Higher Education-Labour Market Affinity in Engineering Education: A Review of Curriculum Alignment, Employability and Skill Mismatch with Special Reference to Bihar

Abstract

In India the issue of higher education and employment is now a primary issue. The same worry is evident in engineering education, whereby the increase in the number of institutions and graduates has not necessarily resulted in increased employability and job fit or work readiness. This review paper explores the affinity between higher education and labour market with the reference of engineering colleges and new research environment of Patna district, Bihar. It examines literature on the concept of curriculum responsiveness, skill mismatch, employability of graduates, training-placement systems and internships, and regional labour market conditions and reforms in higher education in India. This linkage can't be assessed just based on placement rates as revealed by the review. It has to be curriculum relevant, with practical exposure, with the participation of employers, with emphasis on soft skills, on digital skills, with institutional support and with students' pathways in the social-economic world into the employment. There has been a definite shift towards flexible, multidisciplinary and skill based learning in recent policy reforms such as National Education Policy 2020, National Credit Framework, National Model Curriculum for Undergraduate programmes of the UGC and AICTE model curriculum initiatives. However, the research found there to be a disconnect between college education and what employers are looking for, both globally and nationally. Despite the increasing number of higher educational institutions and key technical institutions in Bihar, the district has not been adequately explored and researched. Based on this paper, a conceptual framework is proposed which connects curriculum alignment, industry interface, employability skills and institutional support with graduate labour-market outcomes. It finds that there is a need for focused policy and empirical study in engineering education in Bihar for decent relevant and sustainable employment.