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Vocational Education & Training (VET)

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The initiative iMOVE was established by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in 2001, in order to promote business relations of German training providers with international public and private organisations.

Vocational Education and Training

Vocational education and training is an important area of Indo-German strategic bilateral partnership. This was underlined once more in the Joint Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Field of Skill Development and Vocational Education and Training signed by the responsible ministries and exchanged in front of German Chancellor and Indian Prime Minister during the latest governmental consultations.

One of India’s biggest challenge as well as advantage is its growing young population. In July 2015 Indian Government under Prime Minister Modi gave approval to India’s first integrated “National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship 2015”. At the same time PM Modi launched the comprehensive “National Skill Development Mission”. The Policy acknowledges the need for an effective roadmap for promotion of entrepreneurship as the key to a successful skills strategy.

12 million workforce is entering the labour market in India every year. They have to be educated and skilled to get productive and decent jobs to improve their livelihood. India targets to skill 400 million workforce till 2022, and Germany is one of its strong partners for this.Indo-German cooperation in vocational education & training (VET) has a long history. Till 2007, it was a part of development cooperation.

Since 2008 it is under the umbrella of a Joint Working Group (JWG).This ischaired by the Indian Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (before Ministry of Labour and Employment) and the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in close collaboration with Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) which has restarted VET in development cooperation with India. The Indian members of the JWG include representatives from the two major industry associations – Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). Members of the German side are representatives of the German chambers of crafts and industries as well as Indo German Chamber Of Commerce, the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), iMOVE, the ministry's promoter of 'Training – Made in Germany', and trade unions. The bilateral working group on VET meets on an annual basis alternatively in India and Germany.

Training centre of Bosch in India
Training centre of Bosch in India© Bosch

Topics of Indo German cooperation – which have been emphasized also during the last Indo-German governmental consultations:
• Incorporating dual principles of vocational training.into the apprenticeship training modules
• Supporting workplace-based skill development at cluster level and policy level.
• Developing competency based curricula in identified sectors (such as welders,electricians and fitters).
• Training of master trainers to build up capacities in training institutes as well as within micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.
• Exploration of the possibilities for building up a national institute for skill development.
• Consulting on the further development of training, assessment and certification standards.

Training centre of Bosch in India

Germany’s dual system of vocational education and training (VET) is a very simple, cost-effective and inclusive model. It is largely owing to the dual system that Germany has the lowest youth unemployment rate in the European Union. With 328 vocational training occupations, it provides the youth with a broad range of opportunities. These characteristics of the dual system contribute to the fact that Germany attracts global envy for its dual system of vocational education and training.

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