National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) - Complete Guide for IAS Exam

Understanding NSQF

The NSQF is a framework for quality assurance. It offers a nationally integrated education and competency-based skill framework. This provides multiple pathways, both horizontal and vertical, within vocational education and training, and among vocational education, vocational training, general education, and technical education, thus linking one level of learning to a higher level.

Provisions of National Skills Qualifications Framework

The NSQF interlinks different levels allowing students to acquire the desired level of competency, transition in the job market, and further enhance their competencies over time. The NSQF also provides the following:

1. International Equivalency: By establishing national policies for identifying skill proficiency and competencies at different levels.
2. Multiple entry and exit points between skill training, vocational education, job markets, general and technical education.
3. Progressive pathways within the skill qualifications framework.
4. Opportunities for lifelong training, education, and skill development.
5. Collaboration with industries and markets to understand job market requirements.
6. A transparent, credible, and accountable mechanism for skill development across multiple sectors.
7. Enhancing the potential that recognizes early learning.

Objectives of National Skills Qualifications Framework

1. Accommodating the diversity in the country's Education and Training Systems.
2. Developing a set of qualifications for each level that are nationally accepted.
3. Providing a structure for the maintenance and development of progressive pathways, allowing access to qualifications and supporting people to move effortlessly between different sectors of training, education, and the labour market.
4. Offering individuals the option to progress through training and education and gain recognition for their prior experiences and learnings.
5. Enhancing international and national mobility of people with NSQF-compliant qualifications through enhanced recognition of the value and comparability of Indian qualifications.

Challenges Encountered by National Skills Qualification Framework

1. Misalignment between the Ministry of Skill Development, responsible for non-university and non-school related vocational courses, and the Ministry of Human Resource Development, responsible for school and university level vocational courses.
2. Absence of a clear definition of the course curriculum within the National Skills Qualification Framework that enables upward mobility like general academic education.
3. The disconnect between tertiary level vocational courses and practical experience and comprehensive knowledge of theory in a vocational field.

Progressing with National Skills Qualification Framework

1. There is a need to re-evaluate the short-term NSQF based NSDC courses and provide more comprehensive training.
2. NSDC should include skills in broader occupational groups to equip the trainees to compete at the international level.

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The above details would be useful for candidates preparing for UPSC 2023 .

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