70% practical, 30% theoretical blend makes studying here advantageous

Vocational courses play a crucial role in India’s education system and overall economic development. The courses focus on developing specific skills required for various industries and professions. They provide practical, hands-on training, enabling individuals to acquire job-ready skills. This emphasis on skill development helps bridge the gap between education and employment, enhancing employability prospects.

Vocational courses are designed in collaboration with industry experts, ensuring that the curriculum aligns with the current and future needs of the job market. By offering specialized training in areas such as healthcare, hospitality, information technology, e-Commerce, digital marketing, construction, and manufacturing, vocational courses help address the skill shortages in specific sectors.

According to Dr Roopali Sood, Associate Professor, Head, Department of Computer Science & IT, at Apeejay College of Fine Arts, BVocational (BVoc) programmes are a good initiative by the government.

“It has benefited not only students but has opened opportunities for professionals who have mastered a particular skill but could not complete the relevant undergraduate or postgraduate degree. The multi-exit options provided under BVoc programmes have helped aspiring students to undertake a six-month certificate, a one-year diploma, a two-year advanced diploma, and a three-year degree programme,” Dr Sood said.

ACFA also offers MVoc e-Commerce which enables students to dive deeper into e-Commerce technologies like UI/UX design and development/predictive analysis/data mining, data analytics, and visualisation/tableau to name a few

–Dr Roopali Sood, Associate Professor, Head, Department of Computer Science & IT, at Apeejay College of Fine Arts

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Benefits of the BVoc course

The advantage of pursuing a BVoc course is that it is 70 per cent practical and 30 per cent the concepts. “This practical-centric approach has enabled the students to earn while they learn. Students acquire a lot of practical skills which help them to take up live projects and do consultancy as freelancers enabling them to earn while they are learning. Recognising BVoc programmes by respective sector Skill Councils renders additional value-addition to the course as the students can get themselves certified by these councils,” Dr Sood explained.

She added that at Apeejay College of Fine Arts, Jalandhar there are several BVoc programmes that students can pursue. These courses are tailor-made by experts according to industry standards ensuring that those pursuing the course are job-ready from day one. Some of the programmes offered are:

•             BVoc (E-Commerce and Digital Marketing)

•             BVoc (Data Science)

•             BVoc (Healthcare Management)

•             BVoc (Beauty Culture & Cosmetology)

•             BVoc (Product Design Management & Entrepreneurship)

•             BVoc (Theatre and Stagecraft)

•             BVoc (Sound Technology)

•             BVoc (Contemporary Forms of Dance)

“These courses are unique in the region and cater to the regional/national needs. The programme is perfect for students who value practical education and aspire to be skilful to launch themselves as freelancers; be job ready as the corporates expect students to be skilled practically; professionals who could not complete their education due to some reason, and students who wish to take up short-term courses to skill themselves,” Dr Sood opined.

Let’s look at the growth prospects for students wanting to pursue BVoc e-Commerce and Digital Marketing. The future in this field is promising. It is very simple to buy and sell anything online today. Experts project that the e-Commerce business will increase by about $11 trillion between 2021 and 2025. Meanwhile, media reports say that the digital marketing market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 32.1 per cent between 2023 and 2028 to reach a value of around $24.1 billion by 2028.

“The good part is that students from any stream are eligible for this programme. Hence, the interdisciplinary approach of the course leads to the following job roles in the industry: E-portal developers, graphic designers, Search Engine Marketing associates, social media managers, web solution developers, and content writers,” Dr Sood said.

Why study at ACFA?

There are several reasons why ACFA is the best place to pursue this programme. First, it is equipped with hi-tech labs and infrastructure to support the programme. Second, there is dedicated and specialised faculty from Company Secretaries to Commerce to Multimedia to Design departments for such programmes. Third, ACFA has been awarded Institute of the Year for Providing Multi-disciplinary Programmes by ASSOCHAM, 2022. This speaks volumes about the overwhelming response by the students for BVoc courses.

“The strong alumni network of ACFA mentors the students according to the latest Industry needs and makes them skilled in a manner that they are easily absorbed by the companies. Guest lectures, industrial visits, summer training, and real-time projects are a few important highlights for such programmes,” Dr Sood said and added that the aim of the course is not to simply create programmers but entrepreneurs, innovators, and creative thinkers.

“ACFA also offers MVoc e-Commerce which enables students to dive deeper into e-Commerce technologies like UI/UX design and development/predictive analysis/data mining, data analytics, and visualisation/tableau to name a few. Students are also eligible to pursue MDesign, MBA, MSc, and various postgraduate diploma programmes at national and international levels,” Dr Sood said in conclusion.