The 12th meeting of the Indo-German joint working group to encourage Vocational Education and Training (VET) was held today, December 7, 2022. The deliberations at the meeting were aimed at institutionalizing a standard mechanism for VET to meet the skill requirements in priority sectors as per German standards. A skill mapping exercise will be undertaken to assess the skill gaps and based on the same, bridge courses and upskilling programmes will be designed for the skill training of Indian workers.
Dr K K Dwivedi, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India and Mr Alexander Hochradel, Senior Policy Officer of division 222: ERASMUS; International Cooperation in Vocational Training, Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) co-chaired the meeting.
The official statement stated, “During the meeting, the two partner countries discussed establishing a framework for employer connect and getting an understanding of how skilled certified workers could participate in economic development mutual accreditation of training providers in both countries through G2G, G2B and B2B tie-ups with relevant institutions which have international standards for training, assessment, and certifications will also be undertaken”.
The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) discussed the aggregation of demand requirements and employer mandates to NSDCI including job description, eligibility criteria, foreign language training and curricula details. BMBF and BMZ may also provide technical support for the Training of Trainers (ToT), Trainers of Assessors (ToA), foreign language training, and the development of industry-relevant content and curriculum.
Dr KK Dwivedi, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India stated, “Germany is one of India’s most important partners in Europe owing to the strength of bilateral relations that we have. And the deliberations that have taken place in today’s meeting will further strengthen the ties between the two nations and will ensure that we propel the economy by providing the right support and talent through vocational education and training. There is great potential for workforce mobility from India to Germany”.
“Apprenticeship being one of the most sustainable models of skill development, India proposes for virtual or physical exchange programmes in academic and vocational domain focused on apprenticeship training where students will be able to earn while they through on the job projects across both countries,” he further added.
Alexander Hochradel, Senior Policy Officer of division 222: ERASMUS; International Cooperation in Vocational Training, Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) said, “India has an added advantage of large pool of young talent pool that has the potential to meet the requirements of skilled manpower in our country for various trades. Undoubtedly, VET has become paramount in today’s dynamic ecosystem that has seen tremendous changes post the pandemic and skilled manpower can only be the answer to address this change in today’s world of work. Under the current system of the recently announced German Immigration Act, recognition of the equivalence of professional qualifications is crucial for bringing in synergies between two countries. Further, it is envisioned to undertake mapping exercise of skill gaps in the key sectors in Germany, basis which an action plan may be designed for bridge courses for skill training of Indian workforce for mobility to Germany”.