After having offered courses to students willing to go for higher studies in the mainstream, ICSE and ISC schools in Calcutta are now opening doors to students who wish to take up skill-based subjects.

In keeping with the increasing demand among students for job-oriented courses, the Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations, which conducts the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) and the Indian School Certificate (ISC) examinations, has introduced vocation-oriented courses in technical and non-technical subjects.

The subjects cover a wide range of areas ? from fashion designing to business studies, graphic designing to cr?che and pre-primary school management, computer programming and system analysis to hospitality management, mechanical and civil engineering technique to exterior and interior designing.

?The Council has been offering top-class education for decades through its ICSE and ISC courses. At present, it affiliates a bulk of the country?s best educational institutions,? said G. Arathoon, Council deputy secretary and head of its Calcutta office, on Friday.

?Now, considering the increased job opportunities in some emerging areas, we have introduced about a dozen job-oriented courses,? he added.

Through these courses the council intends to give meritorious students a chance to decide in Class XI whether they would opt for mainstream higher education or study a professional course.

?Through these skill-based courses, we want to prepare students who are weak in terms of merit and finance but have the potential to build up a rewarding career,? Arathoon explained. The new courses will be taught to students at the Plus-II level after they pass the ICSE examinations.

The increase in the number of students enrolling in ICSE and ISC schools was one of the reasons why they decided to open more job avenues.

In Calcutta and its adjoining areas, the number of Council-affiliated schools was a little above 80 even a decade ago. Now, it stands at 250-plus.

Officials said the council will soon ask the affiliated schools to identify the areas which their students might find suitable to pursue.

For instance, the schools located in the New Market, Ripon Street and Park Street areas, where there is a concentration of outlets of confectionery goods and restaurants, may teach courses in hospitality management. This will help young boys and girls not only land jobs but start their own businesses as well.