Credit linked micro: Nano-Credentials — A dynamic gamechanger in skill education of youth

Education, especially skill-based, forms an essential element and constituent of National Education Policy, NEP 2020. It stands out to be the strongest pillar to change the market dynamics of our nation. India’s skill — based education under National Skill Mission foster innovation driven society, community and finally accelerates our orange economic growth as well.

Qualitative educational values obtained through skilling forms the vital and integral portion of developing the holistic personality of students, teachers, and trainers. Skill-based programs which are industry aligned in our nation form the greatest asset for the students and teacher fraternity of all groups at all academic institutions. Educational framework, collaborating with industry inclined model curriculum, makes a paradigm shift in the employment index in India.

India has been adapting the best practices of the National Educational Policy 2020, which was launched five years ago. It enhanced the holistic development of students, teachers, and trainers. NEP 2020 plays a key role in developing significant features such as problem-solving ability and capability achieved through design thinking, experiential learning in the form of industry internships, project-based learning combined with hands — on practice, critical thinking aligned with solving real-world industry problem statements, empathy in synergy with emotional intelligence, digital literacy in streamline with application mindset. Most importantly, skill development programs are designed to meet the industry job matrix across all segments.

India’s higher educational systems are shifting towards agile — based blended learning model called as credit linked Micro: Nano-Credentials.Micro: Nano-Credentials are the best and most valuable tools for institutions designed under the umbrella of National Education Policy, NEP 2020 which is intended tomeet the criteria of National Credit Frameworks (NCrF).

It is principally approved under National Occupational Standards [NOS] and National Skill Qualification Frameworks (NSQF)that ensure meeting the specific industry job roles. Micro: Nano-Credentials is forming the important and integral part of the Indian education system. Micro: Nano-Credentials are governed and regulated by NEP 2020. It is becoming a complement and supplement student-centric fit for our present educational systems. Micro: Nano -Credentials are short-term-based approaches which offer a flexible, hybrid, combined with agile, diversified, multi-disciplinary and life-long learning starting from 7.5 hours duration. It is expected to create many opportunities for different stake holders and is implemented through Skill India Digital Hub [SIDH]. Micro: Nano-Credential courses span from emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence, industrial automation, and all digital technologies. Micro: Nano-Credentials are primarily focused on industrial applications in addition to learning the foundational concepts and theories. It creates competency frameworks, especially for students across all domains. The objective of Micro: Nano-Credential courses is to meet sustainability development goals that mobilise the knowledge of students, teachers, and trainers. This will give a great push for industry job placements and enhance employability of students in higher educational institutions.

India’s sector skill councils have designed and developed several Micro-Credential courses in order to reskill and upskill the students in higher educational institutions. Indian universities are thinking of a smart educational framework of implementing the Micro-Credentials in collaboration with sector skill council in the form of student’s project-based learning, industry internships through on job training in manufacturing shop floors and apprenticeships activities. Micro-Credentials offers ease-of-access, ease-of-affordability and most importantly ease-of-learning for students across all groups, teachers, and trainers. Micro-Credentials are principally focused on industry-aligned programs available in interdisciplinary domain — related and cross-domain specific forms through short-term based self-paced, offline and hybrid learning approaches. Micro: Nano-Credentials foster institutional development through industry — relevant skills of different job roles developed exclusively for the benefit of students.

Micro: Nano-credentials are offered in the form of classroom lectures, theory, laboratory practical, firsthand learning. It is aligned extensively with growing labor markets in India and across the globe. Micro: Nano-credentials are globally recognized in different countries.

The additional and interesting features of Micro-Nano-credentials are adapting the best practices of the manufacturing shop floor, On-Job-Training (OJT), credit assessment, and transfer of academic credits through the Academic Bank of Credits (ABCs). Indian industries are expected to offer and create multiple opportunities to offer the Micro: Nano credentials for higher educational institutions. Higher Educational Institutions are welcoming the emergence of MNCs as a game-changer for employment opportunities. MNCs are expected to be the best Return of Investments (ROI) for higher educational institutions. It creates a balance between learning and practical implementation. Micro: Nano-credentials are fully focused on enhancing the knowledge ecosystems of different stakeholders. Micro: Nano-credentials are developed and implemented through a cooperative and collaborative framework model.

Micro: Nano-credentials may be developed in collaboration with industries and industrial association like PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, New Delhi, Confederation of Indian Industries, CII, ASSOCHAM and FICCI. Micro: Nano-Credentials courses serve as best business revenue model for higher educational institutions in addition to the value-based frameworks.

Case study of Micro-Credentials:

Instrumentation Automation Surveillance Sector Skill Councils (IASC) have designed advanced fourth/fifth industry revolution courses, which facilitate equity of access to address industry-specific job roles and enhance employability of the students. It offers a variety of programs such as Digital Manufacturing, Industrial Drive and Control, PLC programming, Industrial Hydraulic, Industrial Pneumatics, and Metal Additive Manufacturing. IASC has custom designed and developed a governance model for executing the Micro: Nano-Credentials programs for higher educational institutions. It covers several types of learning (15 / 30/45 hours of learning through theory, practical and experiential learning) thereby earning one credit, having NSQF levels varying from 4.5 to 5.5. The experiential learning is achieved through industry internships/training and co-operative project learning models. It has been developed keeping in view of emerging market trends and industry specific requirements for various job roles at various levels.

Micro: Nano-Credentials programs serve as the best “TOP UP,” innovative, quality assurance and large-scale model for the students’ undergraduate degree programs.

Concluding note

All India Council for Technical Education [AICTE], apex body under Ministry of Education, Government of India has been working rigorously with different sector skill councils, under Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India to successfully implement the Micro-Credential programs across different institutions at every location in India. Global countries are successfully implementing Micro-Credentials across higher educational institutions. Micro: Nano-Credentials are stepping towards promising Viksit Bharat@2047 aligned with the:

“Magnifying Mantra” of Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi-

“Degrees are Valuable, but Skills make you Indispensable”.

The writer is a Head Institute Industry Interface Program Hindustan College of Science and Technology, Mathura; Views presented are personal.