Skill Training Programmes to be offered at Northeast Universities

Major universities in northeast have signed deals with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), which would introduce skill-based training in undergraduate and postgraduate programmes around the universities and educational institutes.

The NSDC made it clear in a statement that skill based training in undergraduate and post graduate programmes in various colleges/institutes/departments of these universities would get conducted in a planned phased manner by the NSDC. The universities which have joined hands with NSDC are, Krishna Kanta Handique State Open University, University of Guwahati, Diburgarh University, Tezpur University(Assam), Sikkim Manipal University (Sikkim), Tripura University (Tripura) and Indira Gandhi Technological and Medical Science University (Arunachal Pradesh).

To make ‘Skill India Mission’ a reality the courses would be a major boon for the students to develop skills on their own. The introduction of the courses would take place in the second year of the undergraduate programmes and would cover four semesters comprising of the second and third year of the undergraduate programme.

According to the release, “The students will be given a choice to select any one skill-based course from the identified sectors in addition to the regular academic subjects. However, it shall not be mandatory for a student to join such skill development courses. The choice is left to the student.”

Initially there would be eight sectors open to take up by the students from which they can choose from . Universities would review the existing skill development programmes every year in the colleges/institutions with NSDC to make it a proper process to go on. As per the demand of the market and interest of the participating institutes, NSDC would further add newer sectors to it. The statement also noted that the fee of the courses would be decided mutually by the universities participating and NSDC.