Page 221 - IMDR JOURNAL 2023-24

IMDR’s Journal of Management Development & Research 2023-24

Castro, T. (2019, October 29).
Castro gave some examples of tie-ups tried by engineering colleges with companies like Bosch and IBM to

offer specialized courses and factory visits to improve technical education quality. But it did not evaluate if
these tie-ups actually improved student employability or not.

Panchal, J. H., & Tiwari, M. K. (2021).

Panchal and Tiwari discussed ways like industry advisers, guest lectures, live projects etc for companies and
training institutes to work together to improve technical and vocational skills programs. But they did not assess

successful case studies or reasons why tie-ups don't always work well. Surveys linking institute-industry
partnership strength to graduate job placement rates can give more insights.

What are Vocational Courses?

Vocational education refers to training and learning programs that provide students with practical skills and

knowledge required for performing jobs in specific occupations and industries. It aims to develop technical

capacities, competencies and understanding essential for a cluster of jobs which share a set of competencies
for effectively carrying out desired tasks and roles.

The National Education Policy 2020 calls for greater integration of vocational education into mainstream
school and higher education over the next decade to equip students with practical job-related skills and

improve their employability. Vocational courses like agriculture, automotive repairs, carpentry, fashion design

etc. provide specific occupational training in trade skills aligned to industry needs. The policy aims to introduce
vocational exposure from middle and secondary school onwards, with a target of at least 50% students

receiving some hands-on skills training by 2025. Implementation will happen through partnerships with ITIs,
polytechnics and local businesses to set up skill labs in schools on a hub-and-spoke model. The curriculum

will incorporate indigenous vocational knowledge like Indian arts and artisanship under Lok Vidya as well as
emerging areas like computer hardware and networking. Individual higher education institutions will also

drive innovations in vocational content delivery like apprenticeships and alternate models. The focus is on

providing vocationally trained talent at scale to fuel the nation’s diverse skill needs and enable the
demographic dividend through enhanced employability. Mainstreaming vocational education as envisaged in

the NEP 2020 requires concerted action across schools, ITIs, polytechnics, arts institutions and industry
partners.

Methodology for Research Paper

This cross-sectional mixed methods study utilized both primary and secondary data to evaluate vocational
education courses. The researcher first conducted a detailed review of existing literature including government

reports, industry white papers, news articles and editorials to identify the key challenges facing vocational

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