Updated on: Tuesday, March 01, 2011
India will have its vocational curriculum framework in place by May this year that would enable millions of students to take up a job even if they are not able to continue higher studies, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal said.
The National Vocational Education Qualifications Framework will be launched in May and the curriculum for the same is now being prepared in consultations with the industry.
The proposed vocational training will begin at the school level and will be of 10 levels. Students from Class VIII onwards will be able to take up various vocational courses, like carpentry and para-medical, along with their regular courses till Class XII.
"We are in the process of bringing vocational education into the school system. Vocational courses like music, automobile engineering, tourism, hospitality and paramedical will be available for students," Sibal said, addressing a seminar here.
He said the HRD Ministry is currently in talks with industries like Telecom, Infrastructure and Automobiles to prepare the curiculum for the vocational course framework.
"This would help school students who are unable to complete higher education. He can take up a job immediately after Class XII. There are millions of students out there like that," Sibal said.
The Ministry had earlier set up a group of State Education Ministers to suggest ways for strengthening vocational education at all levels and develop a broad consensus on the contours of the proposed National Vocational Education Qualifications Framework.
India's national skill development policy aims to train 50 crore people by 2022.
The vocational framework aims at setting up common principles and guidelines for a nationally recognised qualification system, covering schools, vocational education institutes and institutes of higher education with qualifications ranging from secondary to doctorate level, leading to international recognition of national standards.