BHUBANESWAR: The Higher Education Department on Thursday launched a course on ‘Communication Skills in English Language’ for students of 25 degree colleges in the State. The course will be offered to degree students on a pilot basis at the Language Labs that have been set up by the department in colleges.
Higher Education Minister Pradeep Panigrahy launched the course at the BJB Autonomous College here. Classes for the course, which will be of three-month duration, will be taken up once or twice in a week beyond class hours or on holidays. There will be 20 classes altogether to complete the course, which is aimed at making the degree students ready to face job interviews, the Minister said.
Usually, fresh graduates from Odisha colleges fail to grab jobs due to lack of communication skills. “The thrust will be on improving reading and writing skills of college students so that they are able to face interviews, be it of jobs or competitive examinations,” said Panigrahy.
The colleges will issue a certificate of participation to the students on completion of course for which, 70 per cent attendance is mandatory. In an academic year, four batches of students will be trained.
In Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, the course will be offered at BJB College and Sailabala Women’s College respectively. The Higher Education Department will soon appoint teachers for the course.