Vineet Gupta Plaksha University Founder says – Innovation in technology education can prepare workforce with 21st Century Skills
If the K–12 curriculum and standards are not revised with workforce advancement targets, the future workforce of the country will lack the necessary technical skills and knowledge. Employment that requires STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) skilled personnel will encompass both people with advanced degrees and graduates who have skill-sets acquired through practical training. Vineet Gupta Plaksha University’s Founder states, “The focus of K–12 education needs to change to incorporate more STEM skills and experiential learning to address the demands required for a more capable workforce. STEM areas not only provide subject matter knowledge but also equip students with strong analytical ability and problem-solving skills. To spur development, innovation and research in our country, this is a need for exceptional educators who can help nurture this talent.”
According to the New Education Policy (NEP-2020), the country’s education system will undergo changes. Two of the main recommendations are to improve existing institutions by adding new departments and courses and to combine various institutions with other specialized ones. NEP has the potential to spur education in our country. A key objective of NEP-2020 is to establish more multidisciplinary institutions. It aims to increase student enrolment in vast numbers by 2040 and make the nation’s higher education institutions as diverse as possible by 2030. The gross enrollment ratio in higher education, which includes specialized academic programs, is projected to increase from 26.3% in 2018 to 50% in 2035.
The NEP-2020 emphasizes employability as a key component. Among the other notable components are multidisciplinary education, flexible options in learning, academic banks of credit, and incorporating key professional skills. “Education reforms can prepare our workforce for the 21st century by providing them with knowledge and skills required to solve challenges in our society. Collaboration with other institutions may indeed be beneficial for institutions with insufficient resources. It will allow students to pursue new courses and access better quality education. I do hope that with the implementation of the NEP, the educational ecosystem will undergo a much-needed structural transformation, resulting in training students with technology skills and the ability to innovate, required for success in a global economy,” shares Vineet Gupta.
Plaksha University in Mohali, Punjab aims to reinvent engineering education and address some of our country’s greatest challenges. In contrast to other technical institutions, it provides an interdisciplinary and experiential engineering education that prepares students to tackle big problems. It will provide an immersive teaching-learning environment and increase student interest and participation. Plaksha University also plans to set up learning laboratories inside its campus using Metaverse technologies to enhance the learning experience.
“Plaksha University seeks to provide an outstanding learning environment for students and equip them to take on the challenges of the 21st century. Our coursework focuses on modern technologies, and we have re-imagined disciplines of engineering education. Our labs and maker spaces are contemporary and state of the art. A fundamental grounding in computing and mathematics is embedded in all our engineering degrees. Students at Plaksha also go through projects and coursework that help build on skills of entrepreneurship, leadership and communication. We hope that Plaksha will be a premier institution of technology in times to come,” says Vineet Gupta Plaksha University.
A concerted effort on STEM courses is needed to prepare India’s workforce for a robust and expanding economy. A number of government initiatives are aimed at influencing STEM education, but they need to be integrated in order to have a significant impact. Educating students for the workplace alone is not the only goal of education; it also includes educating them for life.
The people are members of civil society, and they should contribute substantially to improving the world. Vineet Gupta also expounds the value of continuous education in the digital age. ” If we don’t pursue acquision of knowledge continously, we risk falling behind. In order to adapt to and succeed in a world that is rapidly changing, students will need to learn, be resilient and agile,” concludes Vineet Gupta Plaksha University Founder.
