The University Grants Commission (UGC) on Monday urged Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to implement the guidelines of the Apprenticeship Embedded Degree Program (AEDP) where in undergraduate students are required to complete apprenticeships as part of their academic curriculum starting from the academic year commencing in July 2025 . This initiative aims to enable undergraduate students to undertake apprenticeships alongside their academic studies and acquire practical skills.

Any HEI can offer the AEDP program provided it meets certain criteria, such as a ranking in the latest National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF, a valid grade or score from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), or basic accreditation from NAAC as per standards specified by the UGC. HEIs may also implement AEDP through the National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS) portal, where stipends are funded by the government in partnership with the Board of Apprenticeship Training (BOAT) or the Board of Practical Training (BOPT).

The Telangana Government is taking steps to increase student enrollments. It is providing technical training related to course-specific skills while students are still pursuing their education. NEP 2020 aims to increase the Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) in higher education, including vocational education, to 50% by 2035.In addition to currently popular courses like BBA (Logistics) and BBA (Retail Operations), more programs like B.Com (Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance), B.Sc (Tourism and Hospitality Operations), B.Sc Digital/Industrial Electronics, B.Sc (Marketing and Sales), B.Sc (Pharmaceutical Manufacturing and Quality), and BBA (Content and Creative Writing) are being introduced this year.

— Vedula Shantin Principal,Keshav Memorial Institute of Commerce and Sciences, Narayanguda, Hyderabad.