Practical training rather than theoretical knowledge?
Education experts believe that with the establishment of quality institutions, India also needs an upgrade in its curriculum and the courses offered to sharpen technical skills. Over the years, the central government and state governments have provided vocational training in rural and urban areas through programs such as DDU-GKY, Modular Employable Skills (MES) under Skill Development Initiative (SDI), Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), etc.
With the ever-changing demands of different industries, India has to agree to restrict its vocational training programs and job creation opportunities. New technologies, in terms of hardware and software, are emerging every day in the world and for which an innovative flow of manpower must be prepared.
As of 2021, India generates more than 5 lakh engineers per year, 30% of whom are at risk of not getting suitable jobs after graduation. Education experts believe that with the establishment of quality institutions, India also needs an upgrade in its curriculum and the courses offered to sharpen technical skills. Over the years, the central government and state governments have provided vocational training in rural and urban areas through programs such as DDU-GKY, Modular Employable Skills (MES) under Skill Development Initiative (SDI), Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), etc.
But education professionals believe that with changing industry demands, professional education needs to focus on the diversity of courses offered and the demand for expertise in the marketplace. Skills such as artificial intelligence have become industry favorites, thanks to an increased reliance on the virtual world in a post-Covid 19 era.
Vipin Kumar, Deputy Director, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) believes that a single emerging technology should not be the sole priority of training agencies. He says vocational institutes in India have to offer several courses to each interested person in each center. He also said that with the integration of the real-time and virtual world, the ability to learn resides in the individual. ‘
In the past, AICTE, a technical education facilitator in India, had launched initiatives such as Smart Hackathon, SWAYAM, PARAKH and KARMA to promote emerging technologies and generate a healthy competitive spirit among young innovators. Starting in 2020, the Department of Housing and Urban Affairs has collaborated with the Department of Education to launch an internship program, namely TULIP, to provide students and new graduates with opportunities to assist in the research. According to information provided on the AICTE website, more than 2,300 candidates completed their TULIP internship in the 29 states and 8 union territories.
Internship requirements range from urban planners to horticulture, graphic designers to content creators. The range of people trained covers all categories according to their training and specialization. India’s diverse vocational training offerings can also lessen the need to migrate to different cities or even countries, as employment opportunities are reaching Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities in recent years.
