PASIGHAT, 13 Feb: The Placement and Information Cell of the Arunachal Pradesh University [APU], in collaboration with Collegence and BloomAge Skill India, New Delhi, organised a placement readiness session themed ‘Strengthening master’s education through future-ready courses and digital skills’ here on 13 February.
The session was designed to equip students with essential competencies and insights required to navigate the evolving job market and enhance their employability through future-ready skills and digital literacy. The initiative aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP)-2020’s vision of transforming higher education by integrating skill development, digital literacy, and industry-relevant learning outcomes into the academic framework.
BloomAge Skill India director Dr Sarita Shanker and Collegence founder Parul Puri delivered a comprehensive and insightful presentation centred on transforming master’s education through the integration of future-ready courses and digital skills, specifically tailored for postgraduate students of Arunachal Pradesh.
Both resource persons stated that encouraging future-ready courses combined with digital skill development represents a strategic investment in the future of Arunachal, enabling the university to strengthen graduate outcomes, enhance institutional relevance, contribute to state and national development goals, and prepare students for a rapidly evolving global economy.
Dr Shanker said that higher education institutions in strategically important states like Arunachal play a critical role not only as centres of knowledge creation but also as key drivers of regional development and workforce readiness. She articulated the concept of ‘future-ready’ education as comprising academic programmes aligned with emerging high-growth sectors, skills that remain relevant despite technological change and automation, and interdisciplinary learning that combines technology, creativity, and applied knowledge.
Puri elaborated Collegence’s data-driven approach to career guidance and the practical implementation of future-ready education pathways. She highlighted the importance of digital and IT skills as foundational competencies for students across all disciplines, regardless of their academic background.
She presented detailed pathways across multiple disciplines, including technology and engineering, management and emerging business domains, basic and applied sciences, journalism and liberal arts, and education and legal studies, explaining how each pathway aligns with emerging industry needs, digital transformation, and interdisciplinary career opportunities.
Puri explained how these skills enhance academic work and research quality, improve employability across sectors, and support governance, development, business, and education initiatives within Arunachal.
She also introduced ‘study abroad pathway programmes’ as cost-effective and flexible models for master’s students to access international education through hybrid learning – initial online study from India, followed by on-campus completion at partner universities in the USA, the UK, Germany, Australia, and France, offering significant cost savings while enhancing academic quality, global perspectives, and research readiness.
An interactive question-and-answer session was also held, during which students and faculty members engaged actively with Dr Shanker and Puri on career planning, skill development opportunities, regional challenges, and practical strategies for leveraging the NEP-2020 framework to build diverse skill portfolios aligned with market needs.
Earlier, Dr Tarh Ramya, assistant professor and employment-cum-placement officer at APU, who coordinated the session, highlighted the objective behind conducting the session, emphasising the university’s commitment to bridging the gap between academic learning and industry requirements.
