Ranchi: The Jharkhand Education Project Council (JEPC) would organise a state-level ‘Skill Competition-cum-Skill Exhibition 2026’ on November 18 for govt school students enrolled in classes IX to XII as part of the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) vocational education programme, the JEPC said in a statement.The district finalists would display working models, prototypes, and innovative concepts across trades, including agriculture, apparel, automotive, beauty and wellness, electronics and hardware, healthcare, IT-ITeS, media and entertainment, retail, and tourism and hospitality. An industry-led jury would assess the projects based on technical proficiency, creativity, innovation, presentation, and time management.JEPC state project director Shashi Ranjan said, “Vocational education, which is implemented in 803 schools across Jharkhand, plays a strategic role in equipping young learners with practical skills and industry-relevant competencies, enabling them to become employable and entrepreneurial. A skill competition is being organised for classes IX to XII students, who are pursuing vocational courses, to further promote skill mastery, innovation, and motivation among students.”Participants would be marked for their core trade skills in real time, vocational problem-solving scenarios, and pitching entrepreneurial ventures — including trade-specific mobile apps and digital tools — to highlight their digital literacy and commercial feasibility.Besides highlighting practical talent, teamwork, and leadership, the event is designed to identify promising students for advanced mentorship and national-level competitions, while fostering stronger parental and community backing for vocational training.Aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the event seeks to boost applied learning and industry readiness. Since 2015–16, JEPC has rolled out 15 vocational courses across 803 govt schools, supported by implementation partners IPE Global, Lend-A-Hand India, and the Centre for Catalyzing Change (C3).
