Short-Term Skill Courses To Be Available Soon, UGC Approves Guidelines

A set of guidelines to introduce short-term skill development courses to integrate expertise into higher education was approved by the University Grants Commission (UGC) on Thursday, December 7. Admission to the short-term courses is available to anyone who has passed the Senior Secondary or Class 12 exam, or its equivalent.

"Draft guidelines for the introduction of short-term skill development courses in higher educational institutes (HEIs)" were mentioned by the UGC on Thursday in a statement. These courses would prepare students to enroll in three- to six-month credit-based short-term skill development certificate programs.

The guidelines for universities/colleges

Universities and colleges can work with relevant skill councils/awarding bodies and industry players, in accordance with UGC guidelines, to establish credibility and gain access to funding, placement opportunities, and training programs that guarantee industry-aligned course content that is current. Universities and colleges are free to determine the availability of infrastructure and training capacity in accordance with the self-sustainable mode of operation for the courses.

New age courses

UGC also recommended in its draft guidelines that short-term courses be created on emerging technologies, such as virtual reality, basic 3D design, robotics, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, cyber security, 5G connectivity, the internet of things, data science, and virtual reality.

In addition, it offers courses in FinTech (financial regulations, digital payments, digital currencies, blockchain technology, and social media marketing), Digital Marketing (search engine optimization, content marketing, social media marketing, and e-commerce management), and Basics of Start-ups and Entrepreneurship.

Furthermore, among the suggested courses in the list of certificate programs for short-term skill development is a course on yogic sciences.

The guidelines have been formulated by the UGC in compliance with the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, and the National Credit Framework that it has communicated. The guidelines will be made public the following week, and officials have stated that they will welcome comments.