6 skills under 1 degree: Tamil Nadu's new UG programme plans job-oriented courses

Tamil Nadu will introduce its 1 Degree, 6 Skills scheme in government arts and science colleges from January 2027. The plan will add one practical skill each semester and link colleges more closely with industry.

In Short

• Students will study one employment-oriented skill in each semester alongside degrees
• Twenty courses in arts and basic sciences have been identified initially
• Skill modules will run 30 to 45 hours with expert trainers

There is a change in prospect for students entering the government colleges of Tamil Nadu. From the coming January, the State proposes to place beside the ordinary undergraduate degree a second course of study, directed not towards another examination, but towards the acquisition of practical skill.

The scheme, described as “One Degree, Six Skills”, is to be introduced in the 181 government arts and science colleges of the State from the even semester beginning in January 2027.

ONE DEGREE, SIX SKILLS: HOW THE NEW MODEL WILL WORK

A student pursuing a three-year undergraduate degree will, under the proposed arrangement, learn one employment-oriented skill in each semester and thus leave college with his or her degree accompanied by six additional skills.

The plan has been developed with the Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education (TANSCHE). It was earlier spoken of as the “One Skill Per Semester” programme under Naan Mudhalvan.

The new description, “One Degree, Six Skills”, states more plainly what the State expects a student to possess at the end of the three years: the regular academic qualification and six further areas of practical competence.

The distinction is of some importance.

The skill courses are not intended to displace the student's principal degree. They are to be pursued alongside it. Nor is the scheme described as a separate examination or an independent course open to graduates and jobseekers. It is intended for undergraduates enrolled in the State's government arts and science colleges.

The State has, at the outset, identified 20 skill courses covering the fields of arts and basic sciences. From this basket, individual colleges will determine the courses which they propose to offer.

The colleges are expected, over the next three months, to settle upon their offerings and nominate an expert trainer for each course. Each skill course is expected to require between 30 and 45 hours of instruction.

Here the new arrangement departs from the familiar manner in which an additional academic subject is ordinarily conducted. The student will not be required to sit for a conventional written examination in these skill courses. The assessment is instead to be directed towards performance.

Of the assessment, 40 per cent is to be assigned to skill exercises, 30 per cent to individual competency and the remaining 30 per cent to a final demonstrable output.

The object, therefore, is not merely to ascertain whether a student can reproduce what has been taught, but whether the student can put the skill to use and produce an identifiable result.

INDUSTRY TIES TO BRING CLASSROOM LEARNING CLOSER TO THE WORKPLACE

The State is also seeking to bring the college and the workplace into closer association. Government colleges have been asked to enter into memoranda of understanding with at least three leading industries.

Departments are expected to establish relations with companies belonging to their respective fields, with industry partners contributing to curriculum revision and providing opportunities for internships and placements.

The arrangement is thus not confined to the teaching of an additional skill within the walls of a college. The proposed industry association is intended to acquaint students with the requirements of employment before they complete their degrees.

The scale of the undertaking is considerable. The 181 government arts and science colleges together have 1.30 lakh sanctioned undergraduate seats.

For the academic year 2026-27, 96,477 students had been admitted to various courses at the time of the latest reported figures. The programme will therefore enter an existing system of undergraduate education rather than begin as a small experimental course.

The preparations have already begun. Colleges are to decide which of the identified skills they will teach and to appoint suitable trainers.

TANSCHE has also been conducting training for faculty members in outcome-based education as part of the preparations.

There is, therefore, a simple calculation at the heart of the proposal.

A student who spends three years pursuing the usual degree course would, under the new system, pass through six additional skill courses before graduation. Each would occupy a limited number of hours, would be assessed by practical work rather than a written paper, and would, in principle, bring the student into closer contact with the requirements of industry.

For the present, Tamil Nadu's proposal marks an attempt to alter what a three-year degree in a government arts and science college is expected to provide.

The degree will remain the principal qualification. Alongside it, the State now proposes to place six practical skills - one for each semester.

- Ends