The State Government has decided to implement National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) for providing qualitative skill development training to unemployed youths.
NSQF aims to integrate general and vocational education and facilitates mobility between them. Earlier, the State Government had decided to have an enabling framework for entry and exit between general education and vocational training. The NSQF will provide impetus to it.
“Since Odisha has taken a number of initiatives in skill development, the National Skill Development Agency (NSDA) will be happy to have active participation of the State in national skill qualification committee (NSQC),” said NSDA Director General JB Roy after a high level meeting here.
Roy also appreciated the decisions of State Government for introduction of vocational education at secondary level and giving additional credit to the students who score well in this subject. NSQF will also facilitate mobility between various vocational training courses. The framework focuses on outcome of the levels of learning and competency. This will help in alignment of Indian vocational qualifications with international standards.
Roy said NSQF will be implemented through the NSQC comprising representatives from key Central Ministries and State Government departments.
Sector specific experts, representatives of regulatory bodies and training providers will also be members of the committee. NSQF will supersede all other vocational training framework in due course of time.
All Government funded training and educational institutions will define eligibility criteria for admission to various courses in terms of NSQF levels in next three to five years, official sources said.
Presiding over the meeting, Chief Secretary JK Mohapatra asked the Department of Employment, Training and Technical Education to work in close collaboration with NSDA for qualitative skill development in specific sectors like health care, pharmaceuticals, construction and mining.
The meeting decided to start skill development training programmes in health sector in the first phase. Director of State Employment Mission has been asked to organise a workshop involving all the stake-holders in collaboration with NSDA.