Mainstreaming Vocational Education: How skill universities are bridging training gaps

NEW DELHI: In 2015, the ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship drafted a National Skill Universities Bill that never made it to parliament. But over the past few years, states have taken the lead in establishing skill institutions, set apart from “traditional universities”.

With mandates to address gaps in skilling and train a workforce of industry, they have mainstreamed vocational education and, as state institutions, addressed local industrial and economic needs.

The first government skill university is Shri Vishwakarma Skill University (SVSU), Haryana, established in 2016 at Dudhola village of Palwal district. It was followed by Rajasthan Institute of Leadership Development University in 2017 which rebranded itself as Vishwakarma Skill University, Jaipur. Its first academic session opened in 2018.

Built on a different model, the Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University (DSEU) was established by the Delhi government in 2020. Around the same time, Assam also passed the Assam Skill University Act 2020. The Sikkim Skill University was set up in 2021.

Private skill universities have also grown at near-equal speed across states.

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Vocational Education: Policies for skilling

Recognising the need for skilling, the National Skill Development Policy was formulated in 2009 and itself recommended a review every five years to align the policy framework with emerging trends. The National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship came in 2015.

The same year, a parliamentary working group recommended entrusting to states the responsibility of setting up skill universities. Following that, institutions were set up in Rajasthan, Haryana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Odisha and Delhi. Another committee set up to look into the skills councils in 2016 had recommended the creation of a National Vocational University.

The government had also notified the draft National Skill Universities Bill 2015. Highlighting the absence of courses designed to meet specific industry sectors and lack of integration of skills training in the university system, the bill advocated the establishment of a national skill university. It also highlighted the problem of inter-state disparities.

The draft bill read: “The twin objective of anchoring relevant education and training institutions in each state through an affiliating university and ensuring that such universities harmonise their interpretation of the National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) may be met through a system of National Skill Universities having statewide jurisdiction, declared as institutions of national importance and coordinating their activities through a council of such universities.” It was never tabled.

Ashok Kumar Nagawat, now vice chancellor of DSEU, said: “When I was the director of skill education at ILD Skills University, Rajasthan, around 2019, we had made a presentation to the ministry highlighting the importance of a national university as it would work as a central body to standardise skill education across the country.”

In 2020-21, the University Grants Commission (UGC) cleared 1,208 institutions to offer skill-based programmes. The UGC has also issued guidelines for internship-embedded degree programmes.

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Skill university: Growth in states

Each state skill university follows its own working model.

The DSEU is a conglomerate of the existing polytechnics with 22 campuses spread across the national capital. The main campus is in Dwarka.

“That has been the challenging part as campuses are spread across the city,” said Nagawat. “With institutes merged, effort is being made to mould each of them and bring them on the same page.”

However, the university in Jaipur is set up as an affiliating institution which allows colleges and institutes, both private and public, to run various skill courses.

“Our skill university stands distinct yet collaborative in nature. While we are not a direct conglomerate of existing ITIs and technical institutes, being the first government skill university of the country, we have been playing a pioneer role in designing skill programs and aligning them with the industry,” said Raj Nehru, vice-chancellor, SVSU.

The Assam Skill University (ASU), on the other hand, is being set up as an external aid project (EAP) funded by the Asian Development Bank.

“The university has started its initial activities from the Guwahati office at DECT, Rehabari, Guwahati. The state government has allotted 250 bighas land in Mangaldai, Darrang district located about 74 km east of Guwahati,” said Subhash Chandra Das, vice-chancellor, ASU.

The university will be operationalised from 2025 at the Mangaldai campus.

Need for a skill university

The ASU was necessitated by the limited availability of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in the state. The university website also mentions the “lack of competencies” among trainers and faculty, outdated courses and facilities and gender stereotyping of jobs.

“Moreover, lack of employability is common among graduates from ITIs and polytechnics as well as those from degree-granting engineering and academic institutions,” states the website. In 2019, the employment rate among engineering and polytechnic graduates stood at 32-24%; among ITIs, it was a little over 50%. Further, Assam has one of the youngest workforces with 60% population in the working age group (15-59 years),” states the ASU website.

SVSU’s mission was to cater to the specific needs of the region and making vocational education accessible to diverse populations, including marginalised groups.

