Get a professional start in Class IX
The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has designed the National Vocational Curriculum Framework to address the needs of skilled and employable workforce for the future. Under the system, students will be trained in specialised skills for industry sectors like IT, tourism, and automobile, right from Class IX.
The entire course framework comprises seven levels with 1000 hours of learning that integrates education and skill learning at each level. The new system allows the flexibility to students to enter and exit at different levels. Read more
The first level of the vocational training begins from Class IX, followed by second, third and fourth levels in Class X, XI, and Class XII, respectively. Consequently, clearing the fifth level will help a student earn a diploma in polytechnic. Pursuing the sixth and seventh levels from a polytechnic college will make students eligible for an Advanced Diploma, while doing fifth, sixth and seventh level at university-level, will help students earn a bachelor's degree.
However, the framework is flexible, whereby students do not need to start from the first level. A Class XII student can take direct admission to the fifth level of the programme, allowing for assimilation of vocational programmes with mainstream education.
At present, only about 3% of the population goes for vocational education and 80% of the workforce does not have provisions for any kind of training.
The HRD Ministry had unveiled the National Vocational Education Qualification Framework (NVEQF) in 2011. It had ideated that the school-level education can be imparted through CBSE schools or schools affiliated to various state boards. It had also conceptualized a national vocational university that would create a pool of skilled workforce through pan-India regional centres. See details
In March, AICTE had also inked an MoU with the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) to conduct studies on skill development and to develop content for other associated sectors. Know more
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