Vocational Courses in India covers vocational courses at the secondary (Classes 9 and 10), and higher secondary (10+2), first-degree level, job-oriented and application-oriented first degree programmes, and polytechnic education.
Secondary Level Vocational Courses in India: At the 10+2 level, students can opt for vocational subjects from an approved list. The Apprentice Act, 1961 was amended in 1986 to bring within its purview the training of successful candidates of the 10+2 vocational stream as “Technician (Vocational) Apprentices”. This has been discussed in subsequent section.
UGC Level Vocational Courses: In the academic year 1994-95, the University Grants Commission introduced the scheme for vocationalisation (UGC-VC) at the first degree level. The objective was to prepare university graduates for employment, particularly self-employment and entrepreneurship. A total of 35 subjects are offered in four disciplines (Science, Engineering and Technology, Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Commerce). A student could select one vocational subject with two to three non-vocational subjects according to the university regulations.
Job-Oriented and Application-Oriented Programmes Vocational Courses in India: Though conventionally these two programmes do not fall in the vocational category, for all practical purposes, they are vocational in nature. As the graduates with liberal arts and science degrees did not find it easy to secure jobs, the new self-financing colleges which sprung up mostly in the South during the nineties, found it more attractive to start, with the approval of the universities and the State Governments, three-year job oriented programmes (JOP) at the first-degree level in such areas as Electronics, Computer Science, Corporate Secretaryship, Business Management, Food Service, Hotel Management, Designing. However, such programmes have also been introduced by many universities and colleges often as self-financing courses.
Generally, the awards carry such nomenclatures as B.B.A (Bachelor of Business Administration) B.B.M (Bachelor of Business Management), B.C.S (Bachelor of Corporate Secretaryship), B.F.T (Bachelor of Foreign Trade) BCA (Bachelor of Computer Application), B.E.S (Bachelor of Electronic Science), B.Sc (Fashion Design/Garment Design, B.A.S (Bachelor of Applied Sciences).
Application-Oriented Courses (AOC): Another type of programme is Application-Oriented Courses (AOC) which are enmeshed with the curriculum structure of B.A, B.Sc and B.Com programmes. One or two of the AOCs are offered as a substitute for an equivalent number of courses in the regular curriculum. For example, if a candidate opts for Biochemistry, he will be required to choose two allied papers from Zoology, Computer Science and Applied Statistics, two application oriented/applied papers from Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Agricultural Chemistry and Environmental Biochemistry.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Vocational Education and Training in India
Objective
The main objective of vocational education and training is to prepare persons, especially the youth in the age group 15-25 years, for the world of work and make them employable for a broad range of occupations in various industries and other economic sectors. It primarily trains them in very specific activities, and provides a significant “hands on” experience in acquiring the necessary skills. Historically, higher education in India was designed to offer academic knowledge in humanities, social sciences, and sciences for advanced studies and research.
The products of the formal educational system have created acute unemployment problem. The aim of vocational education is to avoid forcing students into academic channels having limited options. It offers them opportunity to take up subjects and programmes of study in a much wider field in keeping with their aptitudes, interests and ability. In turn, the system provides the vital manpower needed for the economic and service sectors and to a great extent eases the problem of unemployment. Vocational education also helps students to realize their own potentials and provide opportunities for self-employment.
Programmes
After Independence, the scope of professional education and training particularly in engineering and technology, both at the polytechnic and first degree level, had expanded considerably. Vocational courses were introduced in 1988 first at the 10+2 level under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Vocationalisation of Secondary Education (CSSVSE). This was followed by the introduction in 1993-94, as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Pre-Vocational Education at Lower Secondary Stage primarily to impart training in simple marketable skills to students of Classes 9 and 10. The UGC took a major step in 1994-95 to incorporate vocational subjects in the existing first degree programmes also.
In fact, the “job oriented” courses have become a very popular alternative to conventional B.A, B.Sc, B.Com courses. Many universities have also introduced a plethora of professional certificate and diploma courses mostly at the postgraduate level in India.
In addition to integrating vocational contents in the formal educational system, there were similar efforts to provide skill orientation to those who for various reasons do not opt for formal schooling. Another major objective of the programmes, therefore, has been to deal with the unemployment of school drop-outs. There is yet another category of institutions which have been established outside the school and university systems mostly by the Central Government to offer a large number of vocational or professional courses in India.
Conventionally, vocational education and training has been oriented towards a number of engineering and technical trades. Though they continue to form the core of vocational education, during the last two decades or so, its scope had been considerably widened to include many non-engineering trades also.
The main objective of vocational education and training is to prepare persons, especially the youth in the age group 15-25 years, for the world of work and make them employable for a broad range of occupations in various industries and other economic sectors. It primarily trains them in very specific activities, and provides a significant “hands on” experience in acquiring the necessary skills. Historically, higher education in India was designed to offer academic knowledge in humanities, social sciences, and sciences for advanced studies and research.
The products of the formal educational system have created acute unemployment problem. The aim of vocational education is to avoid forcing students into academic channels having limited options. It offers them opportunity to take up subjects and programmes of study in a much wider field in keeping with their aptitudes, interests and ability. In turn, the system provides the vital manpower needed for the economic and service sectors and to a great extent eases the problem of unemployment. Vocational education also helps students to realize their own potentials and provide opportunities for self-employment.
Programmes
After Independence, the scope of professional education and training particularly in engineering and technology, both at the polytechnic and first degree level, had expanded considerably. Vocational courses were introduced in 1988 first at the 10+2 level under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Vocationalisation of Secondary Education (CSSVSE). This was followed by the introduction in 1993-94, as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Pre-Vocational Education at Lower Secondary Stage primarily to impart training in simple marketable skills to students of Classes 9 and 10. The UGC took a major step in 1994-95 to incorporate vocational subjects in the existing first degree programmes also.
In fact, the “job oriented” courses have become a very popular alternative to conventional B.A, B.Sc, B.Com courses. Many universities have also introduced a plethora of professional certificate and diploma courses mostly at the postgraduate level in India.
In addition to integrating vocational contents in the formal educational system, there were similar efforts to provide skill orientation to those who for various reasons do not opt for formal schooling. Another major objective of the programmes, therefore, has been to deal with the unemployment of school drop-outs. There is yet another category of institutions which have been established outside the school and university systems mostly by the Central Government to offer a large number of vocational or professional courses in India.
Conventionally, vocational education and training has been oriented towards a number of engineering and technical trades. Though they continue to form the core of vocational education, during the last two decades or so, its scope had been considerably widened to include many non-engineering trades also.
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