S. Vishnu Sharma
IIT Madras is partnering with the industry and other higher education institutes to offer employability-focused courses on SWAYAM Plus.
The Higher Education Institutions will collaborate with SWAYAM Plus to encourage students to take up these industry-relevant courses as part of their academic curriculum, say sources from IIT Madras.
Learners
Through the MoUs signed with these institutes, the initial phase is set to bring in over 2,500 learners enrolling in courses on SWAYAM Plus in the coming weeks, say sources from IIT Madras.
SWAYAM Plus will also onboard more Institutes, targeting the enrolment of more than 10,000 students from various institutions who will be taking SWAYAM Plus courses for credits.
IInvenTiv 2025
The MoUs were signed during the recently-held IInvenTiv 2025 event at IIT Madras campus on 28 February and 1 March 2025.
The pacts were signed in the presence of Dr. Sukanta Majumdar, Minister of State for Education and Development of North Eastern Region, Government of India, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, Prof. R. Sarathi, Dean (Planning), IIT Madras & SWAYAM Plus Coordinator, IIT Madras and other stakeholders.
Dean (Planning) at IIT Madras
Highlighting the importance of this collaboration, Prof. R. Sarathi, Dean (Planning), IIT Madras & SWAYAM Plus Coordinator, IIT Madras, said the objective of these MoUs is to encourage higher education institutions to embed SWAYAM Plus courses into their semester schedules.
Institutions will conduct proctored exams and award academic credits to students upon completing these courses and their assessments, said Prof R Sarathi of IIT Madras.
Initiative
SWAYAM Plus is an initiative by the Ministry of Education, Department of Higher Education, with IIT Madras designated as the nodal agency for its implementation.
The platform aims to revolutionize professional development by providing access to high-quality learning content and career growth opportunities, empowering learners to take charge of their futures.
Employability focus
The MoUs signed with the Industry will enable them to offer employability-focused courses on the SWAYAM Plus portal.
The goal is to enhance learners’ job prospects by equipping them with industry-relevant skills. The Industry MoUs were signed with Veranda Learning Solutions and NSE Academy, say sources from IIT Madras.
HEIs
The collaborations with Higher Education Institutions will allow them to integrate SWAYAM Plus courses into their curriculum.
SWAYAM Plus will support the implementation of these courses, including assessments and certification.
These MoUs were signed with Sathyabama University, Thiagarajar College of Arts, Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Sri Venkateswara University and Vinayaka Mission’s Law School.
Industry partners
Industry partners will offer courses that focus on industry-specific skills and employability.
These courses will be made available on SWAYAM Plus, allowing learners to gain practical and career-relevant knowledge.
They will share courses, which will be onboarded on SWAYAM Plus after the approval from the Programme Implementation Committee at IIT Madras.
Enrolment
The vision is to gradually increase student enrolment in SWAYAM Plus courses, expand adoption across HEIs, and eventually achieve State-wide and nationwide integration of the platform as the primary source for industry-relevant courses with academic credits.
Key focus
A key focus of SWAYAM Plus is to mainstream skill development in higher education. The platform currently hosts around 350 courses from 50+ leading industry players.
These MoUs will help expand course offerings and encourage Higher Education Institutes to integrate them into their academic programs, making SWAYAM Plus the preferred platform for skill-based learning in India.
About IIT Madras
Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) was established in 1959 by the Government of India as an ‘Institute of National Importance.’
The activities of the Institute in various fields of Science and Technology are carried out in 18 academic departments and several advanced interdisciplinary research academic centres.
The Institute offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes leading to B.Tech., M.Sc., M.B.A., M.Tech., M.S., and Ph.D., degrees in a variety of specialisations.
IITM is a residential institute with more than 650 faculty and 10,000 students. Students from 18 countries are enrolled here.
IITM fosters an active entrepreneurial culture with strong curricular support and through the IITM Incubation Cell.
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