Essays

The plethora of opportunities available in diverse fields today means that exams are not the end of the world! Gone are the days when students only opted for a traditional career in engineering or medical courses. Today, youngsters look for satisfaction in the jobs they do and thus they prefer to pursue a career or field of their interest.

Vocational education basically consists of practical courses through which one gains skills and experience directly linked to a career in future. Moreover, with Indian economy expanding, different sectors are growing and so is the demand for professionals in various fields. Professions like hair cutting, fashion designing, jewellery designing, palmistry, salon, boutique, footwear designing, advertising, public relations, catering, interior designing, lightning, wedding planning, gift packing, candle making, card designing, toy making, paintings and flower making, bag designing, tourism industry, mobile and gadget repairing, music and dance, acting, nutrition and fitness industry, gym culture and many more, have witnessed a surge in demand by the people availing these services, and has resultantly pulled a large number of aspirants into these vocations.

Not only these professions offer umpteen opportunities and glorious career to the deserving candidates, they hardly require any major academic qualification. All that is required is the honed skill required for the profession, the enthusiasm to learn and the passionate desire to create something new and unique. Then sky becomes the limit. In fact, through hard work and creativity one can be far more successful and famous in the world than those pursuing the regular field of study. There are endless personalities who did not fare well in exams but by choosing the career of their own choice and working hard in the field they loved they have made a distinguished name for themselves. Pablo Picasso. Walt Disney, Shiamak Davar, Lata Mangeshkar, Bill Gates, Jawed Habib, Ritu Kumar, Sachin Tendulkar and many more have not pursued an academic career, yet are extremely successful today.

The growing demand of professionals has led to the opening up of institutes and training colleges to provide training for the same. While earlier it was unheard of, today at every nook and corner, the board of some or the other academy stares at us. While some promise excellent dance courses, others guarantee a perfect course in cooking. While a formal vocational training follows a structured training program and provides certificates, diplomas or degrees, recognized by State/Central Government or other reputed concerns, non-formal vocational training helps in acquiring some marketable expertise, which enables a person to pursue the profession of his/her choice.

The prescribed training also lays down standards in respect of syllabi, equipment, scales of accommodation, duration of courses and methods of training. It also conducts tests in various trade courses and lays down standards of proficiency required for passing the examination leading to the award of the certificate.

In 1976-77, the Vocational Education Program (VEP), under the purview of the Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD), was started in general education institutions. While Vocational Education is part of formal education system and the courses are offered in school grades 11 and 12, Vocational Training is outside formal education system and is open to students who leave school anywhere from grade 8-12. The purpose of the program is to enhance individual employability, reduce the mismatch between demand and supply of skilled manpower and provide an alternative for those pursuing higher education without particular interest or purpose.

The All-India Council for Vocational Education (AICVE), under MHRD. Is responsible for planning, guiding and coordinating the program at the national level. State Councils for Vocational Education (SCVE) perform similar functions at the state level. According to the Planning commission report, there are about 5,114 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs). Of these, 1,896 are State Government-run it is while 3,218 are private. The total seating capacity in these ITIs is 7.42 lakh. Of these 4 lakh seats are in government ITIs and the remaining 3.42 lakh are in private ones. Thus, there is a need to focus on the skills for the informal sector as it is estimated that the largest share of new jobs in India is projected to come from the unorganized sector that employs up to 93% of the national workforce and produces 60% of GDP.

Vocational training is extremely useful for students as it gives them work related experiences that many employers look for. It helps students to be skilled and in turn, offers them better employment opportunities. These days training in even those courses are available which were previously unheard of Expertise of the skill is all that is required for the selection and success of the student after the completion of the vocational course.