Vocational Education to the youth

Under the auspices of the centrally sponsored Samagra Shiksha scheme, the Department of School Education and Literacy is carrying out the endeavor to vocationalize school education.

Aim of the scheme:

• The programme aims to combine general academic instruction with vocational education in all secondary and senior secondary schools,
• It will also improve the students' employability and entrepreneurial skills, it will also expose them to the workplace, and increase student awareness of various career options so they can make a decision in line with their aptitude, competence, and aspirations.

Steps taken by the government:

• The Samagra Shiksha programme has been updated, and several additional interventions pertaining to vocational education have been added.
• Along with government schools, the scope of vocational education has been broadened to include government-aided institutions as well.
• The Hub and Spoke Model of Practical Education has been adopted, allowing students from neighbouring schools (spoke schools) to use the infrastructure present in the Hub schools for vocational training.
• Pre-vocational education is discussed at the Upper Primary level.
• Internships, bag-free days, and other initiatives have been added to Samagra Shiksha's Innovation component.
• UGC has taken measures to assist higher education institutions across the nation in offering skill-based education in accordance with the National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF).
• The institutions are now able to provide full-time, credit-based programmes with a variety of entry and departure points at the Certificate, Diploma, Advanced Diploma, and Research levels.

Skill Hubs Initiative(SHI)

• The major element of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal's Skill Hubs Initiative (SHI) was launched by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) in conjunction with the Ministry of Education. 3.0 Vikas Yojana (PMKVY 3.0).
• Goal: SHI is intended to mainstream and integrates vocational education with general education as per the National Education Policy, 2020. (NEP, 2020).
• Training in skills: The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) offers both long-term and short-term skill training through a number of programmes, including the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS), and the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS).

What is Vocational education?

• The definition of vocational education is "education based on occupation and employment." Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and career and technical education (CTE) are other names for vocational education (TVET).
• It offers several degrees of training for numerous skills, crafts, and careers throughout all walks of life. It involves a variety of practical tasks.
• Due to the direct development of skill in a specific set of procedures by the student, it is occasionally referred to as technical education.

Need for the vocational education:

• It help to those who must immediately support their families after completing senior secondary education must begin working as well.
• While Compared to academic degrees, vocational courses are often more practical and skills-based.
• Vocational education must be analysed from a variety of multifaceted perspectives. Of course, one is the practical training aspect. The other is sustainable employment creation.

About National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT):

• The Government of India established the National Council for Vocational Training in 1956 as an advisory body.
• The National Council, whose members represent various Central and State Government Departments, is presided over by the Minister of Labor.
• Its main objective is to establish and grant National Trade Certificates in engineering, non-engineering, building, textile, leather, and other trades that the Indian Government has included in its purview.
• Additionally, it sets criteria for curricula, tools, lodging rates, course lengths, and training techniques.
• It administers exams in a variety of trade courses and establishes the standards of competence needed to pass the test leading to the issuance of a National Trade Certificate.

Implementation Issues with Vocational Education:

• In India, there are numerous private institutions that provide courses in vocational training and completion, but the majority of them are not officially recognised by the government.
• At the secondary level, dropout rates are very high.
• Only Grades 11, and 12, are currently provided for vocational education.
• Lack of Private & Industry Participation
• Less vocational schools across the nation.
• Lack of properly qualified teachers.
• Absence of new fields for vocational education and skill development.
• There is a severe teacher and instructor shortage in the nation.
• Absence of opportunity for ongoing skill improvement.
• Because the current educational system is unresponsive to the skill requirements of the current and future industries, there is a supply-demand mismatch on a number of different levels.

Way Forward

• India's demographic dividend can be fully utilized by training and skilling the youth with a focus on women. Vocational Education can bridge the gap between the demographic dividend and demographic burden and can make a significant contribution to India's economic development.