Central Universities will grant vocational education degrees from 2013 onwards

The central universities with an affiliation of University Grants Commission (UGC) will soon be awarding bachelor’s degree in vocational education from academic year 2013-14. The aim of the decision is to create skilled work force in the country, 200 institutions in the country have been given the go-ahead to implement the programme from the next academic year.

The process to obtain certification comprises seven levels. The level one to four fall in the domain of school education and certification levels five to seven fall in the jurisdiction of higher education. After successful completion of all seven levels of certification, B. Voc degree (undergraduate level) will be awarded to students in specialised vocational programme.

The planned vocational education programme will be a mix of skills related to a particular profession and appropriate content of general education. Initially, it has been proposed to launch the scheme in 200 institutions in the country from academic year 2013-14. By 2022, the government wants to create a 500 million strong skilled workforce through the NVEQF.

According to the sources, the All-India Council for Technical Education(AICTE) has identified 10 broad vocational sectors, with each sector offering a number of specialisation. The 10 vocational sectors are automobiles, entertainment, information technology, telecom, marketing, agriculture, construction, applied arts, tourism and printing and publishing.