Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government, on Saturday, decided to appoint new industry and training partners for the academic year 2026–27 under its flagship "Naan Mudhalvan" upskilling initiative, aiming to introduce trending and employment-oriented courses across colleges in the state.
The move is intended to strengthen skill development among students pursuing Engineering, Arts and Science, Polytechnic and ITI programmes by aligning academic learning with current industry requirements.
The Naan Mudhalvan scheme offers free, employment-linked skill development training to youth in the 18–35 age group.
The programme is fully funded by the state government through the Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation (TNSDC).
A senior official from the Higher Education Department said the initiative seeks to engage reputed industry bodies and eminent training partners to deliver structured training programmes across institutions in Tamil Nadu.
"The selected partners will conduct offline, in-person training sessions as per a defined academic calendar. Each course will run between 45 and 60 hours, spread across a semester," the official said.
In addition to student training conducted within respective colleges, the industry partners will also be responsible for faculty training and providing industry-recognised certifications.
They will conduct Training of Trainers programmes to ensure continuous faculty development and quality assessment standards.
Importantly, all skill courses under Naan Mudhalvan will be embedded into university curricula as mandatory credit programmes conducted during regular college hours, ensuring that skill development becomes an integral part of academic progression.
The selected partners will be required to submit detailed course structures, including clearly defined learning outcomes, final test projects, industry use cases, learning materials, assessment plans and evaluation rubrics.
These must adhere to the format and guidelines prescribed by TNSDC to ensure uniformity and measurable outcomes.
According to officials, more than 60 courses will be introduced for engineering students, 38 courses for Arts and Science colleges, and 43 training programmes for polytechnic institutions under the expanded initiative.
The state government has already invited Expressions of Interest (EoI) from industry and training partners to participate in the scheme, signalling an ambitious push to enhance employability and bridge the gap between academia and industry in Tamil Nadu.
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