National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC): Bridging the Skill Gap in India

Introduction:

The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), under the Government of India (GOI) is dedicated to enhancing skill development nationwide. Playing a central role in this endeavour is the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), set up as a part of Skill India mission as a functional arm of MSDE. NSDC’s main aim is to promote skill development nationwide and bridge the gap between the demand for skills and the available workforce to achieve the MSDE’s mission of a Skilled India.

The Sector Skill Councils (SSCs) are a key part of NSDC's work, playing a vital role in aligning industry needs with skill development requirements. These councils are essential in aligning industry needs with skill development requirements. They act as national partnerships between industry, labor, and academia.

Qualification Packs and National Occupational Standards (NOS):

The Sector Skill Councils have established National Occupational Standards (NOS) for various job roles in their respective sectors. These standards outline expected performance and necessary knowledge for each role, focusing on key functions. Qualification Packs (QPs), which include sets of NOS related to specific job roles, are crucial for developing curriculum and assessments. NOS and QPs together form the basis of the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF), providing a foundation for competency-based training across different job roles in the industry.

NSQF: Competency-Based Framework:

The National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) organizes qualifications based on knowledge, skills, and aptitude. It uses a scale from one to ten to define the level of learning outcomes. NSQF levels correspond to specific job roles and set benchmarks for education and training programs. National Occupational Standards (NOSs) are vital within this framework as they clearly define the skills, knowledge, and understanding required for effective job performance. SSCs develop NOSs and Qualification Packs for each NSQF level, ensuring alignment with the industry-relevant skills required for various job roles.

Skill India:

NSDC is a cornerstone of the Skill India Mission, a skill development initiative launched by the Government of India in 2015. As such, NSDC actively collaborates with industries on various initiatives for impactful skill development. The organization partners with training organizations to raise the skills of Indian students to international standards, by ensuring quality and acting as a regulator in the skill development ecosystem. NSDC emphasizes creating large, high-quality vocational institutions and supporting vocational training on a broad scale, to strengthen initiatives, ensure stability, and foster growth.

Virohan:

Virohan is a Private Limited Company duly constituted under the provisions of the Companies Act, 2013, which is engaged in providing skill programs and industry-driven training through proprietary technological solutions as an approved training partner of the National Skill Development Corporation (“NSDC”).

Virohan has expertise in training students, established via its proprietary technology platform that utilizes ‘blended learning’ to improve student learning outcomes and has deep-rooted industry partnerships with hospitals, diagnostic labs, clinics, etc. to facilitate internships, apprenticeships, as well as provide on-the-job training and placement opportunities.

Recognizing the importance of skill-based education, University Grants Commission - Guidelines for providing Skill-Based Education under National Skill Qualification Framework (“NSQF”) is recognized by the institutions formally as a part of the curriculum.

University Grants Commission - Guidelines for providing Skill Based Education under NSQF and the National Credit Framework (“NCrF”) is an all-inclusive one single meta-framework to seamlessly integrate the credits earned through higher education and vocational & skill education to offer the Designated Programs to the Student(s).

The NCrF is a comprehensive credit framework encompassing elementary, school, higher, and vocational education & training, integrating creditization of learning in various dimensions i.e. academics, vocational skills, etc., including qualification frameworks such as NSQF and National Higher Education Qualification Framework (“NHEQF”). It removes distinction and establishes academic equivalence between vocational and general education while implementing a single credit-based framework in line with the vision of the National Education Policy, 2020 (“NEP 2020”).

The Designated Programs offered by the HEI and Virohan are aligned with learning outcomes required under the NCrF and the NSQF as well as the NEP 2020 with multiple entry-multiple exit (“ME-ME”) pathways in general & vocational education which are seamlessly integrated into the Designated Programs.

Virohan has also set up various facilities across India (“Facilities”) to provide practical classes in laboratories/workshops, internships, apprenticeships, and any other forms of hands-on training. These are in close proximity to the hospitals and other alternate healthcare service providers aggregated by Virohan to enable the Student(s) to avail practical and on-the-job experience while undergoing skill component and industry training.

The HEI will provide UGC-approved vocational qualifications to students whereby the student will receive a BVoc degree, or such other approved AHP-related qualifications/degrees as agreed between the Parties from the HEI at subsidized rates.

These will be full-time credit-based modular programs, wherein banking of credits for skill and general education components shall be permitted to enable multiple exit and entry.

Virohan shall provide the students independent NSDC certification under the ‘market-led’ scheme as an approved training partner of NSDC that shall be recognized by the HEI as a skill and industry training component of the curriculum, at its Facilities. The students shall receive NSDC qualification(s) and certificates from Virohan for its training under the National Skill Development Programme implemented by NSDC or any other scheme implemented by NSDC in its capacity as an approved training partner.

Virohan shall provide apprenticeship/ internship opportunities to the Student(s) of the Designated Program, which shall be recognized by the HEI in line with the provisions of the National Credit Framework (April 2023), the UGC Guidelines for HEIs to offer apprenticeship/internship embedded Degree Programs (July 2020) and the UGC Credit and Curriculum Framework for Undergraduate Programs (December 2022). These guidelines permit HEIs to embed apprenticeship/ internship in degree programs as an integrated component of the curriculum to forge a close functional link between education and industry/ service sectors on a sustainable basis.

The HEI shall assess the skill and industry training components, and Virohan shall assist the HEI as part of the Skill Assessment Board constituted under the provisions of the Ministry of Education’s Skill Assessment Matrix for Vocational Advancement of Youth (“SAMVAY”) guidelines, whereby the HEI shall award credits based on learning outcomes achieved by the Student(s) as per NHEQF and NCrF norms.

Upon completion of the curriculum and achieving credits through meeting learning outcomes defined by NSQF and NCrF, the students will be conferred the AHP-related qualification/degree by the HEI.

This will be in alignment with:
the National Education Policy, 2020
the National Credit Framework (April 2023)
the University Grants Commission – Guidelines for providing Skill-Based Education under the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF)
the University Grants Commission – Guidelines for Multiple Entry and Exit in Academic Programmes offered in Higher Education Institutions (July 2021)
the University Grants Commission - Guidelines for HEIs to offer Apprenticeship/Internship embedded Degree Programs (July 2020)

Virohan, as the Industry Partner of the HEI, shall provide the Student(s) NSDC Program(s) independently which shall be integrated into and form part of the credit structure, that shall be recognized by the HEI as the vocational education and skill/ industry training component of the AHP degree curriculum.

The HEI shall recognize the credits of the independent NSDC Program(s) offered by Virohan as the vocational education and skill/ industry training component.

Both Virohan and the HEI shall work with each other to map the curriculum of the independent NSDC Program(s) being offered by Virohan as vocational education and skill/ industry training component with the desired learning outcomes required for the Designated Program to be offered by the HEI in line with the UGC Credit and Curriculum Framework for the Undergraduate Programs (December 2022).

The HEI shall award credits for the Designated Program as required under UGC norms and guidelines.

To meet the requirements of Multiple Entry and Multiple Exit along with seamless lateral and horizontal mobility across the duration of the entire program, the HEI shall recognize the vocational education and skill/ industry training component being offered by Virohan as independent NSDC Program(s), towards the fulfillment of any exit requirements, wherever applicable.