University Grants Commission (UGC), the apex higher education body in India, has finalized Guidelines for offering of Apprenticeship Embedded Degree Programme (AEDP) by HEIs. The same have been put in public domain for suggestions/comments/feedback from stakeholders. In a public notice on October 18, the UGC gave a period of 30 days for their submission.
AEDP is a new category of degree program, which under the proposed guidelines can be offered by any Higher Educational Institution ranked in the top 200 in the University category of the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) in the latest NIRF rankings or having a valid minimum grade of A (Score 3.01 and above) by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). Also, those have a a valid basic accreditation by NAAC and complying with the criteria specified by the Commission from time to time, can also offer this program.
All Undergraduate (UG) Degree programmes in the disciplines offered by the HEIs, as specified by the UGC under section 22 (3) of the UGC Act, 1956, are eligible to embed apprenticeship and shall be treated at par with the regular UG degree programmes specified by the UGC under section 22 (3) of the UGC Act, 1956, for all purposes, including further education and recruitment. Students graduating from the apprenticeship embedded degree programme shall be eligible to take admission in the Master’s/Ph.D. programme subject to fulfilment of eligibility criteria.
The AEDP will not require any separate nomenclature. However, the mark sheets/transcripts should mention the credits earned through apprenticeship training and the industry/establishment where the apprenticeship training was undertaken. The HEIs may convert already running programmes into the AEDP and take admission accordingly.
As per these guidelines, in order to offer AEDP, there has to be a tripartite agreement between the recognized HEI, industry/establishment (apprentice/learner). and the student. The HEIs shall have full flexibility to schedule apprenticeships within the programme duration, as per the best fit of the industry/establishment and itself. However, the apprenticeship shall not be undertaken in the first semester of the AEDP, whereas the last semester of the AEDP shall be dedicated to apprenticeship. The area of the apprenticeship programme shall be aligned with the domain of the degree programme.
The total duration of the programme shall not be altered. For a degree program of 3 years, the minimum duration of apprenticeship will be one semester and maximum four and for 4-year degree program, two and four semesters. The apprenticeship spell shall be for at least one whole semester.
The HEI will have an option of offering AEDP either through registration on the NATS portal or directly in partnership with the industry/establishment. Based on the option, the stipend will be paid as per the relevant rules/guidelines. Further, an apprenticeship plan has to be developed by the HEIs in collaboration with the industry/establishment. The BOATs/BOPT may also be involved in the development of the plan for onboarding on the National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS) portal. The HEIs may also use the services of industry/establishment associations/Sector Skill Councils (SSCs)/other Awarding bodies as recognised by the Commission to develop and manage the apprenticeship plan. There has to be an approved curriculum as well.
In terms of assessments, evaluation by industry/establishment (min 25% weightage) and by faculty mentor based on the on-site visit(s) (min 25% weightage) is provided. This evaluation can be through project/seminar presentation/Viva-Voce at the HEI (Proportionally). The student will either submit a project report or give a seminar/presentation based on his training report before an expert committee to be constituted by the concerned department as per the norms of the HEI. The evaluation will be based on Quality of content/project report presented, Effectiveness of presentation, Depth of knowledge and skills, The delivery of the project outcome, wherever applicable, Apprenticeship Report, Attendance records, daily diary, departmental reports, etc.
The guidelines aim to improve the employability of undergraduate by integrating apprenticeships into degree programs. To make suggestions/comments/feedback click here.
