The All India Council for Technical Education has said that any dubious institutions will not

be allowed to train students under the National Vocational Education Qualification Framework. AICTE will register skill knowledge providers in every state and the process will start in November, 2011. Some providers will be also being invited to be a part of the programme. The selection process will be strict and rules will be similar to those we follow when we approve a new institute. Infrastructure, facilities and ability and qualification of those who will train the students are some of the areas which will be scrutinised. No dubious operators will be allowed, said AICTE acting chairman S S Mantha. The framework will be launched in 2012 that aims to train students in competencybased skills along with formal learning and increase employability. Starting from Class IX till graduation, it will integrate vocational education with mainstream education in schools and colleges. There will be seven levels of certification of 1,000 hours each year that is 500 hours a semester for six months. There will also be multiple entry-exit points. For instance, students, who decide to take up a job after Class XII, can come back and can also do regular BA, BSc and B.Com. The learning will include both vocational skills and general learning. Colleges will create new divisions of vocational education and a school will start vocational education. Vocational skills may be provided by the school/college or by skill knowledge providers, said Mantha. The competency-based skills will be sector-specific and will include IT, ITES, telecom, retail, banking, automobile and media among several others. Colleges which want to start vocational division will also have to seek AICTE approval and the process is likely to start from December.