Punjab and IIT Madras join hands to train school teachers as career mentor

Chandigarh, Dec 5 (PTI) The Punjab government has collaborated with the Indian Institute of Technology Madras-Pravartak to roll out a statewide career guidance programme to create a structure where every teacher becomes a trained career mentor, an official statement issued here said on Friday.

Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains said that over 5,000 teachers will be trained to guide students towards informed, future-ready career choices under the ambitious teachers-upskilling programme.

Bains stated that the programme will offer teachers free online training in foundational career counselling, skills for classroom sessions and one-on-one guidance.

He added that Punjab has become the first state to implement a state-level career counselling guidance programme for teachers.

They will gain access to top 100 high-demand careers, structured assessment tools and a comprehensive guidance framework aligned with emerging national and global career trends.

IIT Madras Pravartak (a technology innovation hub of IIT Madras) will provide continuous academic support and digital resources, he said, according to an official statement.

Dr Amarpal Singh, Chairman of the Punjab School Education Board, added that this initiative is expected to particularly benefit students in rural and underserved areas, offering them access to high-quality guidance that was previously limited to private counsellors.

Over the next few months, thousands of teachers will acquire new skills, new confidence and a new ability to shape the futures of lakhs of children, he said.

Expressing happiness over the partnership with PSEB, Chief Knowledge Officer of IIT Madras Pravartak, Srikanth, said, "Our aim is simple, no child in Punjab should make a career choice in confusion or without the right information." "Our goal with this collaboration is to make a meaningful impact by enabling teachers to serve as effective career mentors in their schools. Through this engagement, teachers will serve as the backbone of a structured career guidance ecosystem," Bains said.

Bains said that once trained, teachers will be equipped to help students identify their strengths, explore new-age professions and choose pathways grounded in evidence and aptitude, not guesswork or hearsay. PTI SUN SHS SHS SHS