CHENNAI: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has planned to implement vocational training to students from Class IX to XII in various sectors from this academic year.
This has been done with an eye to create skilled manpower from the school-level and also help the students identify their core competencies to help them choose their fields of specialisation after Class XII.
For this, CBSE has empanelled 17 private training companies as Skill Knowledge Providers (SKPs) whose services can be taken by schools affiliated to the board. SKPs would inculcate the training in sectors like automobile technology, retail management, banking and insurance, etc.
A member of one of the SKPs identified for TN said that the course for the vocational training would be incorporated with the school curriculum. “We will provide the students academic and practical exposure to the students. There will be interactions with the industry professionals which will help the students understand what skill-sets their employers are looking for. This will help the students get a clear picture of which UG course they want to opt for after Class XII,” the official said.
This would also help students break free from the pigeon-hole of engineering or medicine they are subjected to while in school and help them identify alternative career paths like retail management or automobile technology, he said. “The focus will be more on practical training than theory,” the SKP member added.
The SKPs are conducting sensitisation programmes for the principals to help them understand what the course would offer and get them on board.