Wednesday, April 17, 2013

State plans seven community colleges

Times of India, April 15, 2013
Ashok Pradhan, TNN Apr 15, 2013, 09.29AM IST

BHUBANESWAR: The state government is planning to open seven community colleges to produce job-ready workforce and entrepreneurs in the coming academic session. These would provide flexible short-term soft skill programmes of at least four months' duration to students of various streams.
Cashing in on the Union government's community college scheme, under which the Centre plans to open around 200 such colleges in the country on a pilot basis, the state has recently made proposals to open these in the existing infrastructure of seven autonomous colleges at Berhampur, Jeypore, Bhawanipatna, Rourkela, Keonjhar, Baripada and Balasore.
While the existing colleges would provide space to house the community colleges, a private party will be involved to install laboratories and equipment and arrange manpower for the new concept through central funding. According to the state government's plan, each community college would require an initial capital of Rs 1.2 crore to Rs 1.5 crore to be funded by the Centre.
Sources said the government is mainly aiming at imparting soft skills like communicative English, basic management lessons, knowledge about arranging funds for starting a new venture, among others, to the undergraduate students. "This would make them employable or become entrepreneurs," said Upendra Sahu, the deputy secretary of the higher educationdepartment involved in making the community college plan for the state.
Sahu said since it is a pilot programme by the Union government, there are plans for seven autonomous colleges only. Depending on the success of the concept, it may be extended to other colleges in subsequent phases.
"The main aim of the community colleges is to make students employable or equip them with enough skills so that they can go on to become entrepreneurs," said Mihir Das, officer in-charge of performance tracking cell of the higher education department.
Sources said the government is planning to involve Centurion University for the public private partnership project. The university, in discussion with colleges and local industries, will devise the curriculum most suitable to the locality concerned.
According to Nasscom, India produces around three million graduates and postgraduates every year of whom only 25 per cent technical graduates and 15 per cent of the other graduates are employable. Community colleges will attempt to improve the pool of employable manpower.


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