14^th CII National Higher Education Summit

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is hosting the 14th National Higher Education Summit on 18 November 2024 at the Indian Habitat Centre, New Delhi, with the theme "Preparing a Future Workforce for India@100."

The Indian Education System is changing, helped by the introduction of NEP. Indian Higher Education institutions have shown improvement in the QS World Rankings, Times World University rankings, etc. While the number of students intake, research publications, and faculty intake show improvement, there are many areas which need change to match the countries known as education hubs. Some of the areas which need improvement include industry readiness of students, quality of research work, lifelong learning, embracing design thinking in education, faculty development, AI implementation in education research besides strengthening industry–academia collaboration.

The 14th edition of the Summit is an attempt to engage various stakeholders involved in Higher Education both from the public and private sector besides Government, to deliberate on these critical issues in order to contribute towards building the future workforce for 2047 and beyond. The objective of this initiative is to develop a Roadmap to address these critical challenges to become a developed nation by 2047.

Key Sessions:

1. Can India’s New Private Universities Rethink Higher Education?

   This session will deliberate on how new private universities can rethink the way education is being delivered and bring in newer ways of teaching, learning, curriculum development, etc. processes to bring in holistic learning, critical thinking skills in addition to technical skills among the students in order to reduce the industry readiness gap contributing towards the theme of preparing a future-ready workforce for the nation.

2. Industry Readiness and Lifelong Learning: Building a Skilled Workforce

   This session will critically analyse the issues pertaining to industry readiness of passing graduates and lifelong learning needs in the context of the Indian job market. The panel will deliberate on these challenges and suggest solutions to address these issues in order to prepare a future workforce capable of taking on any challenges in the job market. Additionally, the panel discussion will also focus on solutions to address the need for continuous skill development and industry-aligned education to meet the needs of both future workforce and reskilling/upskilling of the existing workforce.

3. Embracing Design Thinking in Education – The Future Agenda

   Design Thinking is gaining importance globally and also in India. As a result, workforce with knowledge of design thinking — from developing algorithms to prototyping and manufacturing — are expected to have an edge in the job market. This session will deliberate on integrating design thinking principles into education to foster creativity, problem-solving, and innovation.

4. Fostering an Ecosystem for Quality Research, Faculty Development, and Innovation

   Higher Education Institutes always strive to improve the quality of research, work towards constantly upgrading the skills of their faculty, and innovate in delivering education to their students. This requires continuous brainstorming on conducting industry and society-relevant research, investing in faculty development initiatives to improve pedagogical skills, enhancing industry engagement to address industry readiness gaps, and adopting best practices in research collaborations with industry. The session will also discuss the usage of digital technologies, like AI, in research activities. This panel discussion will deliberate on these issues and suggest implementable solutions to address them.