Nehru explained, “The establishment of SVSU was driven by several strategic needs, distinguishing it from existing institutions within the skill ecosystem. There was a pressing need for more focused and industry-specific training programmes to bridge the gap between traditional academic education and practical workforce skills, enhancing job-readiness. The university aimed to promote and elevate vocational education, providing opportunities
for lifelong learning and continuous skill upgrades.”

When DSEU was being set up, the government had stated it was to address the problem of unemployment.

Nagawat adds, “There were several systems in the form of polytechnics, the world skill centres (WSC) and degree engineering institutes. The WSC were not properly functional. In today’s time, the importance of skilling is well-known, hence the setting up of university was important.”

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Skill university: Courses, curriculum

Academic offerings range from short-term certificate courses to degrees. Plus, is active involvement of industry partners in curriculum design.

“SVSU designs customised curricula in collaboration with industry partners… in key industries such as manufacturing, IT, healthcare, hospitality, and agriculture. The university has work-integrated learning models, including internships and apprenticeships, which offer students real-world experience and hands-on training in state-of-the-art labs and workshops,” said Nehru.

The programme is so designed that 60% of learning takes place in the industry and 40% in the classroom. The university has adopted a blended learning model, combining online and offline instructions. It has programmes of different levels in retail management, solar technology, robotics and automation, mechatronics, MLT, agriculture and computers. It also offers BSc in yoga and spiritual science and a diploma in Banchari Folk Art, among others.

DSEU runs around 91 programmes across its campuses. It plans to start short-term certificate courses in finance, mechatronics, refrigeration and air conditioning skills, among others.

“Skill university is very different from traditional universities and even technical universities. It is not just about learning how the machine works but showing and making it work. You will be hired for the service you provide and it has to be the best,” said Nagawat.

ASU is in the process of designing courses to be offered through its proposed nine schools and four centres of excellence. These include Schools of Agricultural and Food Technology; Technology; Design and Creativity; Manufacturing and Construction; Sustainability, and more.

The centres of excellence will be on entrepreneurship and innovation; life skills and languages; centre for lifelong learning; and faculty and curriculum development. For the 2024 session, the interim city campus has four certificate courses and an intake capacity of 80.

Each of these universities also have plans to launch programmes in artificial intelligence and machine learning, renewable energy technologies, and advanced manufacturing.

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Reskilling, up-skilling

Some skill universities are also considering programmes for those who have dropped out of formal education. Recognition of prior learning (RPL) and up-skilling through short-term courses is an important focus area.

Nagawat said, “Skill universities’ focus should be education for all, irrespective of a formal degree”. DSEU is looking at securing Corporate Social responsibility (CSR) funds and government funds for courses for street vendors, domestic help and senior citizens.

“The city has a lot of street vendors. It will be important to impart them training on health and hygiene, develop communication skills and even about food production,” he explained.

“They are already running businesses, so why not help them increase their sales? For the house helps, a basic course in housekeeping will make a professional difference. They can also be provided with allied equipment training such as how to run a microwave,” said Nagawat. For senior citizens, he is planning courses on stock market trading, digital literacy and even vertical farming.

Talking about the importance of upskilling, Nehru said, “Through the short-term programme, SVSU is upskilling the youth. Our assessment and certification department (ACD) is also running various programmes. We provide short-term certification courses, workshops, and advanced training modules in areas like digital transformation, project management, and specialised technical skills. By offering flexible learning options, including online and part-time courses, we ensure that working professionals can easily upgrade their skills and stay competitive in their respective fields.”

ASU has set itself a target of training at least 10,000 youths and adults – 40% of them women – annually, from 2028.

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Government focus

Each of the universities stresses on increased funding for training facilities and technology adoption.

“I believe the government should prioritise enhancing industry-academia collaboration. By fostering stronger partnerships between educational institutions and industry leaders, we can ensure that curricula remain relevant and aligned with market needs. Support for internship and apprenticeship programmes will provide students with invaluable real-world experience. Focusing on these areas will help create a skilled workforce ready to meet the evolving demands of the modern economy,” said Nehru.

Nagawat believes that the government should also allow DSEU to adopt an affiliate model.

“Following the affiliating model will also enable universities to generate their own resources which, in turn, can help in procuring and providing students with the best of the facilities and technology,” he said.

“It is crucial for the success of skill universities that competent people get involved in it.”