HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Jan 19: To further strengthen the vocational and technical training framework, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indira Gandhi Open University (IGNOU) on Wednesday. The partnership aims to link vocational education and training with higher education, making India’s youth employable by creating avenues for them to access better work opportunities. The trainees attached to National Skill Training Institutes (NSTI), Industrial Training Institutes (ITI), Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras (PMKK) and Jan Shikshan Sansthans (JSS) will benefit from the programme which is aimed at creating upward mobility of these students to be able to attain higher education for better livelihood opportunities.
Under the partnership, 32 NSTIs, more than 3000 Government ITIs, 500 PMKKs and nearly 300 JSS will be associated with IGNOU as Registration Centers, Examination Centers and Work Centers for hands-on training. Through the collaboration, students will now get an opportunity to join the three-year degree programme of IGNOU. There shall be a Project Steering Committee with representatives from both MSDE and IGNOU to monitor and review the progress of the programme. The MoU is initially for a period of 10 years subject to renewal on mutual agreement. The MoU was signed by Dr BK Ray, director (CBC), MSDE and Dr. V.B. Negi, registrar, IGNOU.
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Rajesh Aggarwal, secretary, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship lauded the initiative and expressed, “India’s young demographic dividend is the engine of its economic progress and needs access to meaningful pathways to receive quality high education as well as skill, and vocational training. This initiative is aimed in this direction as it provides higher social and economic mobility to our youth, with requisite qualifications. Our Prime Minister’s vision is to fulfill the aspirations of India’s youth and prepare them for the future world of work and this initiative is aligned with it. IGNOU as an establishment has continuously striven to build an inclusive knowledge environment and I am optimistic that this collaboration will provide an opportunity to India’s youth population to build their capacities and shape their future. In its initial stage, the joint initiative shall be implemented at the earliest with 32 NSTIs declared as IGNOU centers including courses on foreign language training, skill-based healthcare education, fashion designing and more.”
Prof. Nageshwar Rao, vice chancellor, IGNOU stated that IGNOU shall provide all necessary support through its 21 schools of Studies and 56 Regional Centers for successful implementation of this scheme.
