Chandigarh, December 5
Punjab has taken a lead across the country by collaborating with the IIT Madras Pravartak to roll out statewide career guidance program to create a structure where every teacher becomes a trained career mentor. Disclosing this here today, 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 program.
Bains stated that the program will offer teachers free online training in foundational career counselling, skills for classroom sessions and one-on-one guidance. 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 will provide continuous academic support and digital resources.
“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 stated, while adding that now, Punjab becomes the first state to implement a state-level career counselling guidance program for teachers.
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. Dr Amarpal Singh, Chairman PSEB added that this initiative is expected to particularly benefit students in rural and underserved areas, offering them access to high-quality guidance that was earlier 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.
Expressing happiness over the partnership with PSEB, Chief Knowledge Officer of IIT Madras Pravartak Mr Srikanth said, “Our aim is simple — no child in Punjab should make a career choice in confusion or without the right information.”
