The National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) conducted the second meeting of its Research Advisory Committee on 8 October 2026, chaired by Smt. Debashree Mukherjee, who serves as both NCVET Chairperson and Secretary of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. The meeting included participation from Prof. (Dr.) Ashok Kumar Gaba (Executive Member, NCVET), Lt Col Saurabh S. Bisht (Director, NCVET), and representatives from multiple government bodies including Ministry of Labour and Employment, NITI Aayog, Directorate General of Training, and National Institute of Labour Economics Research and Development (NILERD), along with participating States and Union Territories of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, and Jammu and Kashmir.
Committee Deliberations and Progress Review
The Committee reviewed progress since its first meeting on 20 May 2026 and deliberated on future priorities for NCVET's Research Division. Lt Col Saurabh S. Bisht presented an update on activities undertaken since the previous meeting. The committee discussed NCVET's proposed annual research agenda, emphasizing the need to distinguish between immediate-term studies and longer-term research including longitudinal and impact studies. The Research Division's role in commissioning and facilitating quality research in collaboration with research institutions and stakeholders was highlighted.
Research Infrastructure Development
The Committee reviewed work on developing a common knowledge repository of research relevant to the vocational education, training and skilling sector. Members discussed the possibility of creating a digital platform to improve access to research outputs and facilitate documentation and dissemination of good practices. The draft NCVET Research Scheme Guidelines were considered, with members emphasizing that guidelines should be simple, practical, aligned with NCVET's mandate, and capable of encouraging participation by academic and other relevant institutions.
Funding and Knowledge Sharing Initiatives
The possibility of supporting research through grants and fellowships was discussed as part of the capacity-building efforts. Members also discussed developing an annual calendar of lectures and webinars on themes such as skill-demand forecasting, measurement of skill-development outcomes, and other priority areas relevant to the sector. The meeting reaffirmed the importance of bringing together research, evidence, and diverse stakeholder perspectives to inform policy, strengthen regulation, and improve outcomes across India's vocational education, training and skilling ecosystem.