India, Germany ink pact for skill development and vocational education

India and Germany on Saturday signed two major agreements, referred to as the Joint Declaration of Intent, for cooperation in the field of skills development and vocational education. The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship signed the Joint Declaration of Intent with the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Germany. The association will provide a systematic structure for conducting mutual consultations, advisory work and policy exchanges at ministerial and expert levels and provide technical assistance. This collaboration will help further develop the successful cooperation in the various fields covered by the Indo-German Joint Working Group on Vocational Education and Training. One declaration of intent (DoI) is with the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (referred to as BMBF) for Cooperation in Skill Development and Vocational Education and Training, whereas the second was for Dual VET initiative marking Sustainable Growth of Skills with Siemens Limited, India.

“The intended cooperation agreements will give special emphasis to enhancing the quality of trainees thus enabling them to gain and apply further technology skills and subsequently help them to find employment in innovative, sustainable sectors and technologies such as renewable energy, e-mobility and energy-efficiency,” an official statement said.

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Pacts significant for skill development and vocational education

According to the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, the pacts are a significant step towards creating a conducive framework for skill development and vocational education and training for inclusive and sustainable growth. In line with their understanding that the availability of demand-oriented skilled workers is crucial for India's future, all entities will work together for high-quality training in order to create opportunities for young people and foster public and private enterprises alike, the Ministry stated. The collaboration will support India's endeavor to establish an innovative system to comprise the cooperation of the public and the private sector, independent structures for quality assurance, examination and certification as well as formulation of national standards and a comprehensive policy. The quality of vocational training will be raised by means of these measures and by building adequate capacities within companies, training institutes and establishing models for local governance structures, enabling cooperative skill development and vocational training, the Ministry stated.

“Germany has been one of the countries which are on top of the manufacturing and innovation pyramid and continues to develop the most high-end products. It has some of the best working models in sustainable workforce development which is the reason for the country's economic progress. This partnership with Germany will help strengthen our skill development initiatives,” Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Mahendra Nath Pandey said.

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Several fields of cooperation amongst India and Germany have been identified 

Several fields of cooperation have been identified based on discussions in the Indo-German Joint Working Group on Vocational Education and Training and on bilateral consultations, including Dual apprenticeships and workplace-based skill development at cluster level and policy level. The identified fields also include setting up of cluster-oriented structures for vocational education and training; and support for cooperation between German companies operating in India and the Indian Government as well as between German companies and Indian companies in the field of skill development and vocational education and training (VET). It also entails the development of competency-based curricula and their dissemination within the training system; and training of master trainers to build up capacities in training institutes and within micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.

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To help achieve these goals, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH intends to implement its ‘develoPPP' program on behalf of the BMZ. As part of this program, GIZ and Siemens will sign a cooperation agreement for the implementation of a joint project called ‘Skills for Sustainable Growth' with support from MSDE. In order to be scalable, the project shall be open to including further German and Indian partners. The aim of the project is to implement elements of the German Dual Vocational Education and Training methodology in key trades in a significant amount of Government Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) across the country to make the trainees highly efficient and completely industry-ready.

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