Bridging Liberal Arts and Industry: Apprenticeship-Embedded English Degrees in the NEP-2020 Framework

Abstract

The transformation of undergraduate English studies in India has become imperative in the context of rapid socio-economic and technological change. Traditionally literature-centric, English programmes are now being re-envisioned to align with employability, interdisciplinarity, and skill-based learning as articulated in the National Education Policy 2020. This paper examines the pedagogical and structural implications of introducing Apprenticeship-Embedded Degree Programmes (AEDP) and internship-integrated curricula for English major students. It argues that AEDP offers a viable framework to bridge the gap between liberal arts education and industry requirements by embedding experiential learning, vocational skills, and professional communication competencies within the academic structure (UGC, 2020; Ministry of Education, 2020). Drawing upon developments in English for Specific Purposes (ESP), digital literacy, and Human Language Technology, the study proposes a comprehensive model comprising ten skill-oriented courses, including corporate communication, digital content writing, media writing, legal English, and Natural Language Processing. The paper situates these curricular innovations within broader theoretical constructs such as communicative competence, Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP), and Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) (Cummins, 1979), while also engaging with the demands of the global knowledge economy (Gee, 2015).