On National Education Day, observed on November 11, the focus is not just on access to education but also on how well learning prepares students for the world beyond classrooms. As the demands of the workplace evolve, a growing number of learners are looking beyond conventional degrees to acquire specialised skills, gain practical experience and explore new career pathways.
What does this shift mean for the future of learning in India?
Degree curricula often take time to keep pace with changing industry requirements, leaving some graduates looking for additional training before entering the workforce. With competition for jobs intensifying and employers placing greater emphasis on practical abilities, short-term courses and professional certifications are emerging as options for students seeking to develop specialised skills.
Mufeed Puliyanchalil, Director of AimX Academy, a career-focused skill development and professional training institution in Edavannappara, Malappuram, Kerala, identifies the gap between academic curricula and workplace requirements as one of the factors driving this interest.
"Degree curricula update slowly, so many graduates lack job-ready skills, and employers often say so," he says.
He adds that the relatively lower cost, shorter duration and online availability of these programmes make them accessible to students who want to acquire additional skills alongside their college education. The growing emphasis on skills-based recruitment, where portfolios and certifications can supplement academic qualifications, is another factor influencing this trend.
According to Mufeed, students are showing interest in technical areas such as data analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning, generative AI tools, programming, full-stack development, cloud computing, DevOps and cybersecurity. Business-related skills, including digital marketing, human resource management, product management and financial modelling, are also attracting learners. Communication, English fluency and other soft skills remain important across professions.
He believes short-term courses can complement conventional degrees by providing practical exposure to tools and technologies used in specific industries. For instance, a mechanical engineering graduate interested in data analytics can acquire specialised skills without pursuing another full-time degree.
However, the effectiveness of these programmes depends on how closely their curricula reflect workplace requirements. Puliyanchalil says training institutions should examine job postings, consult industry practitioners and hiring managers, incorporate practical projects and regularly update their course content.
Degrees and certifications: Complementary pathways
The growing interest in short-term courses does not necessarily indicate a decline in the importance of conventional degrees. Instead, experts believe that formal education and specialised training serve different purposes and can complement each other.
Dr NVH Krishnan, Advisor, JAIN Online and Member of the Chancellor's Advisory Board, JAIN (Deemed-to-be University), observes that students are increasingly choosing learning pathways based on specific academic and professional aspirations.
Traditionally, education has followed a sequential approach, with students progressing from foundational concepts to advanced areas of study. However, students are now seeking opportunities to apply their knowledge through professional qualifications, internships, practical projects and specialised training.
For some, this involves preparing for qualifications such as CA, ACCA and CPA. Others pursue experiential learning through design development, prototyping and robotics. In medicine, internships and clinical exposure remain important components of professional preparation.
Krishnan says a conventional degree provides academic foundations and disciplinary understanding, while short-term courses allow students to explore specialised areas without pursuing an entirely new degree.
For instance, a commerce graduate specialising in finance could pursue financial modelling or data analytics to understand how financial information is applied in business decisions.
He suggests that universities introduce value-added courses alongside regular academic programmes or integrate relevant certifications into their curricula as credit-bearing components. Projects, practical assignments and application-based exercises should also form an important part of the learning process.
Deepakk Kummar, Founder of EIMR Business School, shares a similar view. He believes students are becoming more conscious of what their education should enable them to do, rather than focusing solely on completing a degree.
"They want to experiment with technology, develop business ideas, work on real problems and acquire skills they can apply much earlier," he says.
According to Kummar, the growing accessibility of information and learning tools, particularly artificial intelligence, has made it important for educational institutions to help students interpret information, exercise judgement and apply their knowledge responsibly.
He cautions against treating certifications as substitutes for academic qualifications or practical competence.
"We must be careful not to replace the obsession with degrees with an obsession with certificates," he says, adding that students must be able to demonstrate their skills through practical work.
How additional training shapes career pathways
For some graduates, specialised training has provided an opportunity to enter professional fields beyond their original academic disciplines.
