
manufacturing (smart manufacturing) and Knowledge-Intensive Service (KIS)
industry. The 21st century Indian workers need transferable skills and should be
able to adapt to changes in technology, automation and digitisation. Besides,
vocational skills, the education system should be able to impart cognitive, social
and behavioural skills, advanced cognitive skills, problem solving skills, system
thinking skills, etc. Companies will require skilled workers who are trained in
Artificial Intelligence Algorithms, Machine Learning, Data Science, Cloud
Computing and Internet of Things, Real Time Monitoring, Collaborative Robots
(cobots), among others. The National Education Alliance for Technology
(NEAT), which is being implemented by the All India Council for Technical
Education (AICTE), aims to act as a bridge between EdTech companies,
academic institutions and students. The initiative on the behest of the MoE,
Government of India for making accessible the learning tools developed by
EdTech platforms that can supplement classroom teaching.

Education and Training are Regarded Central in Sustainable Development

Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) ascertains to provide inclusive and

equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning for all. While Target

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4.3 of SDG 4 states that “By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to
affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including
university”. The Target 4.4 of SDG 4 states that “By 2030, substantially increase
the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and
vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship”. Increased
attention to sustainable development and green economy through VET will be
critical for labour market integration and supporting lifelong up-skilling. VET is
expected to help in productivity enhancement as well as creating large
opportunities for new businesses and jobs in sectors, such as electronic waste,
end-of-life vehicles, toxic and hazardous industrial waste and used or waste oil.
The significance of University–Industry Linkages (UILs) in innovation and the
knowledge driven economy suggests a more robust alliance between universities
and industry. It will require development of framework for skilling people for
facilitating innovation and sustainable development7.

The 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR)

The 4IR which integrates processes vertically, across the entire organisation,
including processes in product development, manufacturing, structuring, and
service implies that the manufacturing sector will increasingly shift towards skill-
intensive jobs, with digital technologies transforming production. Demographic
changes along with technological disruptions are gradually resulting in a shift
towards a new work order, giving birth to free agents or gig workers, independent
workers or micro-entrepreneurs. The gig economy is based on flexible,
temporary, or freelance jobs, often involving connecting with clients or customers
through an online platform. The integration of technology and the Internet has led
to the emergence of connected customers through a wide range of devices, such
as smartphones, tablets, and laptops. New jobs will replace the traditional ones
and the current job roles, and new business models will appear, which would
require digitalisation. Although the educational system is transforming to meet
the knowledge and skill needs of human capital, new approaches to education
system have to be developed to prepare skilled human resource through the
India’s Higher Education system.

Linking NSQF with NHEQF for Building Seamless

Career Pathway

The NEP-2020 stipulates that a National Higher Education Qualification

Framework (NHEQF) will be formulated (the draft is under national consultation)
and it shall be in sync with the National Skill Qualifications Framework (NSQF),
which was notified in December, 2013. Higher education qualification leading to
a degree/diploma/certificate shall also be described by the NHEQF in terms of
learning outcomes. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has come up with

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draft NHEQF, which aligns with the NSQF and prescribes the facilitative norms
for credit transfer and equivalence.

The NSQF, with 10-levels and level descriptors was developed for providing
quality assurance in VET through standardisation of competencies across
occupations in different sectors, uniformity in training delivery across various
programmes or courses, flexibility in choice of modules/courses/programmes
through multi-entry and exit system and regulation of assessment and evaluation.
Four categories of competencies are defined for each of the 10 levels:

 professional knowledge (depth, breadth, kinds, complexity),

 professional skill (cognitive, creative, communication, interpersonal),
 core skills (job-based methods, materials, tools, instruments), and
 responsibility (relationships, management, accountability)8.

Implementation of NSQF in India has strengthened the links between general and
vocational education providing opportunities for vertical and horizontal mobility,
labour mobility across employment sectors, standardisation of learning outcomes
and quality assurance system. Besides the government and private run
Institutions, skill development programmes are being implemented under the
NSQF through the PPP mode, steered by the National Skill Development
Corporation (NSDC) and Sector Skill Councils (SSCs), under the Ministry of
Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE). All the formal and non-formal
VET programmes are now governed through the NSQF.

5.3
Aligning Vocational Skills with
International Standards

5.2 5.4
Recognition of Promoting Quality
Prior Learning Assurance in VET

5.1 5.5
Vocationalisation of Focus on
Education through Research for
Degree Programmes Promoting VET

Vocationalisation of Education through Degree Programmes

According to NEP-2020, B.Voc. degrees introduced in 2013 will continue to

exist, but vocational courses will also be available to students enrolled in all other
Bachelor’s degree programmes, including the 4-year multidisciplinary Bachelor’s

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programmes. B.Voc. was conceptualised as part of higher education based on
skills development, comprising multiple exit points of diploma, advanced
diploma, and degree, with a mix of general education and skill development for
specific job roles, and within the framework of NSQF levels 5-7. Graduates with
10+2 in any stream could study a mix of general and vocational competencies
(knowledge, skills, attitude) through sector-specific curriculum embedded with
National Occupation Standards (NOS), with specific contextualisation through
practical training, portfolio and projects. The general education curriculum
comprising up to 40% focuses on language and communication skills, and the
skill components comprising 60% conforms to NSQF levels 5-7 in respect of
process, professional knowledge, professional skill, core skill, and responsibility.
Further, the students of one discipline could acquire skills 'related' to the
discipline (from an interdisciplinary perspective) from another discipline.

