Background

Globalisation has caused major change in the Indian economy over the past two decades. The influx of technology has further broughtrapid changes in economic front. This situation has had, therefore, direct implications in altering the demands of the workforce. Many are predicting that artificial intelligence and digital upheaval will continue to displace workers and create new types of work and occupations. These will require different sets of skills and knowledge. Given such a situation, the workforce of future economies will increasingly demand roles that involve perception and manipulation, creative intelligence and social intelligence. Bracing itself for the challenge ahead, the Indian Government aims to create 500 million skilled workers by the end of 2022. However the vocational education system is not effectively, as observed geared up to respond to the needs of the labour market.Given the current scenario,the education system, particularly the higher education, needs a paradigm shift in its curricular content and pedagogical discourse. Thus, the universities and colleges are bestowed upon the responsibility to revise their programmes in order to equip students to face challenges posed by the new market demands.

It is within this background that the conference will seek to deliberate and discuss the theme of ‘21^st Century Skills: Implications for skill development programmes’ and more focus on higher education level. The Conference will provide an academic forum for the exchange of ideas, perspectives and experiences on challenges encountered during theorising, planning and implementation of such programs.

Objectives of the Conference

The objectives of the conference are as below:

• To identify 21^st century skills critical to education sector as a whole and particularly in the context of higher education courseware;
• To deliberate importance of 21^st Century Skills in pedagogical framework of higher education;
• To discuss and develop a framework for transacting 21^st Century Skills in the context of vocational education programmes offered by the Universities and colleges in India;
• To deliberate and discuss the roles of industries and academia in synergising 21^st Century Skills with in higher education context; and
• To develop a framework of learning strategies by identifying appropriate tools and technologies for classrooms in facilitating learning of 21^st Century Skills.