Shekha AT, an HR Executive, pursued an HR Management course because she wanted practical knowledge of the profession after completing her degree.
The programme covered recruitment, onboarding, payroll basics and employee relations. She also gained experience in resume screening, interview coordination, employee documentation, attendance management and labour laws.
She says the training helped her take on professional responsibilities with greater confidence.
"As an HR Executive, I use these skills every day, from coordinating recruitment to managing employee queries and documentation. The training made me confident from day one, and I didn't need much hand-holding to take on responsibilities," she says.
Mohammed Midlaj P, Senior Client Partner at Access Healthcare, followed a different route into the workforce. Although he holds a degree in Sociology, he entered the medical sector after completing a three-month medical coding course.
He came across the programme through a social media advertisement during the break after graduation. The course introduced him to human anatomy, diseases and their treatments, knowledge that he says has helped him understand aspects of his current work.
His experience illustrates how specialised training can provide an entry point into a professional field that may not be directly connected to a person's undergraduate discipline.
However, the experience of every learner is not necessarily the same. The quality of instruction and opportunities for practical exposure can determine how useful a short-term programme becomes.
Asjath A P, a mid-level compositor at Chennai-based visual effects and post-production studio Ajax VFX, enrolled in a short-term Media and Visual Effects course because of his interest in filmmaking and digital creativity.
He had expected the programme to provide technical knowledge, practical training and familiarity with industry-standard software. However, he says the course offered only basic knowledge, with limited opportunities to develop advanced skills.
"Most of the advanced skills and software techniques I learned later through self-learning, mainly by watching YouTube tutorials and practising on my own," he says.
According to Asjath, the institute helped him secure an opportunity to enter the industry, but most of the skills he currently uses were developed through independent learning and professional experience.
His experience highlights the difference between receiving a certificate and acquiring the practical competencies required in a workplace.
Bringing industry requirements into university curricula
As students explore additional learning opportunities, experts believe universities also need to examine how specialised skills can be integrated into existing academic programmes.
Krishnan suggests identifying skills that naturally complement different disciplines. Students of business and commerce, for example, could be introduced to data visualisation, financial modelling, digital tools and AI applications relevant to their subjects.
He also highlights the role of industry practitioners in identifying changing workplace requirements, conducting practical sessions and bringing real-world case studies into classrooms.
Kummar believes universities should avoid treating certifications as additional qualifications that students collect separately from their main academic programmes.
A student studying marketing, for instance, could apply digital analytics through an assignment involving the analysis of an actual campaign. Similarly, financial modelling could be connected to business planning, while AI tools could be introduced through practical operational problems.
"The idea is not to continuously add more courses to an already demanding timetable. It is to identify where emerging skills can strengthen existing academic outcomes," he says.
Such an approach could help students develop practical competencies without compromising the academic depth and rigour of their degree programmes.
With several short-term programmes available across disciplines, choosing a relevant and credible course has become an important consideration.
Mufeed Puliyanchalil advises students to examine placement records, instructors' industry experience, practical projects and the relevance of the curriculum before enrolling. He also recommends checking whether employers recognise the certification, comparing fees with other available options and reading independent reviews from former students.
Krishnan identifies career relevance, practical application, institutional credibility, flexibility and learning outcomes as important considerations. Students should also examine the course content, faculty expertise, teaching methodology and opportunities to apply what they learn.
Kummar similarly advises students to look beyond the popularity of a course or the reputation of its provider.
"By the end of this course, what will I be able to understand or do that I could not do before?" he suggests students ask before enrolling.
He also cautions against programmes that promise guaranteed employment, exceptionally high salaries or expertise in complex subjects within a few hours.
As professional requirements continue to evolve, additional learning opportunities are becoming an important consideration for students preparing to enter the workforce. However, short-term courses cannot independently replace the academic foundation and broader understanding provided by conventional degrees.
The challenge for educational institutions is to create learning pathways that combine conceptual understanding with practical application. For students, the focus needs to move beyond collecting qualifications to developing skills they can demonstrate and use in their chosen professions.