Providing students with skill-based education to enhance job possibilities, the University of Delhi in collaboration with the National Skills Development Corporation (NSDC) on Friday introduced six new applied courses that guarantee assured placement to at least 70 per cent students.

The university has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NSDC, which will provide all colleges of the university with applied courses in six sectors, namely Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI), IT and IT Enabled Services (ITES), Health Care, Media and Entertainment, Tourism and Hospitality, and Automotive Industry. Each of these courses will have four papers each which will be taken up by students in the second and third year.

The university introduced applied courses with the four-year undergraduate programme (FYUP) with the objective of imparting education where skill and knowledge are combined. Vice-Chancellor, Dinesh Singh said, “We have noticed in the past several years that the recruitment rate of the undergraduate students in the university is very less. This is mainly because there is no skill based education given to them. There was only

blackboard teaching taking place. With the FYUP, students can now do four papers of applied courses in semester three, four, five and six. Additionally, these skill-based courses that are being introduced will now also provide most students jobs which will end the recruitment drought.”The NSDC’s six courses are added to the courses already existent in the university, but students will have to pay a fee of Rs2,500 per semester to pursue them. However, those who wish to can avail an unsecured bank loan through NSDC which can be repaid by students only once they get a job.