Channelising Youth Force

India’s strength lies in its youth population and therefore, it is imperative to channelise this force in such a manner that they play a productive role in enhancing the growing Indian economy.

Acknowledging this crucial need, IGNOU, through its School of Vocational Education and Training (SOVET), offers several programmes keeping in mind the market requirements, thus contributing towards a more literate, employable and self-sufficient society. The School aims at providing education and training for Skills Development and meet the vocational and technical requirements of the country. At present, SOVET offers 25 programmes through Public Private Partnership models and in-house course development process.

One of the major programmes offered by SOVET is M.Sc. in Actuarial Science, designed to prepare professionals in developing actuarial and financial services.

In order to improve opportunities for school pass outs and graduates, the University has joined hands with the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) to offer Certificate programmes in Spoken English and Personality Development, Security Management and Fire Safety.

The School also offers PG Diploma in Security Operations, PG Diploma in Fire Safety and Disaster Management and PG Certificate in Security Operations in collaboration with the Security Skills Council of India (SSCI).

SOVET also provides students an opportunity to develop their professional skills to be eligible for employment in the growing BPO industry. It has tied up with global IT major Accenture to offer skill-oriented programmes like Diploma in Business Process Outsourcing: Finance and Accounting, and Certificate in Communication and IT Skills.

SOVET is also creating an industry-ready managerial cadre for the growing apparel industry through collaborations with the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC)-promoted Institute of Apparel Management (IAM) and Pearl Academy of Fashion (PAF) New Delhi, Jaipur and Chennai campuses. “SOVET is planning to use blended learning approach for testing and certification of Vocational Education and Training (VET) programmes and curriculum design and development. Industry, content and technical experts will be roped in for this purpose. The School has also planned to develop accreditation policy and focus on research and development activities related to VET,” says Dr Ashok K. Gaba, Associate Professor, SOVET.

The School has been identified as a nodal agency by the Ministry of Rural Development to monitor special projects under the Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana for Skill Development targeting Below the Poverty Line (BPL) youth in the rural areas. SOVET is also developing programmes for vocational teachers and instructors with focus on developing pedagogical competencies of VET in the country, he adds.