In a landmark initiative the Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with British Council Education India Pvt. Limited (BCEIPL) for opening new avenues of employment for youth.
The MOU was signed by Director, Higher Education Dr. Amarpal Singh on behalf of the Government of Punjab and MD of BCEIPL Duncan Wilson in presence of the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Education Minister Harjot Singh and Deputy High Commissioner of UK, Chandigarh Caroline Rowett.
Congratulating the Higher Education department, for signing the MoU, the Chief Minister said that it is a red letter day in the history of the state. He said that this MoU will pave the way for starting a training course for students of Government Colleges under the Higher Education Department in "English for Work".
Bhagwant Mann envisioned that this will upgrade the employability skills of the youth of Punjab at the workplace and will help them to get themselves placed in the industrial and services sector.The Chief Minister further said it will also motivate the youth to stay within India and contribute towards the socio-economic growth of Punjab.
He said that this is a step forward towards reversing the trend of brain drain from the state. Bhagwant Mann said that as a part of this project, students will study one level of English for Work, more commonly known as English for Employability Skills.
The Chief Minister said that English for Work is a blended course that focuses on learning English language in real work-like situations. He said that it lays major thrust on all skills-Listening, Reading, Writing and speaking with a focus on Grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary.
Bhagwant Mann said that under the MOU, the project will be launched as a pilot project in the Government Colleges of the state for 5000 students from the Academic Session 2023- 24.The Chief Minister said that English for Work will be an online blended learning course that uses a proven 'flipped classroom' approach to combine the flexibility of self-study with live interactive classes.
He expressed hope that students will develop and upgrade their English skills to communicate with confidence in professional situations. Bhagwant Mann further revealed that there will be a pre-assessment test to know the level of the student and a post-assessment on completion of the course and students will be given a certificate on completion of the course.