University Grant Commission (UGC) has approved the guidelines for introducing Short-term Skill development courses in HEIs (Higher Education Institutes). These guidelines are in alignment with the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 which emphasis more on skill-based learning.
To address the skills gap, the goal is to introduce certificate courses, which are short-term, industry-relevant courses, and to establish the framework for the integration of skilling into higher education at all levels. These courses will focus on practical training and offer a holistic, specialised education that will allow students to gain real-world experience.
Anybody who has passed the 10+2/senior secondary examination, or equivalent, is qualified to apply to any undergraduate programme of HEI.
HEIs will offer credit-linked, three- to six-month certificate programmes in skill development as per the draft guidelines. HEIs will use a credit approach to establish the course structure. The minimum duration of a short-term skill development course in any stream is 12 credits, and the maximum credit count is 30 credits. The practical learning component of the short-term skill development course has to be given more attention.The institutes will also be required to create a strategy for helping the successful students who complete the short-term skill development course find jobs and internships.
Additionally, the guidelines stated, “The HEI may collaborate with the relevant Sector Skill Councils/Awarding Bodies and industries to gain credibility, access to placement opportunities, funding schemes and training, and ensure up-to-date course content.”
UGC underlined that the minimum faculty-to-student ratio in each HEI should be 1:30, and the maximum number of students allowed to enrol in a single short-term skill development course should not exceed 60 for each cohort.
According to the guidelines, HEIs can introduce short-term skill development courses in the below-mentioned areas:
- Artificial Intelligence, and machine learning
- Artificial Intelligence, and Robotics
- IoT (Internet of Things)/ Industrial IoT/Smart Cities
- Data Science and Analytics
- Cloud Computing
- Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Extended Reality,
- Cyber Security and Digital Forensics
- 5G Connectivity
- Digital Fluency/ Digital Transformation
- Industrial Automation and Robotics Process Automation (RPA)
Along with the above-mentioned courses, there were also courses like Electronic System Designs/ VLSI Designs, Electronic Manufacturing, Basic Coding in Computing Language, 3D Printing, Digital Marketing, soft skills, health and wellness, Mobile Communication, Mobile Repairing and Basics of DTH Installation, Yogic Sciences, Fashion Technology, Fashion design, stitching, etc.
