Executive Summary:
In response to concerns about youth unemployment highlighted in the India Employment Report 2024, the Ministry of Education details measures taken to align educational programs with market demands. These include implementing the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, integrating skill development into mainstream education through the National Credit Framework (NCrF), and various initiatives by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and collaborations with industry partners. These efforts aim to enhance students' employability and bridge the gap between academia and industry.
Key Points / Main Content:
National Education Policy (NEP) 2020:
* Aims for holistic development of students and enhances education quality.
* Focuses on inclusivity, equity, and high-quality education to empower learners for future challenges.
* Integrates skill development with mainstream education, removing separations between vocational and academic streams.
National Credit Framework (NCrF):
* Notified by the University Grants Commission (UGC) to integrate skill education into academia.
* Enables credit accumulation through Skill Enhancement Courses, Value Addition Courses, Ability Enhancement Courses, Internships, and Projects.
* Allows up to 50% of total credits to be earned through skill-based courses.
* Supports multidisciplinary knowledge and prepares students for industry demands.
Apprenticeship Embedded Degree Programmes:
* UGC has formulated guidelines for Higher Education Institutions to offer these programmes.
* Aims to provide practical exposure during study and enhance graduates' competencies and employment prospects.
All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) Initiatives:
* Developed Model Curricula in areas such as Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Space Technology, Electronic Engineering VLSI Design and Technology, Robotics and Artificial Intelligence.
* Ensures industry stakeholder representation in curriculum revision committees.
* Signed MoUs with industries for internships, skilling, and upskilling of students and faculty.
* Issued model internship guidelines, making internships a mandatory component of the Model Curriculum.
* Launched Industry Academia Mobility framework to connect theoretical knowledge with practical application.
SWAYAM Plus Platform:
* Launched by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with IIT Madras and industry partners on February 27, 2024.
* Offers learning and certification programs for reskilling and upskilling.
* Features over 400 courses in 16 sectors as of July 25, 2025.
* Enrolled over 3 lakh learners for skill augmentation.
* Has more than 65 MoUs signed with leading industry partners.
National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS):
* Implemented by the Ministry of Education to provide on-the-job training.
* Engaged 12.94 lakh apprentices from FY 2020-21 to 2024-25.
* Engaged over 5.23 lakh apprentices for FY 2024-25.
Impact Analysis:
Students/Learners:
* Impact: Enhanced employability through skill-integrated education, practical exposure via internships and apprenticeships, and access to industry-relevant courses.
* Action Required: Engage with available resources, such as SWAYAM Plus, internships, and skill-based courses, to enhance their skills and knowledge.
Higher Education Institutions (HEIs):
* Impact: Opportunity to offer multidisciplinary knowledge, apprenticeship-embedded degree programs, and skill-based courses to enhance students' industry readiness.
* Action Required: Implement the NCrF guidelines, develop apprenticeship programs, and integrate skill-based courses into the curriculum.
Industry Stakeholders:
* Impact: Increased access to skilled graduates and opportunities to collaborate with educational institutions in curriculum development and training programs.
* Action Required: Participate in curriculum revision committees, offer internships and apprenticeships, and collaborate with educational institutions to align training with industry needs.
Faculty Members:
* Impact: Opportunities for upskilling through collaboration with industry and implementation of revised curricula.
* Action Required: Engage in upskilling programs, collaborate with industry partners, and implement revised curricula incorporating practical and industry-relevant content.
Key Entities Referenced
National Education Policy NEP, 2020: A national policy by the Government of India aiming for holistic development of students and enhancement of education quality.
University Grants Commission UGC: A statutory body in India responsible for the coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of higher education.
National Credit Framework NCrF: A framework notified by the UGC to enable integration of Skill Education into academia and credit accumulation through diversified domains.
All India Council for Technical Education AICTE: A statutory body responsible for planning, formulation and maintenance of norms and standards, quality assurance through accreditation, funding in priority areas, monitoring and evaluation in technical education system in India.
IIT Madras: Indian Institute of Technology Madras, an engineering institute in Tamil Nadu, India.
