How We Started Skill and Vocational Based Education

The employment rate in India has come to a standstill in recent years, with the need of the hour being professionals who have occupational and vocational knowledge. The National Skill Development Corporation India (NSDC), which governs the education system, introduced vocational education into the curricula. This allowed students to understand how to implement their knowledge learned over the years in their occupation.

On 21st September 2001, the University of Roorkee became an institute of national importance as the first engineering college to provide vocational training to its students. Skill and vocation-based education are essential for the economic growth of the country. In recent years, the Indian education system has started to understand the importance of skill-based knowledge.

Importance of Skill-Based and Vocational Education

According to a study, it has been observed that 89% of companies provide job opportunities that require a set of skills. While graduates lack skills that are necessary to grab a job opportunity, in recent times, the requirements for skilled professionals have increased drastically. Therefore, the skill and vocation-based education system were brought forward to move along with the world and provide better job opportunities to graduates and job seekers.

Imparting the right knowledge and skills to the country's youth plays a significant role in taking the country towards development and economic growth. Vocational education and skill-based knowledge allow professionals and graduates to understand the layers of skills required to survive in the professional world.

Basic Skills Required to Start a Professional Career

All the employers want to employ candidates who have some basic prior skills necessary to gain employment. Therefore, let us look at some of the skills that are essentially required.

• Better communication skill
• A certain awareness of the business world and how it works
• A professional attitude towards work and an understanding of the nuances of the professional world
• A knack to keep learning new skills and move along with the technological as well as the business world
• Better self-management
• To be able to work collectively with a team
• Better problem-solving skills
• Expertise in subject matter
• Enhanced knowledge of the practical world

Inculcating Skill Development Education at the School Level

We have started to understand the importance of skill and vocational-based learning. This has allowed the education system to find better ways of implementing skill-based learning in its curriculum.

Better schooling curriculum

Schools have started to introduce subjects in the secondary stage of schooling focused on developing vocational skills in students. It will be more beneficial to the students if they start learning these skills from the initial level of their learning. If the learning of skills begins at a younger age, they will have all the necessary skills to start their professional careers by the time they graduate.

Internship and summer training at graduation level

The best way to start their professional careers for any student or graduate is to start as an intern. The graduation institutes must add internships as a part of curriculum and push students to work as an intern, in the company of their likeness. This will allow them to learn professional skills that are very important to survive in a professional world.

Summer training can be subjected to every year of graduation. This will help students learn real-world skills, which will help them better understand how the real professional works. Often, vocational institutes are considered less beneficial than mainstream educational institutes. This happens because degrees have become far more precious than skills. It is vital to raise the standards of skill development and understand its importance.

Outcome-based learning

The institutes must focus on outcome-based learning rather than building knowledge but not providing the concept of its application. The students must conceptualize the knowledge they have learned over the years and process its outcomes. Knowledge is valuable when it helps in the real world. Therefore, outcome-based learning helps students to inculcate better skills and use them effectively in their professional careers.

Online learning platforms to develop professional skills

Several online platforms help in allowing the students to develop professional skills. These online platforms are affordable and have the best modules that allow the students to learn skills from anywhere and anytime. The students develop skills that help them to understand the nuances of professional skills.

Online learning platforms are highly interactive that allow students to learn by creating. It also allows them to complete a course according to their limits and do not have any curriculum pressure, so they easily focus on what they want to learn.

National system of credit

In recent years, many private engineering institutes went under a national system of credit. Every student must undertake a skill-based exam aimed to assess the practical knowledge of the graduating engineers along with their formal subject education. This allowed the students to improve their understanding of the importance of vocational skills.

This also helped the students to understand the metrics that employers look at while recruiting new employees.

Skilled and experienced faculty members

The institutes must have faculty members who are highly skilled and have experience in the business world. This will allow them to help students enhance their skills. An experienced teacher who understands the importance of vocational training will push students to look for similar experiences. This will, in turn, help them to get better job opportunities and get employed with valued companies.

Conclusion

In a developing country such as India, employment plays a significant role in economic growth. Therefore, every graduate must understand the importance of skill and vocational-based learning. The education system needs to go through a dynamic change through which the learning system becomes more and more skill-oriented. Every institute must understand its responsibility in making the industry a centre of learning and skill development.