BHUBANESWAR: After constituting a skill development authority, Odisha Government is all set to have a Skill University. A first-of-its-kind in the country, a State-run or private university will be accorded the status of Skill University, which will monitor all skill development training activities.
In a recent notification, the Skill Development and Technical Education (SDTE) Department has issued guidelines prescribing eligibility criteria for recognition of the existing Government or private universities as the Skill University.
National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) certified universities of at least five-year-old having minimum five years of experience in imparting short or long term skill training can apply to get the recognition for the Skill University.
Besides having tie-ups with leading industries in the field of skill training, universities eligible to apply should have the experience of skilling 25,000 youth in last five years under Government programmes or Government agency sponsored schemes/certification with a proven capacity to train at least 5,000 youth per annum.
The aspiring universities should have well-equipped laboratories and workshops for imparting state-of-the-art skill training and multi disciplinary course curricula in the field of technology and skill besides well-trained faculties with industry exposure.
Apart from the proven track record of social and community engagement, adequate accommodation or hostel space for the trainees should be available with the university.
It would be an added advantage if the university has obtained 12(B) status from UGC and partnered with National Skill Development Council (NSDC), which monitors the training quality. Providing skill training to differently-abled and other such special categories of youth as part of inclusiveness will also be counted.
The State Government has formed an expert committee headed by Vice-Chancellor of Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT) which will evaluate the applications and recommend the Government a university as Skill University.