Tamil Nadu expands Naan Mudhalvan initiative to healthcare

The Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation (TNSDC) is set to expand its flagship Naan Mudhalvan programme to students pursuing Nursing and Allied Health Sciences, to enhance employability in the healthcare sector.

As part of this new initiative, students will receive specialised training in communication skills and digital skills — two competencies increasingly critical in today’s clinical environments.

“We held multiple rounds of discussions with MGR University, the Nursing Council and several other stakeholders and have introduced these courses based on their collective feedback. These are not generic modules — they are custom-designed for hospital settings. The stakeholders were involved throughout the curriculum finalisation,” Kranthi Kumar Pati, Managing Director of the Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation (TNSDC) said. “Our board has approved this,” he added.

These courses are tailored specifically for hospital environments, focusing on how students should interact effectively with both doctors and patients, Mr. Pati explained. “Tamil Nadu is a major hub for medical tourism, and our nurses increasingly explore opportunities abroad as well. So, this will help them,” he noted.

This will be offered to students from the upcoming academic session, which begins in November. For students pursuing Nursing and Allied Health courses, the programme will run for 40 hours. Those enrolled in Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy programmes, it will comprise 20 hours of training.

Skill registry

During the interaction Mr. Pati also highlighted a new initiative launched by the department — the TNSkill Registry, a portal designed for employers, industries and students who have undergone training under the Naan Mudhalvan scheme.

Students can upload their profiles on the portal, which will be accessible to registered employers. If an employer is interested in a candidate’s profile, they can indicate it on the platform. The student’s contact details will be shared with the employer if the student expresses interest in the opportunity. The advantage for employers is that the service is free of cost and saves considerable time, as all data is auto validated.

Over 600 companies have already registered. Over 133 firms are from the Capital Goods and Manufacturing sector. There are employers spread across 30 sectors including textiles, life sciences, power, leather, telecom, BFSI and tourism among others.

“It is consent based. The link to the registry is available on the Naan Mudhalvan portal,” Mr.Pati said. “What we aim to do is bring all students trained under Naan Mudhalvan into a unified skill registry. Currently, over 14 lakh students are beneficiaries of this scheme,” he added. Till date, around 58,331 students have registered on this portal and of them, 26,549 are women. We are encouraging more students to enroll on this portal, Mr. Pati said.

A recent report published by the State Planning Commission on ‘Evaluation of Naan Mudhalvan Scheme’ points out that the scheme’s courses, both common skilling and domain specific courses of Engineering and Polytechnic, have significantly boosted student confidence, with 76% of engineering and 81% of polytechnic students across Tamil Nadu reporting improved job prospects, equipping them with practical skills for diverse career paths, especially in rural areas.