2026, Vol. 7, Issue 2, Part A

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020—now being operationalised across Indian universities—places strong emphasis on multidisciplinary learning, vocationalisation, internships, credit-based modular systems and stronger industry-academia linkages. The University of Mumbai (one of India’s largest affiliating universities) has initiated steps to align academic structures and extension activities with NEP guidelines. This research paper examines how NEP’s implementation at the University of Mumbai can create, reshape and expand employment opportunities in the cooperative banking sector — especially in Maharashtra where cooperative banking networks (Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), District Central Cooperative Banks (DCCBs) and State Cooperative Banks) play a central role in rural and semi-urban finance. Using policy documents, sectoral reports, recent recruitment drives and news on cooperative expansion, this paper develops a framework that connects curricular changes with employability in cooperative banks and offers recommendations for universities, policymakers and cooperative banking institutions. Key findings: NEP interventions (vocational courses, internships, work-integrated learning, and multidisciplinary commerce/management pathways) can significantly increase the supply of job-ready graduates for cooperative banks, while parallel sectoral developments (e.g., large-scale PACS expansion and active recruitment by state cooperative banks) are already driving demand for staff with digital, managerial, compliance and community engagement skills.