To address the huge skills deficit in the country, Batra Group in collaboration with UK''s New College Nottingham have launched a centre for career-oriented professional courses.

New College Nottingham International Lifestyles Academy (NILA) in Gurgaon will offer two year higher diplomas in hospitality management, fashion, interactive media and retail management.

Three more campuses will be set up at Chandigarh, Bangalore and Ahmedabad.New College Nottingham, which offers a wide range of vocational courses, will be providing curriculum design and quality assurance to NILA.

“Our goal is to fuse the best of British education with the education system in India,” said Nick Whitehouse, director of Higher Education and International Development at New College Nottingham.“We will be assisting students with the placements,” said Sujata Diwan, heading the campus here, adding that students will have enhanced industry exposure.

The initiative is in keeping with the goal of the National Skills Development Mission of preparing a pool of skilled hands in the country meeting industry standards through significant industry involvement.

The government has set a target of preparing 500 million skilled workers over the next decade.