Certificate, diploma, B.Voc. and M.Voc. programmes in India that put practical training first and let you step out at each stage with a recognised award.
Vocational programmes teach you to do a particular kind of work, and give you a recognised certificate, diploma or degree for it. Most of your time goes into workshops, labs and on-the-job training with an industry partner. The rest is general education.
They follow the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF), which sets out what a learner should know and be able to do at each level. Under it, the University Grants Commission (UGC) introduced the Bachelor of Vocation (B.Voc.) and Master of Vocation (M.Voc.) degrees, and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) approves the Diploma in Vocation (D.Voc.).
Revamp Consultancy helps you choose the field, the level and the institution, and check that the award is recognised before you pay a fee.
Practical work comes first, so you already have working experience on the day you receive the award.
Each year ends in an award of its own. Leave with a diploma, work for a while, and come back for the degree.
Many vocational programmes cost less than a conventional degree in the same field. Fees differ widely, so we compare them for you.
A B.Voc. is a bachelor's degree. You can go on to an M.Voc. or another postgraduate course.
UGC's scheme for community colleges and B.Voc. programmes fixes the balance of the curriculum. Credits and a semester system are compulsory, and industry partners take part in designing the course, training you and assessing you.
Some skill universities publish a higher practical share for their own programmes. We tell you the split for the course you choose.
Vocational study is arranged as a ladder. You join after Class 12, and each stage you complete gives you an award you can take to an employer. Stay longer and the award grows.
Leave after one year with a Diploma, after two with an Advanced Diploma, or after three with the B.Voc. degree. Each is a complete award.
Come back later and continue from where you stopped, subject to the university's rules on how long credits stay valid.
Under UGC's scheme, a Diploma (Level 5) or Advanced Diploma (Level 6) from a community college can take you into the second or third year of a B.Voc.
| Level | Qualification | Usual duration | Who can enter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 and 2 | Certificate | Short course | Class 10 |
| 3 | Certificate | Short course | Class 12 |
| 4 | Advanced Certificate | 6 months | Class 12 |
| 5 | Diploma | 1 year | Class 12 |
| 6 | Advanced Diploma | 2 years | Class 12 |
| 7 | Degree (B.Voc.) | 3 years | Class 12 |
| 8 | Postgraduate Diploma | 1 year | A degree, or Level 7 |
| 9 | Master's (M.Voc.) | 2 years | A degree, or Level 8 |
| 10 | Doctorate | 3 years or more | A master's degree, or Level 9 |
These are the ten levels of the framework as first notified in 2013, which most prospectuses still quote. In June 2023 the framework was revised to an eight-point scale that matches the National Credit Framework. On the new scale the three years of a bachelor's degree sit at Levels 4.5, 5 and 5.5, a two-year master's after it at 6.5, and a doctorate at 8. You may see either set of numbers. The awards themselves are the same.
Universities name their programmes after a job sector rather than an academic subject. These are the ones offered most often. Availability differs from one institution to the next.
Workshop and shop-floor trades
Software, data and digital work
Some programmes ask for science subjects in Class 12
Service industries with large employers
Portfolio-based creative work
Farm, processing and allied skills
Office, accounts and customer-facing roles
Working directly with people
Tell us the kind of work you want to do. We will find which institutions offer it, at which level, and what each asks for at admission.
B.Voc. and M.Voc. are degrees, so only a university can award them. That includes central, state, deemed and private universities, and the newer skill universities that offer nothing but skill-based programmes.
These names are listed for information only. They are not a ranking, and listing does not mean Revamp Consultancy is an authorised representative of the university. Programmes, intake and fees change every year.
Students often ask this. The short answer: they do run skill programmes, but mostly as short certificates with national skill agencies, not as vocational degrees.
As far as we know, no IIT or IIM awards a D.Voc., B.Voc. or M.Voc. degree. If you want a vocational degree, look at the universities above. If you want a short, well-regarded skill certificate in a technology area, the IIT programmes are worth a look, and they are announced batch by batch on each institute's website and on the Skill India Digital Hub.
