BECOMING INDUSTRY-RELEVANT

The past decade has seen the rise of skills universities. Connected to industry from the start, they emphasise courses in high demand and on-the-job training.

- Sanjay

In 2014, there were just two skill universities. Now, there are 12, eight of them private. Claiming to end the mismatch between demand and supply of specific skill sets in industry, these universities offer courses from diploma to PhD level in traditional, vocational subjects as well as emerging areas. Their leaders say they are enabling students to learn industry-relevant skills and helping them to pursue a career while providing hands-on training at big companies.

Skill universities offer a wide-range of courses at different levels. Some are familiar such as the diploma programmes in tool and die making, food production and traditional sweets; others are full-fledged degree programmes but in skills typically taught as short-term courses, such as Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University's (DSEU) BSc in aesthetics and beauty therapy. There are several other such undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) degree programmes in skills for which there is also short-term training at Industrial Training Institutes (ITIS) and training centres of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY).

There are also courses in emerging fields such as BSc (Hons) in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning and diploma in drone manufacturing and services.

Many skill universities also offer technical and professional courses that sound similar to those on offer in regular universities but are designed with a different syllabus, curriculum and aim in mind.

Industry-integration

Four states Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Sikkim - have two skill universities each while Haryana, Delhi, Punjab and West Bengal have one each.