Kolkata, 24 December 2025

The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) in collaboration with Netaji Subhas Open University (NSOU) jointly organised a three-Day Workshop on Course Enhancement for Graduate Employability, from 22–24 December 2025 at NSOU, Kolkata. The workshop is a significant milestone in NSOU’s continued engagement with COL-CEMCA since 2024–25 to address the pressing concern of graduate employability in India. Nine faculty members, comprising faculty members from the five Schools of Studies at NSOU, participated in the workshop. They engaged in technical sessions on course enhancement and employability skills integration.

The workshop kicked off with an inaugural session, where Prof. Anirban Ghosh, Project Coordinator, NSOU, highlighted NSOU’s commitment to embedding employability attributes.
Dr. B Shadrach, Director, COL-CEMCA, emphasised West Bengal’s MSME sector as the backbone of the state’s industrial output and employment. He underscored the importance of embedding future competencies such as digital skills, AI augmentation, and green skills into the curriculum as NSOU’s graduates enter the workforce. He emphasised synergy between HEIs and local MSMEs, suggesting HEIs act as R&D wings for MSMEs for “institutional sustainability”. For West Bengal HEIs, he stressed “Hyper-Local Integration” – applying global tech to local MSMEs and advocated that Vice Chancellors should foster “Transversal Skills”, blending digital competency with diverse disciplines to preserve local heritage digitally

Dr. Soni Agarwal, Consultant, COL-CEMCA, outlined the workshop’s objectives. She emphasised India’s youth power, expressed her excitement to join this mission in West Bengal, with its thriving MSME sector. She highlighted India’s youth power and the huge scope for impact, bridging skill gaps with an enhanced curriculum and ensuring learners get job opportunities – a win-win for MSMEs and learners.

Prof. Jane Frances Agbu, Adviser, Higher Education, COL, emphasised that employability-focused education is crucial for inclusive and sustainable development. She expressed satisfaction with the project’s progress at NSOU and appreciated the university’s authorities and faculty members for their contributions to enhancing graduate employability since 2024-25. Prof. Agbu proposed organising webinars to disseminate activities and outcomes with stakeholders, including learners, faculty, university leadership, and policymakers. She stressed the need for similar collaborations to improve learner outcomes.

The technical sessions focused on conceptual clarity and practical approaches to course enhancement for employability. The sessions included discussions on integrating employability skills and attributes in the course curriculum.

The inaugural session was led by Dr. Debajit Goswami, NSOU and Dr. Papiya Upadhyay,  Project Coordinator, NSOU, delivered the vote of thanks.

The workshop’s most significant outcome was the identification and revamping of six skill-based courses from NSOU’s existing Four-Year Undergraduate (FYUG) programmes. These include five Skill Enhancement Courses (SECs) and one Vocational Course. All six course outlines are to be completed and submitted to COL-CEMCA by 15 January 2026.