Deepening collaboration on skill development, India and Germany today signed an agreement that aims to foster conditions that will help create and improve workplace-based vocational training in India's industrial clusters.
Under the pact, German technical assistance will be used to enhance industry institute partnerships between Indian and German organizations, build capacity of local training institutions and foster industry linkages which will help adapt elements of the German dual system into the Indian context.
"We in India recognize the fact that Germany's dual system is widely acclaimed as one of the best in the world, noted for its close linkages between industry and training institutions.
"This provides a competitive edge to German industry and businesses. We need to adapt elements of the German VET system to the Indian context to ensure that skill training in India is closely aligned with the requirements of industry," Union Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy said.
The agreement was signed between the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and (German International Cooperation (GIZ) and will initiate a new project focused on adapting elements of the German dual system in select industrial clusters in India.
"In the last couple of months we (India) have formally adopted the German system of dual education. For the first time we will have ITIs (industrial training institutes) in this country where there will be a model of three months of academic input and after that the trainee will move to the industry where he will work as an apprentice for the remaining nine months," Secretary in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rohit Nandan said.
He said the Government is very keen to take the dual mode of education forward to promote apprenticeship in the country.
"The aim of the programme is to involve private sector and entrepreneurs in defining the qualification that is required in creating practical training at the workplace," German Ambassador to India Dr Martin Ney said at an event.
He termed the adoption of dual education by India as a "breakthrough".
The project will run for three years starting August 2016 with a budget of EUR 3,000,000 (22.6 crore) - made available by the German Government and aims to foster conditions which will help create and improve cooperative workplace-based vocational training in India's industrial clusters.
It will be implemented in three selected clusters, which include the Automobile cluster in Maharashtra and Electronics cluster in Bangalore.
Informing that the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme has been notified, Nandan said: "Now for every penny that an industry spends on the stipend of an apprentice, 25 per cent of that money will be returned by way of subsidy," adding that the Ministry will be launching a massive awareness campaign in the next few days to involve the industry in the scheme.
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