Changing Assam’s Skill Landscape

The global work landscape is fast changing with new innovations and technology upgrades. The University Grants Commission granting recognition to Assam Skill University at Mangaldai brings new hopes for improving the skill landscape in the state to prepare the youth for the rapidly changing work landscape. Mega investment like the Rs. 27,000 crore Tata Semiconductor facility at Jagiroad is reflective of the fast-changing work landscape of the state. The demand for skilled workers in the state is poised to increase manifold, with Tata Electronics expecting to create 27,000 jobs once the chip assembly plant starts operations sometime next year. Successful operation of the plant is also expected to make the Northeast region a semiconductor hub. Key objectives of the Skill University are making it the foremost institution in skill education recognised by the industry, nationally and internationally, to promote skill education in an integrated and holistic manner with higher education and develop qualified youth with skill proficiency and competency. Translating these objectives into actionable outcomes requires meticulous planning and smooth execution, on which the university is expected to play the lead role. The university facilitating studies aimed at skill availability and gap analysis will help it introduce new academic courses towards bridging such gaps. Data from such studies being frequently updated is critical to ensuring that universities remain updated on the changing work landscape in the state, the region, the country, and across the globe and the fast-changing skill landscape to cater to the change in the work ecosystem. Following the UGC recognition, the university will be allowed to award degrees that will enhance the employability of its students with industry-relevant skills. The university working in close collaboration with industries is crucial to the development of academic courses to keep pace with the industry-relevant skills, more particularly in technology-intensive industries. The university achieving the key objectives will be dependent on building an ecosystem of skill education right from school level. The earlier model of vocational education at school level failed to achieve the desired objectives due to learning gaps and disconnect with industry requirements. Even Industrial Training Institute graduates also find difficulty in getting employment due to poor employability for being unable to meet industry requirements. The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) launched the Skill Hubs Initiative SDE in coordination with the Ministry of Education as a pilot project under the third edition of the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY). This initiative focused on introducing skill training programme in the education ecosystem as envisioned in the National Education Policy, utilising existing infrastructure at educational institutes to impart vocational training. According to MSDE, PMKVY 4.0 aims to synergise vocational and educational streams and increase the network of quality training providers by increasing the partnership of educational institutions through skill hubs, which can be setup in central and state government schools, higher educational institutes, colleges, and universities, including skill universities. The state leveraging these scheme initiatives to set up as many skill hubs will go a long way in creating the ecosystem to look at skill education as an integral part of education right from school level to higher education. This is essential to ensure that higher educational institutes stop producing graduates without employability and clueless what to do with the education received. The Skill University combines higher education with practical hands on learning and necessary training to acquire a job-ready skill, while other universities impart education to pursue research and academic studies, and therefore the scope of employment is limited to the academic sphere. While the country needs academicians, researchers, and thinkers in every academic field, not everyone has the capability and aptitude to pursue it, due to which regular universities end up producing graduates with recognised degrees with practical use. This has also created a huge skill gap when existing industries started modernising and new industries with new technologies were set up. If the interest in skill acquisition can be generated right from school level, the students will be able to decide their priorities—where to pursue higher education for academic studies and research or to get recruited after completion of different levels of education. Diversifying the skill learning among students is essential for a state to attract investments for different economic activities by showcasing the availability of a pool of skilled workers in diverse fields. The challenge for the Assam Skill University is to ensure that it does not become another destination for students aspiring for degrees in higher education from universities only to join thousands of unskilled, unemployed youths standing in long queues of government recruitment. The enrolment process of students in the university needs to make sure quality students who are interested in skill education are enrolled so that industries rush to the university for campus recruitment. Assam Skill University has immense potential to change the skill landscape of the state if it succeeds in achieving the objectives.