Admissions for diploma in technical courses, which have concluded in Maharashtra this year, have seen a more than 50 per cent increase in the past five years. Consider the numbers: This year, 95,246 students have taken admission in 400 diploma institutes. Five years ago, in the academic year 2020-21, there were 62,122 admissions in 376 diploma institutes. While there is a combination of factors driving this increased demand among students to pursue diploma courses, teachers say one of the biggest contributors is more job opportunities. Shridhar Vaidya, secretary of Teachers Association For Non-Aided Polytechnic (TAFNAP), said, “Diploma is a professional education encompassing practical knowledge of the job. Students can immediately be placed in industry after a diploma. They are actually preferred as skilled manpower, sought after by industry. These students are appointed at supervisor levels, which are ample in numbers as opposed to managerial positions post engineering. This leads to many students, especially those seeking early employment; preferring diploma courses.” According to Vaidya, with diploma in technical courses, students are also seeing good career opportunities, …