Delhi govt to set up Skills and Entrepreneurship University

The proposal was cleared in the Delhi cabinet on Monday

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal with Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia addresses a press conference in New Delhi | PTI Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal with Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia addresses a press conference in New Delhi | PTI

The Industrial Training Institutions (ITIs), polytechnics and skill development centres in the national capital will soon be merged into a Skills and Entrepreneurship University to make the youths more employable, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Monday.

The proposal was cleared in the Delhi cabinet on Monday and a bill will be brought in the Delhi Assembly for the university with the approval of the Lt Governor, he said.

The chief minister said the new university will have flexibility to adapt to changing market requirements.

"Unemployment is very high in the country and our youths are worried that despite securing degrees like BA, BSc and BCom in the formal education system, they are still unable to find jobs.

"The main focus of the DSE university will be to make the students employable and the performance of the university will be measured in terms of the kinds of jobs that the students get. The entire effort will be to ensure as many students who graduate from this university will get jobs," Kejriwal said.

"I hope within one year of LG's approval and the passage of the bill in the Assembly, the university will be running," Kejriwal said.

The initial intake of the university will be 50,000 students, who will be enrolled in regular and part-time courses in various streams. 

Students who complete Class 10, Class 12 and graduation can join the university for courses ranging from durations like six months, one year, two years and so on.

"The new university will provide a guarantee for jobs to the students who graduate from here. All ITI, polytechnic institutes and skill centres will be merged into this university.

"We will collaborate with many foreign countries and universities. The skill centres at Vivek Vihar and Jonapur have tied up with institutions in Singapore and the Vivek Vihar center has almost 100 per cent placement. Similarly, the new university will have collaborations with several foreign institutions," Kejriwal said.

The chief minister said "flexibility" will be the most important feature of the university as market requirements keep changing.

"Various governments have made skill centres but those centres do not adapt to the requirements of the market. Courses once designed will remain for 25 to 30 years without any revision or upgradation. The university will design courses after taking into consideration the relevant market research," he added.