Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India, launched the ‘SWAYAM Plus’ platform that will offer courses developed collaboratively with the Industry at an event in Delhi. The employability and professional development‐focused programmes have been developed with leading industry players such as L&T, Microsoft, CISCO etc. to bring to its learners, as per the press release.
Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) will be operating the ‘SWAYAM Plus’ Platform. IIT Madras was among the founder institutions of Swayam-NPTEL, the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) platform providing educational opportunities for a vast number of learners. A popular e-learning platform, SWAYAM has the largest enrolment base today, with the total enrolment increasing from 31 lakh in 2017 to more than 72 lakh by end of 2023, it added.
The establishment of SWAYAM Plus aims to enhance employability of both college students and lifelong learners. The Industry-academia partnership would combine the academic rigour of SWAYAM’s educational platform with the real-world expertise and relevance offered by industry partners. SWAYAM Plus platform will offer programmes in sectors like Manufacturing, Energy, Computer Science and Engineering/IT/ITES, Management Studies, Healthcare, Hospitality and Tourism besides Indian Knowledge Systems, among many others.
“The National Education Policy (NEP) is on roll and for the first time, reputed industrial houses will be coming with their own academy, partnering with the UGC, esteemed education departments, and prestigious institutes like IIT Madras. All these courses will be accredited,” Dharmendra Pradhan said.
The exposure through these courses would equip students with not only theoretical knowledge but also the skills, practices and latest trends demanded by the job market. It would bridge the gap between academia and industry, making college graduates more job-ready and competitive.
“There is an exponentially growing demand for trained manpower in core areas spanning across not restricted to health care, logistics, technology, energy, infrastructure and manufacturing. With rapid changes in these areas, there is a need to augment certain recent topics for fresh students and upskilling for the already employed. Swayam Plus will be a single window solution serving the above National cause,” V. Kamakoti, director, IIT Madras, said.