Sibal launches National Vocational Education Qualification Framework

New Delhi, Feb. 7 (ANI): Union Human Resource and Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal on Tuesday launched the National Vocational Education Qualification Framework (NVEQF), which is to be implemented in polytechnics, engineering colleges and other colleges in the University systems from 2012-13.

The programmes are sector specific and the sectors like IT, media, entertainment, telecommunications, mobile communications, automobile, construction, retail, food processing, tourism, hotels, jewellery design and fashion design and many other have been identified for implementation.

The scheme envisages seven certificate levels with each certificate level with approximately 1000 hours each certificate, with each 1000 hours being made of certain number of hours for vocational competency based skill modules and the rest for general learning simultaneously integrated and providing a diploma for vocational education after the certificate level five or leading to a degree for vocational education after level seven in the university system, subject to their statutory approval, is highlight of the scheme.

A student can choose to avail of competency based skill learning along with general education in this scheme without losing the possibility of changing course and moving at any certificate level into a formal system of education and vice versa.

This would ultimately provide a full multi-entry exist system between vocational education, general education and the job market.

AICTE would seek to provide the requisite statutory approvals to any institutions wishing to conduct these programmes from the academic year 2012 throughout the country. The institutions can choose a maximum of 500 students per institute in any five sectors, 100 students per sector.

This is expected to cater to at least five million students for vocational degree and diploma every year, which can provide self-employment or being meaningfully employed if even 1/3 of the institutions are approved to conduct these programmes.

NVEQF is a great initiative by MHRD that needs to be propagated and followed throughout the country that has a potential to increase the GER from 15 to double this value by the end of 2020, simultaneously providing meaningful employment. (ANI)