Abstract

The National Policy on Education (NEP), 2020 envisages a system of education in India that is holistic, flexible, multidisciplinary, skill based and job oriented. This policy puts skill-education and vocational training at par with academic education thus making skill acquisition and development central priorities within higher education as global market demands shift toward 21st-century competencies, digital literacy, employability skills, and higher-order cognitive abilities. The following systematic review synthesizes contemporary research to identify (a) the types of skills studied, (b) the factors influencing their acquisition and development, and (c) the existing gaps in the literature. Research articles available online as full text or abstract during the time span of 2000 to 2024 were systematically reviewed. Sources included ERIC, ScienceDirect, ResearchGate, government databases, and institutional repositories. The findings indicate that digital literacy/digital competence is the most widely researched domain followed by Cognitive and academic skill such as critical thinking, problem solving, and metacognition. Factors influencing skill acquisition and development were identified as Personal factors such as self-efficacy, motivation, prior knowledge; Pedagogical factors such as active learning, collaborative learning, project-based tasks, and authentic assessment; and social factors. The paper discusses the identified research gaps. The review underscores the need for holistic, context-sensitive, and evidence-based strategies for skill development in higher education.