The guidelines for the introduction of short-term skill development courses in higher educational institutes were approved today by the University Grants Commission (UGC). The guideline was created in accordance with the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

The goal of this guideline is to lay the groundwork for incorporating skilling into higher education at all levels, as well as to introduce short-term industry-relevant courses (certificate courses) in Higher Educational Institutes (HEIs) to bridge the skill gap and to provide holistic and specialised education with a focus on practical training, allowing individuals to gain hands-on experience.

Anyone who has passed the 10+2/ senior secondary exam or its equivalent is eligible for admission to any HEI undergraduate programme.

According to the proposed guidelines, HEIs will provide credit-linked short-term skill development certificate courses lasting 3-6 months. HEIs will design the course structure using a credit mechanism. A short-term skill development course in any field must be at least 12 credits long and no more than 30 credits long. The short-term skill development course should place a greater emphasis on hands-on learning.

The UGC also stated that the maximum student intake in one short-term skill development course for each cohort should not exceed 60, and the minimum faculty-student ratio should be 1:30 or whatever is applicable in the respective HEI.