Bhubaneswar, Feb. 18: The state government has directed the school and mass education department to choose vocational trades that will link students to higher technical education.

This has been done in order to enhance their employability in the job market after completion of formal education.

In the first phase, vocational education at the secondary level will be introduced in 30 schools at various districts of the state from the next academic session.

Subjects such as IT and IT enabled services, automobiles and construction will be taken up as vocational trades. According to the plan, each subject will be taught for 200 hours in Class IX and will have no relation with the annual higher secondary examination. The students, who will perform well in these subjects, will be given extra weightage for admission into diploma and polytechnic institutions.

This was decided at a meeting held by chief secretary Jugal Kishore Mohapatra earlier this week.

Officials of the department were also directed to link the training with laboratories and workshops for hands on practice.

It was decided that the programme would be carried out in collaboration among of school and mass education, employment training and technical education, higher education and SC and ST development departments.

An official in the department said that the programme would be implemented keeping in view the broad principles of the national vocational education qualification framework and the state-level vocational education monitoring committee.

“The programme will also provide for multiple entry and exits between vocational education, general education and job markets and will be run in partnership with NSDC (National Skill Development Council), NCERT (National Council for Educational Research and Training) and Board of Secondary Education, Odisha,” said secretary of the department Usha Padhee.

She said the department of school and mass education would be the apex authority of the project.

“The project will be implemented through Odisha Madhyamik Sikshya Mission and its state project director will be the nodal officer for its implementation,” she said.

The technical education department was directed to locate good laboratories and workshops where students will be provided practical training and hands on practice.