A great deal of vocational training in India happens outside universities. These bodies award certificates and diplomas of their own, or teach a programme whose degree comes from an affiliating university.
Central government institutes under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, including several for women only.
The largest network for trade training, with government and private institutes in every district.
Eighteen autonomous centres, among them the Indo German Tool Rooms and the Central Tool Room and Training Centres.
Engineering colleges and polytechnics that hold AICTE approval for vocational education.
Separate units set up inside UGC-recognised colleges and universities to serve local industry.
Private and non-profit training centres approved to teach NSQF-aligned job roles.
Unless a programme is affiliated to a university, the award from these bodies is a certificate or diploma and not a degree. Before you join, ask who signs the final certificate and at which NSQF level it stands. We check this with you.
The Board of Open Schooling and Skill Education (BOSSE), set up by the Government of Sikkim under Act No. 14 of 2020, runs vocational programmes for named job roles. Many are open to learners who have passed Class 10. Training takes place at an institution the board has approved for that programme.
| Programme or job role | Faculty | Who can join | Where you train |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate, 6 months480 hours, 20 credits | |||
| Front Office Operator | Business and Management | Class 10 | An established hospital or hotel |
| Digital Marketing Executive | Business and Management | Class 10 | An approved institution offering the course |
| Graphic Designer | Computing and Information Technology | Class 10 | An institution with practical and theory facilities |
| Animation and VFX Designer | Computing and Information Technology | Class 10 | An institution with practical and theory facilities |
| Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Professional | Computing and Information Technology | Class 10 | An approved institution offering the course |
| Hair Dresser | Science | Class 10 | An institution with practical and theory facilities |
| Beautician | Science | Class 10 | An institution with practical and theory facilities |
| Certificate, 1 year960 hours, 40 credits | |||
| X-Ray Technician | Paramedical Science | Class 12 with Biology, 50% marks | An approved hospital or an established laboratory with classrooms |
| Dispensing Optician | Paramedical Science | Class 12 with Science | An established eye hospital or optometry college |
| Patient Care Management Executive | Paramedical Science | Class 12 with Biology, 50% marks | An approved hospital or paramedical college |
| Dietician and Nutritionist | Paramedical Science | Class 12 with Biology, 50% marks | An approved hospital or paramedical college |
| Geriatric Care Aide | Paramedical Science | Class 12 with Biology, 50% marks | An approved hospital, nursing home, old age home or NGO with training facilities |
| Hospital Administration Executive | Paramedical Science | Class 10 | An approved hospital or an established laboratory with classrooms |
| Catering Professional | Hospitality and Tourism Management | Class 10 | An established hotel |
| Fashion Designer | Fine Arts and Designing | Class 10 | An institution with practical and theory facilities |
| Insurance Services Executive | Business and Management | Class 10 | Any approved institution |
| Diploma, 2 years1,920 hours, 80 credits | |||
| Foundational Stage Educator | Education | Class 12, 50% marks | A recognised nursery, elementary or secondary school |
"Class 10" means a Secondary certificate (National Credit Framework Level 3). "Class 12" means a Senior Secondary certificate, or Class 10 followed by a two-year ITI certificate (Level 4). Practical and theory hours are set programme by programme. The same board also offers individual skill subjects alongside Class 10 and Class 12, described on our Pre-University Programs page.
