National Conference on Vocational and Skill Education to Align Schooling with NEP 2020 and NCFSE 2023

Continuing the reform in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCFSE) 2023, the Pandit Sunderlal Sharma Central Institute of Vocational Education (PSSCIVE), a constituent of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), has decided to organize a National Conference on Vocational and Skill Education.

A conference is a meeting for discussion. The department of business and commerce of PSSCIVE is hosting the conference that will serve as a meeting place for policymakers, educationists, industry experts, academic leaders, and practitioners to discuss ways of strengthening and accelerating the integration of vocational and skill- based learning in the school education system of India.

Thus, the conference that is centered around the reform- driven framework of NEP 2020 and NCFSE 2023 hopes to establish a cooperative national forum for knowledge exchange, capacity building, and strategic planning to render school education more future ready, inclusive, and employment oriented.

A big part of the conference will be dedicated to looking at how vocational education is being implemented throughout different stages of schooling today. The discussion will especially focus on the Three Forms of Work mentioned in NCFSE 2023. Attendees will figure out how different States and Union Territories are implementing vocational education reforms, through the identification of best practices, implementation gaps, and new opportunities.

The conference will explore innovative teaching models, frameworks, and strategies for embedding vocational and skill education more deeply into mainstream schooling. In this way, the conference aims to help fulfill NEP 2020's focus on learning being experiential and multidisciplinary.

One of the key focus areas will be the coming together and collaboration of various stakeholders such as the industry, academia, schools, training organisations, and policymakers to align the vocational education system with the changing workforce requirements. Also, there will be an emphasis on how to provide equitable and fair access to vocational and skill education for all students, especially those from marginalized and underserved communities.

Through the discussion on the role of experiential learning, practical exposure, and competency testing, the conference aims to address the skills shortages that are emerging in the labor market. The discussions will most likely result in a jointly prepared roadmap for the implementation of NEP 2020 and NCFSE 2023 in school- based vocational and skill education programmes.

The conference is also intended to highlight the achievements of the state, level initiatives and innovative practices which can be used as models for other parts of the country so as to reinforce the vocational education system in India.