New Delhi: Germany on Thursday offered to enhance cooperation with India in imparting vocational training to young Indians, including developing courses for apprentices to suit the expanding industry and opening a national workers vocational university.
German ambassador to India Michael Steiner, who met Union Labour and Employment Minister Bandaru Dattatreya here today, agreed that they should have policies which are "transparent, accountable and achievable".
"The German ambassador assured that his Embassy in India would be at the disposal of the minister and his team of officers for this purpose," a Labour Ministry statement said.
The ambassador and the minister discussed the need for devising courses on apprentices to suit the fast expanding industry of modern India and setting up a national workers vocational university.
A senior Labour Ministry official said the proposed technical university will be an umbrella for industrial training institutes (ITIs) and other training institutes.
"The need for affiliation of courses run by Indo-German Chamber of Commerce under the National Council on Vocational Training (NCVT) and the need for development of curriculum for 'fitter', 'welder' and electrician trades was also discussed," the statement said.
Terming the talks with Dattatreya "productive", Steiner said that he was impressed to see the "speed and intensity" at which the ministry was taking forward the crucial issue of vocational training of young Indians.
The ambassador has also invited Dattatreya to visit Pune where Germany has a cluster of industries already in the process of imparting skills.
Dattatreya said his ministry's focus would be on the unorganised sector which constitutes 93 per cent of the workforce and also briefed the German ambassador about the recent initiatives taken up by his ministry for welfare of unorganised workforce.
At the meeting which was also attended by senior Ministry officials, the minister appraised the ambassador about the recent labour laws reforms that were cleared by Parliament.
The minster also spoke about the introduction of "Shramev Jayate" by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, uniform web portal for 16 labour laws and universal account number for EPF holders.
Speaking on the meeting, Steiner said, "Today I had very productive talks with Minister of Labour Bandaru Dattatreya and secretary Gauri Kumar about Indo-German cooperation on vocational training."
"It was impressive to see the speed and intensity with which the Minister and his Ministry are taking forward the crucial issue of vocational training of young Indians," he said.
He said that Prime Minister Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have put this topic high on the agenda in the run up to the world's biggest industrial fair in Hanover, Germany, which both leaders will inaugurate together on April 12 and where India will be the partner country.
