The National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) on July 07, 2025, issued Guidelines for Multi-Skilling & Cross-Sectoral Skilling in Vocational Education & Training.
The primary purpose of introducing the Guidelines for Multi-skilling and Cross-Sectoral Qualifications is to acknowledge that new-age enterprising roles need cross sectoral skills to enable a person to perform efficiently and independently. Usage of Robots in logistics started as a Cross-Sectoral function but after a period of time it has evolved as a line function of logistics.
Multi-Skill Qualification
Multi-skilling is a Combination of Independent Job roles which can be performed by an individual. Multi-skilling pertains to those Skill-sets/ Learning Outcomes (LOs) that an individual must possess to execute a comprehensive job role that requires independent knowledge and competencies panning out in multiple sectors or sub sectors within a sector. Each job role in such combination pertains to a single qualification which may exist across different sectors or differentsub sectors within a sector. The benefits here include better return for the cost of hiring an individual (MSME sector), and increased scope of work per individual to drive economic operations etc. Example: A multipurpose human resource/ Individual who drives, cooks and is also a caretaker. A foreman who knows welding operations and paint shop operations.
Cross-Sectoral Skill Qualification
It comprises of one complete independent job role or qualification whose NOSs are spilling over two or more sectors/sub-sectors. Independently these NOSs may not be useable as a complete independent qualification/Job Role. Each job role is unique and required for a specialized field of Cross Sectoral application. Therefore, the development of such qualification involves close collaboration of 2 or more sectors which will develop NOSs relating to their concerned sectors and integrate the same with an integrating NOS to be developed together by both sectors. The training will also have to be conducted jointly/in collaboration.
The broad objectives of these guidelines are as under: -
• To define Multi-Skill & Cross-Sectoral Qualifications and outline the process of development for these qualifications.
• Process for developing multi-skilling and cross sectoral qualifications, and the commensurate training infrastructure required
• Awarding certificates, Assessment of Multi-Skill & Cross-Sectoral Qualifications.
• Establish the obligations and responsibilities for Awarding Bodies and Assessment Agencies, for sharing of ownership in case of multi-skilling and cross-sectoral qualifications.
• To ascertain that training and assessments are conducted in the right manner with the right assessors and trainers capable of undertaking multi sectoral training and assessment.
• To incentivize sectors to constructively collaborate to develop such qualifications and such trainings.
• To address the miscellaneous challenges that arise in implementation of these Qualifications.
• Setup mechanism for the resolution of any issues that arise in the implementation. There exists a requirement of various job roles which have components of multiple sectors for the effective execution of the job role. This in turn requires workforce trained in multiple skills across the sectors. The skill training in these jobs will.
The NCVET shall perform the annual performance review of the Multi-Skill/ Cross- Sectoral Skill qualification/s usage in terms of training done, placements done and other related aspects as per the standard process either by itself or through a third party at the cost to be shared by various Recognized bodies. The quality checks will be done for each individual qualification adopted by any entity in the ecosystem.
[Notification No. 32001/28/2021/NCVET]
