The Centre for Research in Schemes and Policies (CRISP) launched the National Initiative for Skill-Integrated Higher Education (NISHE) to improve the employability of about 1 lakh+ general education students in about 1400+ colleges across the nation.

NISHE works on a no-cost model to the state governments in professionalizing the general education by adhering to the UGC guidelines for HEIs on Apprenticeship-Embedded Degree Programs (AEDPs).

The main features of the NISHE model are:

1. Long-term skilling program extending to at least three years and thereby acquiring extensive knowledge of the sector.
2. Deep-integration of select market-oriented skills with the general degree programs (normally three years), and thereby professionalizing them.
3. Collaborate with the Sector Skill Councils (SSCs), who design the curriculum in association with the industry.
4. Integration of a one-year apprenticeship in the degree program, so that the students emerge with skill sets that can place them in the junior managerial positions.
5. Work with the State Governments to take leadership of this effort and improve students' employability.

In AY 2024-25, CRISP is currently implementing NISHE Project in 07 states i.e., Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh, and will expand it to 10 states in the coming years. CRISP is working on a mission-mode to transform the higher education ecosystem by embedding skills and practical work exposure through apprenticeship into the core of general education, thereby producing graduates who are both knowledgeable and employable.