Universities are witnessing a rise in student enrolment in Skill Enhancement Courses (SECs), where the inclination is more towards soft skills courses. Introduced in 2022 by the UGC, the SECs were rolled out to offer additional support to increase their participation in outreach activities that offer 2 credits each semester.  More than 150 courses are being offered under SEC which are divided into multiple specialised courses.

At the University of Delhi (DU), subjects include Communication in Everyday Life, Personality Development and Communication and Political Leadership and Communication have emerged as one of the popular courses. The trend highlights a growing emphasis on job readiness among students and their earnestness to bridge the skill gap.

Practical skills such as Digital Marketing have been the most popular SEC over the past three years with more than 7000 students opting for it in the last three years. A similar trend of rising interest in soft skills has also been observed at the Central University of Tamil Nadu (CUTN), where Communicative English, Digital Marketing, Public Speaking, Financial Literacy, and Cyber Defence are popular subjects.

Speaking to Education Times, Payal Mago, chairperson, Skill Enhancement Committee, DU, says, “A confident personality and strong communication skills are important traits for job seekers and entrepreneurs in every sector. Students are realising this from an industry lens and opting for the course.”

SECs such as Communication in Everyday Life and Personality Development and Communication have seen an increase in enrolment of over 37% and 9% respectively between 2022-23 to 2024-25. These courses are taught by DU teachers who undergo faculty development programmes (FDPs) to teach the SEC subjects.  The trend of rise in enrolment also indicates that such SECs are especially beneficial for students hailing from rural and underserved communities. “Around 60% of our students come from states outside Delhi, many even from rural areas. These courses help bridge the essential language and communication skills gap among these students,” adds Prof Mago.

Speaking about the popularity of Digital Marketing, Prof Mago says, “With the advent of online marketing and the e-commerce sector, digital marketing has gained popularity. Moreover, this industry has a lot of jobs, and it widens the scope to start one’s venture.” Although the enrolment in digital marketing dipped by 5% from 7,441 in 2022-23 to 7,064 in 2024-25, the course remains the top choice for students.  

Despite registering a significant enrolment dip of 38% in Political Leadership and Communication in 2022-24, the subject remains among the top choices. “The availability of internships in government offices has increased, which has made students realise the importance of leadership skills. Several students got an internship after acquiring specific skills,” she adds. 

The faculty encourages first-year students to develop soft skills, and as a result, they opt for these courses. “We encourage all first-year students to start with these before moving on to specialised skills,” adds Prof Mago. Besides the top four choices, students are also opting for the Basic Computer course. “This is because students from non-technical courses are realising the importance of being well-versed with Excel and other digital skills, which every job requires nowadays,” adds Prof Mago. 

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