Skill ministry launches digital version of employability skills curriculum

The Union Minister of Education and Skill Development Dharmendra Pradhan unveiled the digital version of the Employability Skills curriculum for students enrolled in India’s Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) at the Future Skills Forum on Tuesday. 

The curriculum, consisting of revised and extended 120-hour curriculum in Hindi and English, is slated to benefit more than 2.5 million students in around 15,000 ITIs. The digital lessons include modules on financial and digital literacy, diversity and inclusion, career development, goal setting and entrepreneurship. These are drawn from the upgraded employability skills curriculum which was launched by the skill ministry last year. 

Pradhan said that the skilling will boost employability and shape India’s future workforce. 

“From digital payments to vaccinations, we are already ahead in embracing technology in all walks of life and making best-in-class products & services. In this era of technology where the nature of the workplace is changing rapidly and where new disruptive technologies are no longer limited to a small elite, skill development will be the key to unlocking the true potential of our demography,” he added.

Aimed at fulfilling the need for anytime, anywhere learning, these modules will be accessible to more than 2.5 million learners through the Government of India’s Bharat Skills Portal as well as other platforms. Developed with active industry contribution, the curriculum includes 12 modules in a bite-sized, gamified format and each lesson is followed by assessments that is designed to help learners assess the depth of their learning. The storytelling approach followed in the modules provides learners with relatable scenarios that they can apply to real-world situations. The constructive feedback system ensures that learners receive feedback that is specific, timely, actionable thus enabling improved learning outcomes.

The digital lessons will be instrumental in introducing innovative pedagogical models like blended learning in Industrial Training Institutes (ITI), which will empower educators to create and lead 21st century classrooms.