A unique initiative has been undertaken by Shoolini University in collaboration with Bosch India Limited, with the establishment of a hi-tech skill development centre in the University. Bosch India has selected Shoolini University in Himachal Pradesh to be part of its Industry-Academia Collaboration for Skill Development (IACSD) initiative. This is the first and only centre of its kind in the state.
It is the vision of the Chancellor of Shoolini University, Dr PK Khosla, and the extensive experience of Bosch India in skill development which made it possible for such a facility to be established. Dr Khosla stated that this opportunity of development of skill for the less educated youth of Himachal Pradesh has come at a very opportune moment when there is a need to enhance the vocational skills of the youth extensively.
Dr. O. P. Goel, Senior General Manager of Bosch India, stated in a communication that India is at a threshold where skilling is the only way it can utilize its youth (demographic dividend) entering the workforce. Vocational training can help reduce employability gap on one hand, while creating a pool of skilled manpower for the industry on the other. The country aims to create a resource pool of 500 million skilled workers by 2022. Furthermore, the emphasis of New Education Policy 2020 on vocational skills calls for greater engagement between industry and academia to achieve improved outcomes on employability. The objective of IACSD is to work with like-minded universities in the areas of Skill Development of Youth, Trainers Capacity Building, Developing Industry-ready Social Service Professionals, Capacity Building of Non-profit Sector (NGOs) and MSME Capacity Building.
Skill Development of Youth is aimed at universities / college students to enhance their employability & hone their entrepreneurial skills as also at skilling of less-educated youth. Trainers Capacity Building involves training of vocational and soft skills trainers, technical trainers and a long-term course for skill trainers and is primarily meant for skilling teachers. Therefore, both the students as well as teachers get to gain from this initiative.
Brigadier Neeraj Parashar, Dean Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Shoolini University, brought out that the company will initially run a training programme for our selected teachers who in turn will train the students based on specialized syllabus designed by Bosch India. He stated that this facility will also be thrown open to the less privileged/educated youth of the nearby rural areas and will slowly and steadily expand to include other areas and initiatives as well. Overall, it is an exclusive facility which will contribute towards “Skill India” initiative and nation building.