Cambridge University signed MOU with Vidyanta Skills Institute

EDUCATION

by Shrutee K/DNS

Mumbai, 1st Oct 2015 Cambridge University Press India has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Vidyanta Skills Institute, a National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) partner to develop content that raises the bar in English language learning and training.

Vidyanta Skills Institute is engaged in providing hands-on technical and clinical soft skills training for healthcare and non-healthcare professionals.  It is on the threshold of expanding to other areas of skill development in keeping with the vision of 21^st century India.

Speaking on the partnership, Ratnesh Kumar Jha, Managing Director, Cambridge University Press, South Asia, said “English is the language of the world, hence the quality of English that we use needs to be of global-best standards.  We aim to develop English as a life skill which would help the youth from diverse sectors prepare to get job-ready not just for India but globally as well. In our continued endeavour to promote English, we are delighted to partner with Vidyanta and co-develop quality content with focus on English as an integral part of skill development.”

As a part of the MOU, Cambridge University Press and Vidyanta Skills will together develop content for nursing training syllabus; provide skills training in State Government Secondary schools; working towards moving the IELTS band of nurses to 7.0 from 6.5. In addition to these, both Cambridge University Press and Vidyanta Skills will help train the trainers to match international standards.

Vidyanta Skills and Cambridge University Press will co-develop content to up-skill nursing trainees in language and professional skills, offering post-research input on nursing curriculum context and delivery. The two organisations would also be co-marketing learning material to nursing schools and colleges across India.

For skills training in State Government Secondary Schools, content for ‘Train the Trainer’ would be co-developed by Cambridge University Press and Vidyanta Skills to up-skill 9^th grade to 12^th grade teachers in acquiring and teaching ‘soft skills’ along with short courses or workshops for students of the same grades.  Student level content would also be co-developed for continued Language learning.

Jonathan Lance, Co-CEO of Vidyanta Skills Institute Pvt. Ltd. says, “We are excited to be in partnership with the world’s leading provider of English.  Our commitment to excellence in training delivery and a desire to enable people achieve their dreams form the foundation for our association with Cambridge.  As the co-content developer and training partner, we look forward to carrying this out by initiating a major shift from teaching English to training it as a life skill in order to make people employable in India and overseas.” Cambridge University Press would additionally be sharing sample teacher and student books to help Vidyanta Skills students improve in IELTS writing module. The Teacher Knowledge Test (TKT) would also be taken by Vidyanta trainers to match international standards.

About Cambridge University Press India

Cambridge University Press is part of the University of Cambridge. It furthers the University’s mission by disseminating knowledge in the pursuit of education, learning and research at the highest international levels of excellence.

Cambridge University Press provides educational and academic materials to learners across India and South Asia. The Press has had its presence in South Asia for more than a decade with significant contribution to academic research, journals and academic works.

The focus of the Press has been to develop content that directly impacts skill based industry, research based publishing and learning solutions in K through 12 for the new age learners as well as every other English learning teaching program. It publishes, in both print and digital media, original titles in three major areas of study: academic, education (school) and ELT (English Language Teaching).

Cambridge University Press is committed to finding innovative ways to inculcate higher standards of English in their teaching, learning and assessment. They create curriculum based content for teachers and learners and intends to host several discussions, nationally, highlighting the importance of English skill requirements with adequate quality for teachers, learners and the industry in India.

Headquartered in New Delhi, Cambridge University Press has eight regional offices in India including offices in Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore and Thiruvananthapuram. With over 200 employees in the country, CUP serves all of South Asia: India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Maldives.