HRD Ministry unveils National Vocational Education Qualification Framework

The HRD Ministry has unveiled the National Vocational Education Qualification Framework (NVEQF) that allows students to earn graduation level degree along with working and makes way for easy entry and exit provisions. This is a step towards creating a pool of skilled workforce in India with the help of a national vocational university with regional centres throughout India.

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has identified seven certification levels of knowledge and skill, in which first four levels are considered equivalent to class IX to XII of school-level education and can be learnt through the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE) schools or schools affiliated to state boards.

Each level of education comprises of 1,000 hours of education and training to be completed in a year. Those who will complete all seven levels of education will get a degree in vocational education. At a certification level, the vocational content or skill modules may comprise a single skill or a group of skills to be learnt. The proposal also states that a student should have the freedom to move to and fro from vocational stream to conventional stream at various stages.

The system will also allow student to have multi-level entry and exit system, allowing students  flexibility to seek employment after any level and then rejoin education when feasible to upgrade his or her qualification and skill competency. After class XII level of certification, students can seek employment in this system which is to be operationalised from 2012.

Source: Ruchi Shrimali (Shiksha Team)