NSDC Unveils UNEVOC Centre Co-organises International Workshop on Greening of Job Roles and Curricula

Following National Skill Development Corporation’s (NSDC) acceptance as a member to the UNEVOC Network in mid-2018, the NSDC-UNEVOC Centre was officially launched on 7th March 2019 at New Delhi. Mr. Shyamal Majumdar, Head -UNESCO UNEVOC awarded Dr. Manish Kumar, MD & CEO, NSDC with the UNEVOC plaque, officially recognizing NSDC as a UNEVOC Centre in the presence of Ms. Juthika Pathankar, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, international Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) practitioners and other distinguished guests.

The UNEVOC Network is UNESCO’s global network for institutions specialized in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), which are concerned with skills development for the world of work and life. Coordinated by UNESCO-UNEVOC, the network provides an environment for exchange, cooperation and mutual assistance for its members, the UNEVOC Centres.

Members of the UNEVOC Network, called UNEVOC Centres, all have a position within their country that allows them to cooperate with other TVET stakeholders, both nationally and internationally and engage in variety of activities, such as (a)  to improve TVET in member states by promoting and fostering international collaboration and partnerships (b) to develop the capacities of UNEVOC Centres and associated TVET practitioners; and (c) to share promising practices and innovations in TVET

Commenting upon NSDC’s association with UNESCO-UNEVOC, Dr. Manish Kumar, MD & CEO, NSDC said, “Acceptance to the UNEVOC network indicates an important acknowledgement of NSDC’s strength and track record in the Skilling Ecosystem. Through the UNEVOC platform, we will not only gain from each other’s experiences through sharing of best practices and case studies but also access the best analytical tools that can support in building a robust and resilient data-driven approach to planning for TVET across different contexts.”

As a key activity under the NSDC and UNESCO-UNEVOC collaboration, a five-day international workshop on Greening of Job Roles and Curricula was organized jointly by NSDC and UNESCO-UNEVOC was held last week in New Delhi. The workshop sought to address policy and training needs for integrating sustainability and green concepts into occupational standards and fostering an understanding on effectively moving from occupational standards to curriculum planning and design. The workshop also aimed at identifying and addressing gaps in institutional strategies in the context of greening TVET.
The workshop brought together TVET professionals involved in policy planning, standard setting, training and assessments from 15 different countries – Mexico, Hongkong PRC, Germany, Canada, Kenya, Nigeria, Guyana, Zambia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Malaysia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and South Africa.

The workshop involved panel discussions, lectures from experts, group work and site visits. On day-one, participants were exposed to the concepts, approaches and best practices of Greening TVET followed by assessment of ground realities to identify greening challenges and opportunities in different country contexts. The second day initiated with different approaches of Greening TVET standards and curricula.. Day-three covered the aspects of teaching and assessing green skills and competencies as well as quality assurance concepts, followed by a study visit to the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE). On day-four, participants visited TERI School of Advanced Studies and Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra (PMKK) at Mandir Marg to observe how greening activities are organized in practice. On the last day, participants reflected and presented the learnings of the workshop.