US experts to help community colleges to gain National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) recognition

Chennai : Reviewing and upgrading the community college curriculum to enable their students better employabilty is the focus of the three-day international conference that began at Loyola College on Tuesday.

Organized by the Indian Centre for Research and Development of Community College Education (ICRDCE) along with the US Consulate General in Chennai, it will see American experts from Montgomery College and Radford University and Indian experts work on coming up with a programme that can gain National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) recognition.

ICRDCE director and Loyola College vice-principal M S Joseph Antony Jacob said pre-primary teachers training, pre-school training and early childhood care will be the focus in the education sector, while fashion designing and garment making, tailoring and embroidery will be taken up in the apparel sector.

Courses in these sectors were a big draw, with at least 5,000 students enrolling each year, he said. “As NSDC recognition plays a key role for courses offered by community colleges, we wanted to finetune the curriculum to that level. In a recent inspection, NSDC didn’t give approval for many colleges. We want our colleges to scale up in life skills, communication and work skills,” he said.

The ICRDCE, with more than 10,000 students in 200 programmes in 336 colleges, is particularly reaching out to drop-outs and collaborating with the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) for vertical mobility of students, Father Jacob said.

Eric Lund, Cultural Affairs Officer at the US Consulate, said it was not enough for students to just get pass certificates but to connect education to employability. “We need practical skills coming out of educational institutions and a curriculum with practical implications. Community colleges should produce students who will be ready to be employed immediately. When we interact with the industry, what they seek is soft skills which include developing confidence and good communication..,” he said.

US consul general Robert G Burgess said community colleges play a key role in adult education, workforce retraining, or even mid-career professionals and retirees to learn new skill sets. Stating that there are more than 1,300 community colleges in the US, he said the community college system has been at the forefront of nearly every major development in higher education since its inception.

Courses in these sectors were a big draw, with at least 5,000 students enrolling each year, he said. “As NSDC recognition plays a key role for courses offered by community colleges, we wanted to finetune the curriculum to that level. In a recent inspection, NSDC didn’t give approval for many colleges. We want our colleges to scale up in life skills, communication and work skills,” he said.

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