Bhubaneswar: In a significant move to bridge the gap between formal schooling and employability, the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) has entered into a strategic partnership with Odisha-based Centurion University to expand access to skill-integrated education for school dropouts and underprivileged youth across the country.
The collaboration, formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), seeks to create a seamless pathway between vocational training and academic certification, combining NIOS’s nationwide schooling framework with Centurion University’s portfolio of more than 100 market-driven skill programmes. The initiative is expected to support inclusive socio-economic development by enabling learners to earn formal qualifications alongside industry-relevant skills.
The MoU was signed by Col. Shakeel Ahmad, secretary of NIOS, and Prof. Supriya Pattanayak, Vice-Chancellor of Centurion University, in the presence of senior academic and administrative leaders from both institutions, including NIOS Director (Vocational Education) Dr T.N. Giri and Centurion University president Prof. Mukti Kanta Mishra.
Key features of the partnership include academic integration that will allow vocational trainees to obtain Class 10 and 12 equivalency certifications, apprenticeship-embedded diploma programmes at accredited industry locations, and a reciprocal credit transfer system between NIOS and Centurion University vocational courses. The collaboration also envisions pan-India skill assessment and certification under the National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET).
“This partnership removes barriers between vocational training and formal schooling. By creditising skill certificates, we are offering learners a flexible and recognised pathway to both a diploma and high school equivalency,” said Col. Ahmad.
Prof. Pattanayak said the initiative aligns education with livelihood opportunities. “By merging our skill ecosystem with NIOS’s national reach, we are providing underprivileged youth with formal academic identity and industry-ready expertise,” she noted.
Under the agreement, NIOS will extend academic and technical support, including learning materials, while Centurion University will lead beneficiary identification and programme implementation in sectors such as automotive, hospitality, agriculture and allied health sciences. Both institutions will jointly conduct training-of-trainers programmes to strengthen vocational pedagogy.
Established in 1989 under the Union ministry of education, NIOS is India’s largest open schooling system. Centurion University is recognised for its skill-integrated higher education model focused on creating sustainable livelihoods.
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