New vocational policy to allow easy entry, exit

The HRD ministry is working on a new vocational education framework that will allow students to get graduation level degree with easy entry and exit provisions enabling education with work. To be noted

The HRD ministry is working on a new vocational education framework that will allow students to get graduation level degree with easy entry and exit provisions enabling education with work.

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The ministry had unveiled the National Vocational Education Qualification Framework (NVEQF), seeking to create a pool of skilled workforce for the country through a national vocational university having regional centres to implement the programme.

In it, the All India Council for Technical Education has identified seven certification levels of knowledge and skill with first four levels equivalent to class IX to XII of school education. These levels will be attained through Central Board for Secondary Education schools or schools affiliated to state boards, a ministry's statement said.

The three and five levels would of the college and university and those completing all seven levels will get a degree in vocational education.

In each level, a student will have to complete 1,000 hours of education and training every year.

"The skill modules or the vocational content at a certification level could be a single skill or a group of skills of the no of hours prescribed," the statement said.

The students will have freedom to choose either from a vocational or a conventional stream to reach graduation level. It has also been proposed that a student will have freedom to move from vocational stream to current formal higher education stream or vice versa at various stages.

"The multi-level entry and exit system shall allow a student to seek employment after any level and flexibility to rejoin the education as and when feasible to upgrade qualification or skill competency," the ministry said.

The students would be able to seek employment after clearing class XII level of certification.

The proposed system to be operationalised from 2012 seeks to establish a National Vocational Education and Training Institute to supplement the role of the proposed university.