Vocational Degree Programmes offered by Universities

The Government of Haryana has established the Shri Vishwakarma Skill

University (SVSU)to facilitate and promote skill-based education, skill
development, and entrepreneurship development in the various disciplines. The
university aims to nurture the skill sets of students by focusing upon industry
integrated skill programmes, including Diploma, Advanced Diploma, Post
Graduate Diploma, Bachelor of Vocation (B.Voc.) and Master of Vocation
(M.Voc.) programmes as per the National Skill Qualifications Framework
(NSQF). The university has developed the Industry Integrated Dual Education
Model (IIDEM) facilitating the concept of “Earn-While-Learn” wherein the
students attain theoretical knowledge of the chosen discipline in the classroom
setting within the university and acquires practical experience and earn a stipend
during on-the-job training in the industry.

The School of Vocational Studies (SVS) at Ambedkar University of Delhi

(AUD) was established in 2017 as part of the university’s vision to reach out to
youths of Delhi to help them pursue full-time or part-time tertiary education for
acquisition of skills and quality livelihood. It offers four vocational programmes
with multiple entry and exit options that lead to Certificate, Diploma, Advanced
Diploma and Bachelor of Vocation (B.Voc.) degree in (i) Early Childhood
Centre Management and Entrepreneurship, (ii) Retail Management, (iii)
Tourism and Hospitality, and (iv) Accounting and Finance.

Recognition of Prior Learning

Vocational Education and Training should provide skills to enhance worker

mobility across occupations, giving them the flexibility to meet changing
employment demands. Of India’s current work force, 31% are illiterate, 13%

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have a primary education, and 6% are college graduates. Many of the roughly 468
million people now in the workforce need to be upskilled and reskilled.
Formalising the skills of informal workers by recognising their skills they have
gained outside regular education and training institutions would benefit both the
workers and their employers. One path to formalising their qualification is
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). RPL is a mechanism, which assesses and
certifies those skills. The Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) has
two training components, viz., Short Term Training (STT) and Recognition of
Prior Learning (RPL). The NSQF has also made provision for Recognition of
Prior Learning (RPL). Short-term skilling programmes of a few months like the
Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) offer occupational and job-
specific vocational skills, focusing on information and communication
technology, literacy and spoken English and non-cognitive skills. The NEP-2020
envisages that through RPL dropouts from the formal system will be reintegrated
by aligning their practical experience with the relevant level of the NSQF and the
credit-based framework will also facilitate mobility across ‘general’ and
vocational education.

Aligning Vocational Skills with International Standards

International mobility can be facilitated through transfer of credits within India

and abroad, which requires that the vocational qualifications are at par with the
international standards. As on December 2020, India had more than 10 lakh
students studying abroad (MEA 2021). However, in comparison, number for
foreign students coming to India for the purpose of higher education as per All
India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2019-2020, is 49,348 (MoE, 2020).
The NEP-2020 envisages that the Indian standards will be aligned with the
International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) maintained by the
International Labour Organisation (ILO) and research or teaching collaborations
and faculty/student exchanges with high-quality foreign institutions will be
facilitated. The UGC has formulated these ‘Guidelines for Internationalisation of
Higher Education’ within the framework of National Education Policy-2020. It
recommends introduction of short-term non-degree niche courses to create global
perception about the core competencies in Yoga/Philosophy /
Ayurveda/Health/Sanskrit/ Vaastushastra, etc.

Promoting Quality Assurance in VET

The NEP-2020 anticipates that quality higher education must aim to develop
good, thoughtful, well-rounded, and creative individuals. Quality improvements
in VET cover a wide range of issues such as setting standards for skills and
qualifications, curricula development, teachers and trainers’ development, better
testing and outcomes measurement, monitoring and evaluation, and accreditation.

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Effective monitoring results will be used by different VET stakeholders, who
could be planners, researchers or the wider public for achieving the objectives of
quality VET.

The National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT) established in 1956 was
reformulated as National Council for Vocational Education and Training
(NCVET) with merger of NCVT and NSDA in 2018 as a single regulatory
oversight body for VET in the country. The accreditation scheme for improving
credibility of Learning Service Providers (LSPs) has been developed by National
Accreditation Board for Education and Training (NABET), and Quality Council
of India (QCI). Accreditation ensures Quality Assurance of Trainer/Faculty,
Infrastructure; Programme Design (Development and Delivery); Training
Management System (hardware, software, humanware / skinware). At present
Qualification Assurance (QA) agencies in higher education, technical education,
and VET are independently doing assessment and accreditation within the
existing sectoral formulation. A coordinated and seamless quality assessment/
assurance/ accreditation procedure across the regulators have to be built in the
VET system. In order to bring about greater coordination, the NEP-2020
recommends establishment of a Higher Education Commission (HEC) as a single
regulatory body, except for legal and medical education.

