To foster skill-integrated higher education across the nation, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Centurion University of Technology and Management (CUTM), are both situated in Odisha. The two institutions have signed a comprehensive Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that sets the path for institutional collaboration and permits the transmission of information, efficient procedures, and experiences. The collaboration's primary objectives are to improve academic and research engagement and provide higher and vocational education that is industry-driven and skill-based, in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
“We have been working relentlessly to instill skill learning as part of higher education in India for more than a decade, and we understand that a larger impact can be made only with joint efforts of academia, industries as well as policymakers. Laying special emphasis on mainstreaming vocational education with general education, the partnership between CUTM and JNU will help students acquire various skills to make them Industry 4.0 ready while serving the needs of the society”, Supriya Pattanayak, Vice Chancellor, CUTM, stated.
In order to enhance and integrate skills in higher education, the universities are expected to investigate particular fields of involvement within the School of Languages, Atal Bihari Vajpayee School of Management and Entrepreneurship, School of Biotechnology, School of Physical Sciences, Centre for Social Medicine and Community Health, and other Schools or Centres. Additionally, the universities will emphasize skillset integration through community outreach programs designed to promote employment and entrepreneurship.
Furthermore, possibilities for combined courses of study are being investigated in several industrial clusters in accordance with industry needs and the National Credit Framework. Near the JNU campus in Delhi, a pilot center for action learning and skills-integrated certificates and advanced courses is also scheduled to open as soon as possible. With over 50 manufacturing set-ups and cutting-edge industry-sponsored laboratories on campus, Odisha's Centurion institution is reportedly the only institution in the nation to be recognized as a Center of Excellence by the Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
