A Stride Towards Employee Growth and Skill Enhancement: UGC Chairman on ACBP

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has launched its maiden Annual Capacity Building Plan (ACBP) with establishment of Capacity Building Commission. UGC Chairman Prof Mamidala Jagdesh Kumar shared details of the programme and objective behind launch of this programme. 

The Capacity Building Commission (CBC), established by the Government of India through the Gazette of India on April 1, 2021, has taken a pioneering step in partnership with UGC. The ACBP represents a holistic strategy designed to bolster the competencies of individual officials and augment the overall capacity of UGC. Derived from an extensive Capacity Need Assessment conducted over six months with UGC officials and staff since March 2023, this plan aims to foster growth and skill enhancement.

Speaking about this initiative, Prof. Mamidala Jagdesh Kumar highlighted, "UGC is the first autonomous organization to engage in strategic planning for the capacity building of its employees in collaboration with CBC. This Annual Capacity Building Plan delineates crucial interventions essential for elevating the capabilities of our officials and strengthening the institutional capacity of UGC."

Addressing the specifics of UGC's efforts, it was revealed that over 600 UGC employees have been onboarded onto the iGot Karmayogi platform by September 15, 2023. Impressively, in the first quarter of implementation (October to December 2023), a staggering 630 UGC employees completed more than 4500 courses, averaging seven courses per employee.

Moreover, UGC organized a spectrum of offline training programs encompassing topics like Reservation in Services, Emerging Technologies with AI, Data-Driven Decision Making (DDDM) in Higher Education, PFMS Awareness, Contract Management, RTI, and more. These initiatives reflect UGC's commitment to fostering a skilled workforce aligned with the government's Mission Karmayogi.

"The crux of our efforts," Prof. Mamidala Jagdesh Kumar emphasized, "is to cultivate, nurture, and augment the abilities, competencies, and efficiencies of our employees, enabling them to better serve India's higher educational ecosystem."

Q. What is UGC doing with CBC?

Prof Kumar: UGC is the 1st autonomous organization to have initiated planning for the capacity building of their employees in collaboration with CBC. The Annual Capacity Building Plan (ACBP) is a comprehensive plan outlining interventions essential for enhancing individual officials' competencies and the overall capacity of UGC and this plan is derived from a robust Capacity Need Assessment exercise that was done with UGC officials and staff over a period of 6 months starting from March, 2023.

Q. What has UGC done so far in capacity building of its staff and officers?

Prof Kumar: More than 600 UGC employees were onboarded on iGot Karmayogi platform by 15th Sept, 2023. In the first Quarter (October to December, 2023) 630 UGC employees have successfully completed more than 4500 courses with each employee completing an average of 7 courses.

Q. What else UGC has done to train its employees?

Prof Kumar: During 2023, UGC has also organized various offline/face-to-face training programs on Reservation in Services, Introduction to Emerging Technologies using AI, Overview of Data- Driven Decision Making (DDDM) using Higher Education data and relevant use cases, PFMS  Awareness of General Financial Rules, Contract Management and Purchase of Services,  RTI etc. for its employees and plans to continue the same to strengthen the capacity of its employees and support the government’s initiative of Mission Karmayogi for Skill enhancement of government employees.

Q. Why is UGC doing all this?

Prof Kumar: The idea is to build, develop and enhance the abilities, talents, competencies, efficiency and qualifications of UGC employees to increase their capacity to serve the higher educational system in India.

Q. Are there any focus areas in which UGC employees will be trained?

Prof Kumar: In four areas – behavioral competencies, Functional competencies, domain competencies and technology competencies. Behavioral competencies help the UGC staff the ability to take up bigger roles than what they normally perform. Functional competencies help the UGC staff perform better in administration, procurement and financial management. Enhancing domain competencies help them perform better in specialized fields such as policy making or project management. Training in newer technology competencies help them to realize shorter turn around time and improve efficiency, better digital record keeping and utilize technology platforms to reach out to the stakeholders.

The training focus areas encompass behavioral, functional, domain, and technology competencies. Behavioral competencies seek to expand staff roles, while functional competencies aim to enhance administrative and financial acumen. Domain competencies target specialized fields like policy-making, and technology competencies strive for efficiency, digital record-keeping, and leveraging technology platforms to engage stakeholders effectively.

The launch of UGC's Annual Capacity Building Plan stands as a testament to the organization's commitment to employee development and its dedication to enhancing the higher education landscape in India.