Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan launched the SWAYAM Plus platform on Tuesday, February 27, which will offer employability and professional development-focused programmes through collaboration with leading industry players.
The platform will be operated by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, reported PTI.
"Working professionals to participate in the SWAYAM platform using it as a vehicle and take advantage of the multiple-entry-multiple-exit of NEP (National Education Policy) 2020. The platform will widen the scope of the classroom, adding 43 million students of higher education and working professionals," Pradhan said.
"Higher education is no longer limited to the traditional student. It is now accessible to the working population as well. The NEP 2020's provision for multiple entry and exit points allows individuals to pursue education at their own pace,” he added.
SWAYAM Plus enables working professionals to balance their work and studies by offering a plethora of online courses.
“With SWAYAM Plus, we are empowering individuals to upskill and reskill, enhancing their career prospects and contributing to India's knowledge economy," he added.
SWAYAM, the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) platform providing educational opportunities to a vast number of learners, was launched by the Union Ministry of Education in 2017 and had an enrolment of 72 lakh by the end of 2023, added PTI.
In alignment with National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the SWAYAM Plus platform will now include courses supporting industry needs that enhance the learners' employability.
Developed in collaboration with industry giants such as L&T, Microsoft, CISCO, and others, SWAYAM Plus features innovative elements such as multilingual content, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled guidance, credit recognition and pathways to employment.
Higher Education Secretary K Sanjay Murthy also urged for greater participation from industry leaders and subject matter experts from universities and institutions to contribute courses on separate verticals, which will be certified by IIT Madras.
"There will be a multitude of institutional mechanisms, which will examine such types of proposals to ensure need-based and timely responses. The content will be available in 12 major Indian languages," Murthy said.
