Lok Sabha Question No. 371 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-02
Subject: Employment in Higher Education Institutions
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Shri Ashok Kumar Rawat

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. †371 ANSWERED ON 02.02.2026

## Employment in Higher Education Institutions

†371.    Shri Ashok Kumar Rawat:

## Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

(a) the steps being taken by the Government to make students studying in higher education institutions as employment oriented;

(b) whether the curricula are being updated in accordance with the requirements of industries and if so, the details thereof;

(c) the number of students who have benefitted from skill development programmes during the last three years and whether a statement has been prepared in this regard; and

(d) if so, the details thereof, State-wise?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR)

(a) to (d): 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  issued  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 relevant knowledge to the students, making them industry ready.

Further,  UGC  and  All  India  Council  for  Technical  Education  (AICTE)  have  formulated guidelines  for  the  introduction  of  Apprenticeship  Embedded  Degree  Programmes  to  be offered  by  Higher  Education  Institutions  and  Technical  Institutions  to  provide  practical exposure during the course of study expected with the aim to enhanced competencies of the graduates and the employment thereof. UGC also introduced 'Guidelines for Internship/Research Internship for Under Graduate Students' in February 2024, with an aim to improve employability and develop interest for research.

To achieve the objectives of NEP 2020 and ensure availability of industry relevant knowledge to students of technical students, the 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. AICTE has issued model internship guidelines for technical courses. Internship is mandatory component of Model Curriculum for different courses.  These guidelines provide internship in full-time or part-time.  Industry Academia Mobility framework has been launched by AICTE to facilitate connect between theoretical knowledge  and  practical  application,  facilitating  collaboration  between  academia  and industry.

In  order  to  promote  innovation  and  entrepreneurship,  over  16,000  Institution  Innovation Councils (IICs) have been established across the country, engaging more than 1 lakh faculty members and 1.5 lakh students in innovation and entrepreneurial activities.

Ministry of Education, in collaboration with IIT Madras, has launched the SWAYAM Plus platform  in  February  2024.  The  platform  offers  high-quality  industry  relevant  courses  in collaboration with industry partners to learners, helping them reskill, upskill, and become employment-ready. As on date, Swayam Plus has signed more than 89 MoUs with the leading industry partners. More than 504 Courses in 15 different sectors are available on the platform, and more than 4.84 lakh learners have enrolled for their Skill augmentation.

The  Ministry  of  Education  also  implements  the  National  Apprenticeship  Training  Scheme (NATS) to impart on-the-job training and  enhance the  employability  of  youth.  Number  of apprentices benefitted during last three years under NATS is 10,48,781. State/UT wise details are at Annexure .

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## ANNEXURE REFFERED IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) to (d) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  †371  ASNWERED  ON  02.02.2026  ASKED  BY HON'BLE MEMBER  OF PARLIAMENT SHRI  AHSOK  KUMAR  RAWAT REGARDING EMPLOYMENT IN HIGHER EUDCATIONAL INSTITUIONS

The State-wise details of the numbers of individuals who have benefited/engaged from the scheme are during the last three years.

| State/UT                              | 2022-23   | 2023-24   | 2024-25   |
|---------------------------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| Maharashtra                           | 55664     | 50048     | 114127    |
| West Bengal                           | 29250     | 49890     | 75863     |
| Tamil Nadu                            | 45967     | 28453     | 56112     |
| Haryana                               | 16275     | 25691     | 44274     |
| Telangana                             | 11284     | 8988      | 35604     |
| Andhra Pradesh                        | 1422      | 577       | 3696      |
| Odisha                                | 34938     | 15538     | 28279     |
| Karnataka                             | 10314     | 11113     | 27456     |
| Uttar Pradesh                         | 16846     | 11587     | 21706     |
| Kerala                                | 8145      | 8478      | 18152     |
| Lakshadweep                           |           |           | 2         |
| Bihar                                 | 4621      | 7112      | 16565     |
| Gujarat                               | 8278      | 9516      | 15817     |
| Rajasthan                             | 4492      | 7467      | 15100     |
| Jharkhand                             | 3558      | 3387      | 10158     |
| Delhi                                 | 3257      | 6499      | 9727      |
| Uttarakhand                           | 3084      | 1779      | 9172      |
| Madhya Pradesh                        | 2278      | 2249      | 6777      |
| Chhattisgarh                          | 2535      | 847       | 2342      |
| Himachal Pradesh                      | 486       | 1106      | 2350      |
| Punjab                                | 480       | 2614      | 2034      |
| Chandigarh                            | 270       | 800       | 2053      |
| Assam                                 | 1968      | 1380      | 1721      |
| Goa                                   | 766       | 798       | 957       |
| Puducherry                            | 718       | 422       | 748       |
| Sikkim                                | 405       | 601       | 651       |
| Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman &Diu | 186       | 215       | 511       |
| Jammu And Kashmir &Ladakh             | 158       | 272       | 471       |
| Tripura                               | 189       | 141       | 295       |
| Manipur                               | 29        | 3         | 116       |
| Mizoram                               | 43        | 33        | 72        |
| Nagaland                              | 4         | 10        | 42        |
| Meghalaya                             | 29        | 67        | 39        |
| Andaman &Nicobar Islands              | 32        | 19        | 18        |
| Arunachal Pradesh                     | 71        | 15        | 17        |
| Total                                 | 2,68,042  | 2,57,715  | 5,23,024  |