Focus on Research for Promoting VET

The Higher Education Institutions need to collaborate with industry and create an
environment to encourage researches that could be utilised by the industry for
development and better products and services. Focus on research related to
artificial intelligence powered technologies and innovations (enabling cognitive
skills development, such as thinking, problem-solving and decision making-
tasks), quantum technologies (communication, simulation, computation, sensing
and metrology), smart manufacturing (intelligent automation, multi-scale
dynamic simulation, 3D printing, big data processing, advanced industrial
robotics, industrial internet of things, distributed manufacturing technologies with
strong cybersecurity) is needed for promoting VET. Studies are needed to answer
various questions related to VET, such as

(i) Which competencies are necessary to work within highly automated and
networked production systems?
(ii) What relevant changes are required in curricula to meet the skill
requirements for jobs in digitalisation, networking and virtualisation?
(iii) How to develop the employability skills, including complex problem solving
skills, critical thinking, creativity, people management, emotional
intelligence, decision making, negotiation, and cognitive flexibility through
industry collaboration and networking ?

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Promoting Indigenous Knowledge and Skills through
“Lok Vidya”

The ancient system of education was the education of the Vedas, Brahmanas,
Upanishads and Dharmasutras. Sources of learning were drawn from various
disciplines such as Itihas(history), Anviksiki (logic), Mimamsa (interpretation)
Shilpashastra (architecture), Arthashastra (polity), Varta (agriculture, trade,
commerce, animal husbandry) and Dhanurvidya (archery). Indian knowledge
system (IKS) describes nine Darshanas, fourteen Vidyas as sources of knowledge
and sixty-four Kalas as specialized art and skills. In ancient India these skills
were considered to be important for holistic development of a cultured individual.
Learning these skills will help students to cultivate attentional skills (mindfulness,
meditation, yoga, etc.), socio-emotional skills (e.g. compassion, empathy,
teamwork, cooperation, etc.), system thinking skills (interdependence, fairness,
quality consciousness, care, etc.), beside the living skills, life skills and vocational
skills.

According to NEP-2020, Lok Vidya, i.e., important vocational knowledge

developed in India, will be made accessible to students through integration into
vocational education courses and India is to be promoted as a global study
destination providing premium education at affordable cost, thereby, helping to
restore its role as a ‘Vishwa Guru’. Ancient Indian universities, such as Nalanda
and Takshashila were offering holistic education with a unique blend of
knowledge and skills. In order to attract students to an education system which
help students to develop vocational, social and emotional skills, India must re-
model and re-build current universities on the foundations of ‘Indian Knowledge
Systems’ and integrate advanced science, technology, social science,
contemporary art, vocational crafts and humanities.

Summary

India has made tremendous progress in terms of increasing access to school and
higher education and ensuring inclusive education. Government has taken
multiple initiatives aimed at revolutionizing the higher education ecosystem. It
aims at vocationalisation of higher education. Vocational Education and Training
(VET) can help to drive skills development for the economy when underpinned
by effective policies, funding, leadership and the participation of a range of
stakeholders. The collaboration between academic institutions, industry,
governments, and other stakeholders for understanding and translating new
qualifications into curriculum development, training delivery and assessment
based on competency frameworks will enhance the employability of the
graduates. Mentorship programme integrated with the internships, on-the-job

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training and apprenticeship training can serve as supportive approach to
vocational learning. Higher Education Institutions need to develop strategic
action plan in consultation with the VET stakeholders to bring about necessary
changes in the implementation of skill development programmes and VET.

Notes

1. Vocational education and training, sometimes simply called vocational

education1 or vocational training, is the training in skills and teaching of
knowledge related to a specific trade, occupation or vocation in which the
student or employee wishes to participate. Skilling on the other hand is
training people for a task or a set of tasks.
2. Upskilling is providing training to improve a person’s performance or
closing skill gaps in their current job role.
3. Reskilling is providing training to help a person shift into a new role or
adjust to a significant skill demand in the current job role.
4. Labour force includes individuals who are currently employed either on a
full time or part time basis or are not employed but are actively searching
for employment.
5. Employability skills can be defined as the transferable skills needed by an
individual to make them employable. Transferable skills also include
higher-order skills. An array of higher-order cognitive and non-cognitive soft
skills related to creativity, self-initiative and self-control, overlapping with
other foundational skills, are among the most valued transferable skills.
6. The unemployment rate is the ratio of the number of unemployed persons
in the labour force per thousand.
7. Sustainable development is the development that meet the needs of the
present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet
their own needs.
8. The European Commission (2016) listed three types of skills, i.e. cognitive
skills (analytical, critical, creative, reflective), methodological skills
(decision-making, time management, problem-solving), and social skills
(team work, interpersonal communication, conflict resolution).

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