Chennai, NFAPost: MeritTrac Services, a subsidiary of the Manipal group, has announced the launch of the industry-relevant Extended Curriculum Program (ECP) for the higher education sector in India.
ECP aims at providing colleges and universities access to specialised full semester elective courses, industry experts who curate and drive these courses for them, and career assistance to graduating students. The elective courses offered under the program include Data Analytics, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, Business Analytics, Sales Effectiveness, and Risk Management, amongst others.
In-depth market research cites that there has been a significant surge in the demand for skilled professionals in the field of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Cybersecurity, Risk Management, Sales, and Data Analytics. There are traditional courses available from several MOOC providers, but studies have shown that the dropout rate of such courses is as high as 95%.
ECP addresses the skills gap and provides an opportunity for students to equip themselves with future-ready skills while in college. The pedagogy will include a hybrid learning approach with live expert-led sessions, real-life case studies, capstone projects across domains & industries, complete hands-on approach, and in-depth trending skill sets, MeritTrac said.
MeritTrac Services CEO Ambrish Sinha said, “Companies today look to hire job-ready candidates who are productive from their very first day at work. But graduates often don’t have the skills and competencies required to succeed in the real world. Working with the higher education ecosystem has helped us identify skill gaps, and take significant steps to address the challenges of building skilled human capital that is needed for a new India.”
“Our Extended Curriculum Program provides colleges and universities with easy online access to best-in-class, live expert-led, industry-relevant courses that are specially curated to prepare their students for real world opportunities,” Sinha added.
ECP will supplement and complement the existing curriculum in varsities with specialised courses that will improve students’ employability quotient. After evaluating existing expertise and conducting a skills gap analysis, MeritTrac will determine the courses, session frequency and duration of the ECP before the actual delivery of intervention-based learning begins.
This includes aiding students to learn with a hands-on approach, self-paced learning, live SME sessions, projects, case studies and assignments, expert talks by industry veterans, and several milestone-based evaluations. Finally, students will be assessed and certified based on their industry readiness and domain expertise.
ECP will exponentially benefit the partner institutions with not only industry-relevant courses but also career assistance to students, excellent corporate pull, advanced placements, higher average salaries, a stronger alumni base and accreditation. Students can also use the benefits of their alumni status for lifelong learning and pursue other courses offered by Manipal Global Education Services at discounted fees.
Certifications for the courses will be provided by Jigsaw Academy, the leading institute in delivering emerging technologies’ training, and Manipal ProLearn, India’s largest sales academy.
MeritTrac is the country’s largest end-to-end testing and assessment provider in the private sector. Established in 2000, it provides assessment and examination management services to corporate organisations, educational institutes, and government agencies. It has helped more than 400 organisations across the globe access candidates for job readiness.