The rules below are the usual ones. Each university sets its own minimum marks, and some hold an interview or a short test.
| Programme | Duration | Usual eligibility |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate, Diploma, Advanced Diploma | 6 months to 2 years | A pass in Class 12 (10+2) or an equivalent, in any stream. Board-level certificate programmes may accept Class 10. |
| B.Voc. | 3 years | A pass in Class 12 or an equivalent, in any stream. Some universities also accept a two-year ITI certificate or a three-year polytechnic diploma taken after Class 10. Paramedical programmes may ask for science subjects. |
| B.Voc., lateral entry | 1 or 2 years | A Diploma (Level 5) for entry to the second year, or an Advanced Diploma (Level 6) for entry to the third year, in the same or a related sector. |
| M.Voc. | 2 years | A B.Voc. or an equivalent bachelor's degree, usually in a related field. |
Class 10 and Class 12 mark sheets and certificates, plus ITI, diploma or degree certificates if you are using them for entry.
Aadhaar card or passport, transfer certificate, migration certificate where the university asks for one, and passport-size photographs.
A community certificate for reserved categories, and income or disability certificates if you are applying for a fee concession or scholarship.
Advertisements for vocational courses often carry phrases like "UGC approved" or "AICTE approved". Each of those can be checked, and it takes a few minutes.
B.Voc. and M.Voc. are degrees specified by UGC. They are valid when the awarding university appears in UGC's list of recognised universities. A training centre cannot award them on its own.
For a D.Voc. or a B.Voc. taught in an engineering college or polytechnic, the institution and the specific programme should appear in AICTE's approved list for the year you join.
The National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) recognises awarding bodies and approves qualifications. An NSQF-aligned certificate states its level on the certificate.
Accreditation and rankings such as NAAC and NIRF tell you about the quality of an institution. They are separate from the approval that makes an award valid. Admission to a particular course, and eligibility for a particular post, are decided by that university or employer.
We go through these with every student, for the programme and institution they have chosen.
An employer does not have to train a vocational graduate from the beginning, which is the main advantage you carry into an interview.
Diploma and degree holders move into technician, supervisor, executive and assistant roles in the sector they trained for. Many are hired by the company where they did their on-the-job training.
A B.Voc. is a bachelor's degree, so you can apply for an M.Voc. and for other postgraduate programmes that accept graduates of any discipline. Each university decides its own entry rules.
Fields such as beauty and wellness, fashion, bakery, repair services and digital work suit self-employment. Entrepreneurship is part of most vocational curricula.
No institution or counsellor can promise a job. We help you judge a programme by its training, its industry links and where its past students are working.
We are an independent counselling service. The university, board or institute teaches the programme and awards the qualification.
Your interests, what you have studied so far, how long you can study and what you can spend.
We compare programmes, check recognition, and explain eligibility and fees for each one.
We help you prepare documents and complete the application, from the form to fee payment.
Guidance on internships, on-the-job training and where to go after the award, whether work or further study.
It is a three-year bachelor's degree specified by UGC and awarded by a university, so it counts as graduation. Whether a particular postgraduate course or recruitment accepts it depends on the wording of that prospectus or notification, and we check that for your goal.
D.Voc. is a Diploma in Vocation approved by AICTE and taught mainly in polytechnics, usually joined after Class 10. B.Voc. is a bachelor's degree joined after Class 12. A D.Voc. holder can normally move on to a B.Voc.
Yes. Complete the first year and you receive a Diploma. Complete the second and you receive an Advanced Diploma. You can return later to finish the degree, within the time limit the university sets.
Most B.Voc. programmes admit students from any stream. A few, mainly in paramedical and some engineering fields, ask for science subjects. We confirm this for each programme.
Some universities accept a two-year ITI certificate or a three-year polytechnic diploma taken after Class 10 in place of Class 12. Others give diploma holders lateral entry to the second year.
Not as far as we know. Some IITs run short skill certificate courses with national skill agencies, and nine IIMs host a fellowship in skill development policy. See the section on national institutes above.
Vocational programmes are designed around employment and include training in a workplace, which improves your chances. Nobody can guarantee placement. Ask each institution which companies trained and hired its last batch.
No. We counsel and guide. The university, board or training institution teaches, examines and awards the qualification.
Drop by our Pondicherry office or reach out below. Your Future. Our Guidance.