KEDMan Skilling Pvt. Ltd. (a joint venture between Kunskapsskolan Eduventures and Manav Rachna Educational Institutions) has been undertaking the ‘SkillEd’ Pilot project in 100 schools of Haryana. KEDMan’s SkillEd Project is a blended model of learning based on the Kunskapsskolan Education (KED) methodology combining digitisation with a personalised student-centric classroom. The pilot project aims to digitalise and enhance the vocational and employability curriculum of Classes 9-12 in state government-run schools in Haryana. Currently, vocational trainers from the respective schools are being trained at Kunskapsskolan Gurugram campus.
Mr. Peje Emilsson, Executive Chairman, Kunskapsskolan Education who is currently in India talks about the vision and the challenges faced during this freewheeling conversation:
1. How many Swedish organizations do you visualize who are committed for this noble cause?
We have spoken to a lot of Swedish companies to come forward and contribute to the cause of ‘Skilling’. We do not know the numbers yet. We are looking at quite a few who are really interested in the growing trade between India and Sweden. That’s what we are looking at. But, we are not looking at any specific numbers.

2. What efforts KED has taken to communicate to Swedish organizations about this ongoing work?
The relation that we have between KED in Sweden and KED in India is to increase cooperation and now we have evolved this Law Skilling project in Haryana. We have already met a lot of stakeholders comprising teachers and principals in the State. Based on these interactions, we have made the various models and are launching the pilot during the next week and our aim is that in the next 4-5 years we will have a few hundreds of thousands of people in this skilling program. However, the first step is that it functions as well as we believe it will. I am confident, it will as I have met a few very ambitious teachers.

3. What are the challenges you see in this project?
When you bring in any new technology, you have to bring in the right kind of combination between teachers and technology. You have to learn to teach in a slightly different way, you have to adapt. The teachers with us in our training program have made use of this technology. Changes have been made to suit the acumen of all the stakeholders involved.

4. I understand that KED and MREI together have formed KEDMAN. What vision do you have for KEDMAN as an organization?
In Kunskappskolan, we are providing K12 education for rural educational concept. These specific Law Skilling concepts developed in discussion with school principals is being taken up by KEDMAN in the state of Haryana. I see that the state of Haryana has a lot of potential, as do many other states of India. In that interest, we are looking at taking Skilling and Vocational Education to the next level in the best possible way.