India, US join hands on technical vocational education and skill training

The MoU was for valuing the ongoing international cooperation and policy dialogue in technical vocational education and skill training between the two nations.

The MoU was signed by Dilip Chenoy, MD & CEO, NSDC and Diane Farrell, President (Acting), USIBC.

Under the MoU, India and the US will recognize the building of a skilled and productive global workforce in India, which is of international quality and regional interest; share a common interest in developing transnational standards to strengthen skills mobility and facilitate greater access to skilled labour across the region.

Both parties will also support broader cooperation and mutual assistance in technical vocational education and skill training in their respective countries.

Congratulating NSDC and USIBC, Sunil Arora, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship said, "This is an action that has come as an outcome of a very broad dialogue at the highest level between the honourable Prime Minister of India and the honourable President of the USA. We hope that this MoU becomes meaningful, fruitful, and really enhances and deepens the cooperation between the respective businesses of our skilling efforts.”

“I would like to congratulate NSDC for leading this effort, as this is yet another step to harness the potential of our demographic dividend, which is a mammoth task in itself,” he further added.

Commenting on the partnership, Dilip Chenoy, NSDC said, “In line with our Prime Minister’s vision of a Skilled India, this is another step to give a major boost to India’s skilling ecosystem and create transnational standards, for which we are honored to partner with USIBC. We are certain that this will be a fruitful and successful partners."

Diane Farrell, USIBC said, “This is a great opportunity for both India and US to collaborate on skill development. Through our individual experiences, the two countries will be able to exchange international best practices on standards in technical vocational training which will benefit the youth at large as India looks create 100 million jobs over the next 10 years.“

Under the MoU, NSDC and USIBC will establish a platform to enable Corporate Entities from the United States of America to set up and/or support skill development centers in India.

These centers may focus on the specified sectors including, but not limited to, Life Sciences, Healthcare, Tourism, Hospitality, Automotive, Electronics, Heavy Equipment Manufacturing, Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), Aviation, Banking, Financial Services, and Institutions (BFSI), Information Technology/Information Technology Enabled Service (IT/ITES), Agriculture, Defense, and Infrastructure.

These centers are expected to scale to reach a capacity of around 10,000 persons per year.