NCVET has held the first meeting of its Research Advisory Committee with participation from IIM Calcutta, TISS, NCAER, IITs and other institutions to strengthen research-led policymaking in India’s vocational education and training ecosystem.

Skill Development | Vocational Education | Policy & Research | TVET

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New Delhi, May 22, 2026: The National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET), functioning under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), has conducted the first meeting of its newly constituted Research Advisory Committee (RAC), marking an important institutional step towards strengthening evidence-based policymaking in India’s vocational education and training ecosystem.

The meeting saw participation from leading academic and research institutions, including IIM Calcutta, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), IITs and other knowledge partners. The initiative is expected to support NCVET’s efforts to build a stronger research foundation for long-term planning, regulatory improvement and quality enhancement in the skill development sector.

The formation of the Research Advisory Committee reflects NCVET’s growing focus on using data, research and field-level evidence to guide policy decisions in vocational education and training. The newly formed Research Division is expected to contribute to systematic studies, policy research, sectoral analysis and evidence-based recommendations for strengthening India’s skilling framework.

For a rapidly evolving labour market, research-led planning is becoming increasingly important. Skill development programmes need to remain aligned with industry demand, emerging technologies, employment trends and the changing aspirations of learners. Through the RAC, NCVET is expected to bring together academic institutions, policy researchers and sector experts to support this process.

NCVET is the national regulator for vocational education and training in India. It plays a key role in setting standards, regulating awarding bodies and assessment agencies, and ensuring quality assurance across the skill development ecosystem.

The council works to improve the credibility and relevance of vocational education by aligning training programmes with industry needs and national employment priorities. Its regulatory role covers qualification standards, assessment systems, quality benchmarks and institutional recognition within the vocational education and training framework.

With the first RAC meeting, NCVET is now moving towards a more structured research mechanism that can support better decision-making in areas such as qualification design, assessment quality, industry linkage, learner outcomes and labour market responsiveness.

The participation of institutions such as IIM Calcutta, TISS, NCAER and IITs brings significant academic and policy expertise to the advisory process. These institutions are expected to contribute insights related to labour markets, social development, economic research, management systems, technology, education policy and workforce planning.

Their involvement may help strengthen research quality and ensure that future recommendations are grounded in credible evidence, sectoral realities and long-term employment trends.

India’s vocational education and training system serves a wide range of stakeholders, including students, training providers, awarding bodies, assessment agencies, employers, industry associations and government departments. For such a large ecosystem, policy decisions require reliable data and research-backed insights.

The Research Advisory Committee can help bridge the gap between policy design and implementation by supporting studies on what works, what needs improvement and how skill development outcomes can be measured more effectively.

The initiative is also significant at a time when India is focusing on employability, future skills, apprenticeship, digital learning, industry-integrated training and global workforce mobility.

The Research Division and the RAC are expected to support NCVET in several key areas, including:

Improving evidence-based policymaking in vocational education and training.

Strengthening long-term planning for India’s skilling ecosystem.

Supporting better alignment between training programmes and labour market demand.

Improving quality assurance mechanisms for awarding bodies and assessment agencies.

Encouraging research on learner outcomes, employability and industry relevance.

Helping policymakers identify emerging skill gaps and future workforce requirements.

The first meeting of NCVET’s Research Advisory Committee indicates a broader shift towards stronger governance and research-backed regulation in India’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training ecosystem.

As the country continues to expand its skill development initiatives, the need for credible research, measurable outcomes and industry-aligned planning will remain central. NCVET’s move to institutionalise research support through the RAC could help create a more responsive, transparent and future-ready vocational education framework.

The first Research Advisory Committee meeting of NCVET is a significant development for India’s skill development and vocational education sector. By engaging leading institutions such as IIM Calcutta, TISS, NCAER, IITs and other experts, NCVET is taking a step towards deeper research, better data use and more informed policymaking.

For India’s skilling ecosystem, this initiative could play an important role in improving quality, strengthening regulation and ensuring that vocational education remains aligned with employment opportunities and industry requirements.