Kharagpur/New Delhi, August 18, 2025 — IIT Kharagpur has launched a new “School for Skills: Healthcare & Technology” to train young people—especially from rural and semi-urban India—for frontline roles in hospitals and clinics. The centre will start with 150 trainees a year, offer short-term, NSQF-aligned courses, and place graduates across partner facilities. The first cohort begins November 2025.
Why it matters
India needs more trained hands at the bedside. Demand for General Duty Assistants (GDA), Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT), phlebotomists and radiology assistants has surged after the pandemic. Yet, many districts still struggle to hire. IIT Kharagpur’s model blends hands-on training with technology exposure, so trainees can support both routine care and device-enabled services.
What the programme offers
According to the institute’s plan, courses will follow National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) standards and include Healthcare Sector Skill Council (HSSC) certifications—credentials widely accepted by providers and payers. Trainees will rotate through IIT Kharagpur’s Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Super-Speciality Hospital for real-world practice, and they will help validate new health technologies during field trials on campus. This mix aims to improve employability from Day 1.
External sources also confirm the scope: the school will run short-term certificate programmes in GDA, EMT and other allied areas, with an annual capacity of 150 students. Careers360
Who benefits
The initiative targets rural and semi-urban youth, including women returning to work. Because the courses are short and stackable, learners can earn, upskill and re-enter training as they move up the care ladder—from ward support to critical-care assistance. Hospitals get a steady pipeline of job-ready staff, while patients benefit from better bedside support and faster service turnaround.
Standards and certification
For quality assurance, HSSC competency frameworks and NSQF levels guide curriculum, assessments and certification. This alignment makes placements easier across states and private chains, which frequently use HSSC job roles when hiring. (See NSDC’s GDA qualification file for reference.)
IIT Kharagpur’s pitch
The institute frames the school as part of a wider health-tech ecosystem—combining clinical exposure, device labs, and digital health workflows such as e-records and e-claims. In interviews, IIT Kharagpur leaders have underlined the goal: expand the allied health workforce while building confidence with technology. That approach suits hospitals that are adding point-of-care diagnostics, low-cost devices and AI-assisted tools on the floor.
Context: the workforce gap
India’s hospitals continue to expand capacity, but staffing often lags. Programmes that are short, modular and certified can close gaps faster than traditional long-cycle degrees. Just as important, allied roles open career pathways for first-generation learners—especially women—who may not have the time or savings for multi-year courses. Careers360
The road ahead
Admissions start soon, with campus placements tied to partner hospitals. Success will hinge on clinical mentoring, soft-skills training, and post-placement support. If the model scales, other IITs and state skill universities could adapt it, creating a national grid for allied health skilling.
