As India prepares itself to become the human resources supplier of the world in the coming years, the federation government in New Delhi is keen to ensure that its rising younger generation is well equipped to be successful partners in the process.
Vocational training and up-skilling programmes offered by New Zealand’s Industry Training Organisations (ITOs), other vocational institutions and large enterprises were the focus of attention of a delegation that was in the country last fortnight.
The delegation, which comprised Indian government officials and industry representatives, visited a number of institutions during its weeklong stay in Auckland from April 28 to May 3, 2013.
Joint Initiative
This was the first such visit after the India New Zealand Education Council (INZEC) was jointly launched in New Delhi at a meeting held between Tertiary Education, Skills & Employment Minister Stephen Joy and former Human Resources Development Minister Kapil Sibal in New Delhi in October 2012.
The Council was an initiative that was formed a part an Agreement signed by Prime Minister John Key with his Indian counterpart Dr Manmohan Singh during his official visit to New Delhi on June 28, 2011 (Indian Newslink, July 1, 2011).
Mr Key had said that the Agreement provided for a joint-funding programme to foster higher education, research and training, with an annual funding of $1 million, to be shared equally by the two governments.
“New Zealand‘s education relationship has gone well beyond just education recruitment. This new initiative aims to strengthen that relationship even further and increase academic links between our countries and open up new opportunities to collaborate on education services,” Mr Key had said.
The visit of the delegation last fortnight was in consonance with the Agreement.
Growing importance
Peter Bull, General Manager (International) of Education New Zealand, which organised the visit, said that the visit gave New Zealand an opportunity to demonstrate its expertise in the vocational training and skills development sector and showcase the country’s high-quality facilities and institutions.
“India has an ambitious target of skilling 500 million workers by 2022, and New Zealand is well-placed to help them to meet those challenges, both in terms of Indian students studying in New Zealand, and by the provision of New Zealand education products and services in India,” he said.
Mr Bull said that India is the second-largest source country of international students and hence plays an important role in the growth of New Zealand’s international education industry.
“I am confident that the links and connections fostered by this visit will result in some exciting plans for further collaborative activities between our education and industry partners,” Mr Bull said.
