Ranchi: The Jharkhand Education Project Council (JEPC) has signed a pact with IPE Global Ltd to strengthen school-based vocational education across the state, an official release said on Wednesday.

The agreement was signed on October 27 under IPE Global's She Learns project, it said.

"Vocational education succeeds only when the classroom meets the workplace. Through this partnership, we will reach out to industry partners across Jharkhand to bring practical exposure, on-the-job training and real career opportunities to our students. Industry is not just a stakeholder in this programme; it is a partner in shaping the future of our young people," JEPC Project Director Shashi Ranjan said.

Under the partnership, IPE Global will work with JEPC to make vocational education a valued choice for students in classes 9 to 12.

"The focus areas are career awareness, workplace exposure, on-the-job training (OJT), capacity building of vocational trainers and students' employability skills. IPE Global will also help build partnerships with industry and employers so that students can move on to further education, skilling, apprenticeships and jobs," the release said.

Vocational education is currently offered in 970 government schools across all 24 districts of the state.

Over 2.4 lakh students from classes 9 to 12 are enrolled in trades spanning 15 sectors.

This report was published from a wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.