Getting a degree with a vocation appended to it

The outcome of a student after a course is more important than the process. A Bachelor of Vocation degree adresses this issue, writes Shankar Prasad K S . 

India has formally entered the Washington Accord. What this accord means is that any qualification in India be it Degree, Diploma or Certificate will have a equivalent one in other countries majorly USA, European Union , Canada, Australia, New Zealand. What it also means is that Indians can now apply for Visa for these countries under various skill based Visas these countries release every year based on their internal requirement.

Indian education system is based on input and now for the first time we have moved from input based education to outcome based education. This is a paradigm shift in our education system.


What is B Voc?

In the process of changeover from input based education to outcome based education, the outcome of a student after a course/program is more important than the process. 

More so the skill component will be more important as an outcome. For example , I wonder what skill set does an engineer of today would have acquired after his Engineering. Yes he/she is capable of many things but can we think of one particular skill? Perhaps no. But in the new system this outcome is very specific.  Skill set like Print Journalism or Business Analytics or Operation Theatre Management or Green House Technology or Theatre Studies , etc. The list is very comprehensive and the best part one can add more anytime, is the key to learning outcome at the end of the college. The biggest beneficiary of this system are the learners who can judge the relative value of a qualification at a particular level and make informed decisions about their career progression paths.

Bachelor of Vocation (B Voc) is a full- fledged Degree program approved by Universities Grants Commission (UGC) and recognized by Universities all over India and abroad. So, after a B Voc Degree with a particular skill set, one can apply for specific skill based Visa rather than general work permit for foreign immigration. Closer home, it also means that B Voc has all the privileges another Degree holder (BA, B Com, B Sc , B E or MBBS) enjoys, like going for Post Graduation, taking UPSC, Bank, Railways exam etc., where basic Degree is a requirement.
Advantage

First, any student of ANY stream be it Science, Arts or Commerce who has passed +2 or 2 PUC can join B Voc of any skill set. An Arts or Commerce student can take Software Development in B Voc or a Commerce student can take Journalism in B Voc. Student here choose, instead of say, B Sc in CBZ, B Voc in Soil and Water Conservation or instead of B E in Computer Science, join B Voc in Information Technology  Research & Development or Analytics or Software Development etc., Students can take up specific programs rather than general Degree. 

Second, if a student in the present system quits in between for various reason, they are big looser for they does not get any certificate for their learning till such time. But in B Voc if a student leaves say after 1 year he get a Diploma certificate, if after 2 year he leaves he gets an ‘Advance Diploma’ certificate and after 3 years get a internationally recognized Degree certificate from no less than a University. Wow this is awesome. 

Thirdly, after your graduation you qualify as a Degree holder for a specific skill set rather than a general BE or B Sc. This has tremendous impact on the job market. Today an engineer’s starting salary in a decent company range between Rs 10,000 and Rs 15,000 unless someone is exceptional with various facets of life. Take this with B Voc in Analytics, the industry would start anywhere upwards of Rs 20,000 and an option for excellent career progression within the company or within the Country or abroad. This, without the tension of CET rank and in 3 years rather than 4 years of Engineering. For the industry these people will save a lot in terms of training after they join thus saving on time and money.

An essential component of this program is that the colleges will have to necessarily tie-up with an industry partner for imparting skills. Thus the industry can write up the syllabus which they feel is best and required for the industry. 

Further, an Engineer after his B E can also join B Voc and get Diploma or Advance Diploma in a particular skill. A software engineer after his 8 semester can join B Voc for a year in say Big Data or VLSI and get his Diploma apart from B E in computer Science. 

UGC has started these B Voc program in India from this year in select 200 colleges. In Karnataka, we have these programs in Mysore, Bangalore and Mangalore. A complete list of colleges offering B.Voc can be accessed here - www.ugc.ac .in /pdfnews/5425221_Approved.pdf here - www.ugc.ac.in /pdfnews/8955175_supplementarylistBVoc.pdf and here www.ugc.ac.in/pdfnews/3852607_ListofApprovedNotapprovedinstitutionforBVoc.pdf. 

The selection of courses is also wide with IT to Agriculture to Retail Management to Financial Services to Hospitality Management to Hospital Management to Film and Media studies.

How well this will change the way we think of technical education in particular and education in general is to be seen. I only wish this succeeds in the larger interest of the student, industry and country.

More information on B Voc can be accessed here - www.ugc.ac.in/pdfnews/ 8508026_Guidelines-on-B-Voc_Final.pdf