SWAYAM Plus: A platform launched by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with IIT Madras and Industry Partners offering high-quality learning and certification programs.
National Apprenticeship Training Scheme NATS: A scheme implemented by the Ministry of Education to impart on-the-job training and enhance the employability of youth.
India Employment Report 2024: A report by the International Labour Organisation stating the unemployment rate in India.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 2517
ANSWERED ON 04.08.2025
Educational Curriculum for Employability
2517. Shri P V Midhun Reddy:
Will the Minister of Education be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Government is aware of the India Employment Report 2024 of the International
Labour Organisation which states that 83% of youth are unemployed in India despite rising levels of
educated youth;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Government has taken any step to improve the educational programmes aligning the
demands of market jobs; and
(d) the measures taken to reform educational curricula in collaboration with industrial bodies?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
(DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR)
(a) to (d): The official data on Employment and Unemployment is collected through Periodic Labour
Force Survey (PLFS), which is conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme
Implementation (MoSPI) since 2017-18. The survey period is July to June every year. The Annual
PLFS Reports along with States/UTs wise are available at the website of MoSPI, and can be accessed
at:https://www.mospi.gov.in/downloadreports?main_cat=ODU5&cat=All&sub_category=All
Government of India launched National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 with an aim for holistic
development of students. NEP aims to transform and enhance the quality of education across the
country with an objective to establish an education system that is inclusive, equitable, and of high
quality, empowering learners to meet future challenges and contribute to national development.
NEP lays emphasis on integrating skill development with mainstream education by embedding
vocational and practical skills across school and higher education, removing hard separations
between vocational and academic streams.To enhance employability of the students and achieve the objectives of NEP 2020, University Grants
Commission (UGC) has notified the National Credit Framework (NCrF), enabling integration of Skill
Education into academia. It also enables credit accumulation through diversified domains such as
Skill Enhancement Courses, Value Addition Courses, Ability Enhancement Courses alongwith
Internships and Projects. The NCrF also has a provision for the accumulation of a maximum of 50%
of the total credit required through skill-based courses. These provisions have enabled Higher
Educational Institutions to provide multidisciplinary knowledge to the students, making them
industry ready.
Further, UGC has formulated guidelines for the introduction of Apprenticeship Embedded Degree
Programmes to be offered by Higher Education Institutions to provide practical exposure during the
course of study expected with the aim to enhanced competencies of the graduates and the employment
thereof.
To achieve the objectives of NEP 2020 and ensure availability of industry relevant knowledge to
students All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has taken several steps including:
Model Curriculum in areas such as Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Space
Technology, Electronic Engineering (VLSI Design and Technology), Robotics and
Artificial Intelligence etc. Due representation of Industry stakeholders is ensured in
the curriculum revision committees.
Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with leading industries and organisations have
been signed to facilitate internship, skilling and upskilling of students and faculty
members.
Issued model internship guidelines for technical courses. Internship is mandatory
component of Model Curriculum issued by AICTE for different courses. These
guidelines provide internship in full-time or part-time.
Industry Academia Mobility framework launched by AICTE to facilitate connect
between theoretical knowledge and practical application, facilitating collaboration
between academia and industry.
The Ministry of Education, in collaboration with IIT Madras and eminent Industry Partners, have
launched the SWAYAM Plus platform on 27th February 2024. The platform offers high-quality
learning and certification programs in partnership with leading industry and academic experts to
students/ learners, helping them reskill, upskill, and become employment-ready. The Ministry of
Education and IIT Madras have signed more than 65 MoUs with the leading industry partners. As of
25th July 2025, more than 400 Courses in 16 different sectors are available on the platform, and more
than 3 lakh learners have enrolled for their Skill augmentation.
The Ministry of Education has implemented National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS) to
impart on-the-job training and enhance the employability of youth. In the last 5 financial years, i.e.
from FY 2020-21 to 2024-25, the NATS scheme has engaged 12.94 lakh apprentices. For FY 2024-
25, over 5.23 lakh apprentices have been engaged.
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