North Region Open Universities Come Together to Develop Employability Frameworks

The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) and its regional centre in Asia, the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (COL-CEMCA) have launched a series of region-wise Stakeholders’ Capacity Building workshops across India as a part of the three-year Graduate Employability project. The first workshop was held from 1-3 March 2025 in collaboration with Vardhman Mahaveer Open University (VMOU) at Kota in Rajasthan.

The primary focus of the workshop was on understanding employability trends, engaging stakeholders in discussions about graduate skills, and aligning academic outputs with market needs. The inaugural session featured Professor Nageshwar Rao, former VC of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), as the Chief Guest, with Dr B. Shadrach, Director of COL-CEMCA, and Lt. Commander Vinod Singh Yadav, Deputy Secretary of UGC, as Guests of Honour. Professor Kailash Sodani, VC of VMOU, presided over the inaugural session.

The keynote address by Dr Shadrach highlighted the role of OUs in achieving the goals of NEP 2020 and SDG4 (Education for All). He referred to the Ahmedabad Declaration, produced by OUs, which emphasises their commitment to enhancing Gross Enrollment Ratio to 50 percent by 2035, promoting equity, inclusion, and quality education through ODL and online learning. It advocates for collaboration among OUs, sharing resources, and developing a credit transfer framework. The Declaration also stresses the importance of digital technologies, industry-aligned courses, and lifelong learning to meet future workforce demands.

The workshop was attended by 18 representatives from five Open Universities in the north, including Jagat Guru Nanak Dev Punjab State Open University, Uttarakhand Open University, IGNOU, UP Rajarshi Tandon Open University, and VMOU. COL-CEMCA consultants and regional facilitators from IGNOU, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University, and Netaji Subhas Open University also contributed to the workshop.

The participants were oriented on the Employability Readiness Scorecard, a tool designed to track progress and identify areas for improvement. They assessed their respective institutions against 77 parametres. Additionally, the workshop aimed to build institutional capacity to design and implement tailored employability frameworks, ensuring that graduates are better equipped to meet workforce demands.

This initiative underscores COL-CEMCA’s commitment to strengthening graduate employability through regionally relevant strategies and collaborative efforts. By fostering stakeholder engagement and institutional capacity building, the workshop aimed to bridge the gap between academia and industry, ultimately contributing to India’s evolving workforce needs.