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NCVET - All You Need to Know

Divyansh Bordia • 4 min read

Introduction

Vocational training is a program that prepares you for a job that requires specialized skills, such as that of a technician, artisan, or tradesperson. It could include classroom education, hands-on training, or a combination of the two. To promote the importance of vocational training, the government has set up NCVET - National Council for Vocational Education and Training. NCVET will regulate and establish minimum criteria for the operation of entities engaged in vocational education and training, both long-term and short-term.

What is NCVET?

The National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) regulates and creates minimum criteria for the operation of entities engaged in vocational education and training, both long-term and short-term. In 2018, the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, approved the merger of the existing skills regulatory institutions - the National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT) and the National Skill Development Agency (NSDA), into the National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET).

NCVET's focus areas are the regulation of the Awarding Body Ecosystem and Assessment Agencies, given the existence of different regulators and non-standardized norms that lead to quality issues and poor training outcomes. It will work to consolidate the fragmented regulatory framework and instill quality assurance throughout the entire vocational training value chain, resulting in improved outcomes.

A Brief Background

Previously, the majority of the country's skill training needs were met through courses offered by Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and the Modular Employable Scheme (MES), that were governed by the National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT), which was founded in 1956.

Because this infrastructure was insufficient to fulfill the country's growing skill requirements as well as the skilling demands of the growing workforce, the government launched several programs to ramp up these activities.

Currently, 20 Ministries/Departments are implementing skill development initiatives, with the majority of them relying on private sector training providers. However, in the absence of adequate regulatory oversight, numerous stakeholders have been offering training programs of varying standards with a multiplicity of assessment and certification systems that are not comparable, resulting in serious implications for the vocational training system and, as a result, the employability of the country's youth.

The National Skill Development Agency (NSDA) was founded in 2013 to coordinate and synchronize the government's and private sector's skill development activities. The principal role of the National Skills Development Agency (NSDA) has been to anchor and operationalize the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) to ensure that quality and standards match sector-specific criteria. However, there was a perceived need for an overarching regulatory authority to oversee all parts of short-term and long-term skill-based training.

With the proliferation of skill schools across India, quality control has been a continual concern for the skill development sector. Although Skill India has been a government talking point in recent years, there has been little quality assessment or monitoring of the sector, which is critical to the supply of efficient workers to the industry. In light of this, NCVET is envisioned as an institution that will carry out regulatory functions.

Governance Structure of NCVET

The Council would be headed by a Chairperson and will have Executive and Non-Executive Members. The structure of NCVET has been discussed below in detail.

  • Structure of the Council (provision for 6-10 Members)
  • Head-Chairperson (Secretary/Additional Secretary level)
  • 2 Executive Members (Secretary/Additional Secretary level)
  • 2 Non-Executive Members; 1 Nominated Member
  • General Body - headed by a Minister, SDE, and comprised of representatives from Central Ministries, State Governments, and Industry to advise the Council.
  • Advisory Committees: Expert committees will be formed to provide advice as needed.

Primary Functions of NCVET

  • Recognition and regulation of awarding bodies, assessment bodies, and providers of skill-related information
  • Approval of qualifications developed by awarding organizations and Sector Skill Councils (SSCs)
  • Indirect regulation of vocational training colleges through awarding bodies and assessment agencies
  • Dissemination of information and research
  • Addressing Grievances

Formulation of AB and AA Guidelines

NCVET released two sets of rules:

  • Guidelines for the Recognition and Regulation of Awarding Bodies
  • Guidelines for the Recognition and Regulation of Assessment Agencies

These guidelines are vital for-

  • Standardizing Recognition and Regulation Processes
  • Ensure Quality Outcomes in Skill
  • Providing institutions with direction and flexibility
  • Creating strong and unambiguous regulatory mechanisms
  • Encouraging self-regulation and delegated regulation

Functions of NCVET Awarding Body

The functions of awarding bodies have been mentioned below:

  • Provide learners certificates in approved qualifications.
  • Qualifications and related learning material development.
  • Development of affiliation/ accreditation norms for training partners
  • Recruiting assessment agencies to ensure fair and reliable assessments using predefined norms and methods.
  • Monitor the performance of training partners and assessment organizations.
  • Create a system for resolving complaints.
  • Submit such information to skill-related information providers as required and under the agreement granting recognition
  • Create training standards for trainers and assessors.
  • Participate in any inspection, investigation, or audit of the Council's actions.

Types of NCVET Awarding Bodies

  1. Government Bodies
  2. Central Ministries
  3. State Departments
  4. Other bodies established by the government
  5. Directorate General of Training (DGT)
  6. Sector Skill Councils (SSCs)
  7. Skill Universities
  8. School Boards
  9. Private Bodies

Benefits of NCVET

Following are the benefits of the National Council for Vocational Education and Training:

  • This institutional change will increase the quality and market relevance of skill development programs, giving credibility to vocational education and training and encouraging greater private investment and business participation in the skills space.
  • This, in turn, would help achieve the twin goals of improving the aspirational value of vocational education and increasing skilled personnel, promoting the Prime Minister's agenda of making India the world's skill capital.
  • As a regulator of India's skill ecosystem, NCVET will benefit every individual involved in vocational education and training in the country.
  • The concept of skill-based education will be portrayed in a more inspiring light, which will motivate students to apply for skill-based educational courses.

Conclusion

NVCET is a regulating body that will reform the skill development programs in India. With NCVET, greater private investment and employer participation is expected. It will also help in achieving the objectives of enhancing the aspirational value of vocational education and also, increasing skilled manpower.

Suggested Read - NEP 2020 | National Education Policy 2020

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