“The
partnership must now translate into measurable outcomes through a time-bound
roadmap for joint certification, global recognition of skills, and trusted
skill assessments”
– Jayant
Chaudhary
New Delhi :
As part of ongoing cooperation under the 3rd Australia–India
Education and Skills Council (AIESC) Meeting, India and Australia held a
High-Level Roundtable on Skilling Partnership at Kaushal Bhawan, New Delhi. The
meeting brought together senior representatives from NCVET, NSDC, Green Jobs,
DGT, NSDC International, and industry experts while the Australian side
included leaders from Jobs & Skills Australia, the Australian Mining &
Automotive Skills Alliance, and ASQA.
In her opening remarks, Ms.
Debashree Mukherjee, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development &
Entrepreneurship (MSDE), highlighted the need for greater coherence across
institutions on both sides, such as ASQA and NCVET on the regulatory front, and
India’s Sector Skill Councils alongside Jobs and Skills Australia, and underscored
the shared commitment to elevating the esteem of vocational education, summarising
the key action points discussed during the bilateral meeting and the 3rd AIESC
Skills Session held on 8th December 2025.
Deliberations focused on aligning
skill ecosystems to keep pace with rapid technological shifts, including AI-led
transformation, evolving industry needs, and sectoral talent shortages.
Participants noted that both countries face similar challenges in preparing
their workforce for green sectors, clean energy, advanced manufacturing,
agri-tech, and digital occupations. They emphasised the importance of
industry-linked training models, flexible learning pathways, and strengthened
trainer capacity.
Hon’ble Minister of State
(Independent Charge) for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and Minister
of State for Education, Shri Jayant Chaudhary, noted that India and
Australia are taking significant steps toward developing a globally mobile,
industry-aligned talent pool. He stressed the need for a time-bound roadmap to
achieve measurable outcomes in joint certification, global skills recognition,
and trusted assessment systems.
Hon. Andrew Giles MP,
Australia’s Minister for Skills & Training, reaffirmed Australia’s
commitment to deepening collaboration and at the same time mentioned the need
to navigate through the challenges to operationalise and deliver tangible
outcomes. He also spoke about the progress made by both countries for institutional
engagement between ITIs, NSTIs, and TAFEs.
Both sides expressed strong
support for promoting joint training initiatives, trainer and assessor exchanges,
and pilot programmes for placement of skilled candidates in priority job roles.
Participants also endorsed establishing an Annual India–Australia Skills Meet
to review progress, share best practices, and sustain long-term cooperation.
The Australian delegation shared
insights on future labour market trends, including rising demand for
higher-skilled roles, quicker workforce transition mechanisms, and the growing
relevance of clean energy, agri-food systems, and services-led growth. They
also underscored the economic impact of AI and the need for adaptive regulatory
frameworks that enable innovation.
India outlined ongoing reforms in
the VET ecosystem, including strengthened equivalence pathways, enhancements to
the National Skills Qualifications Framework, and the development of Centres of
Excellence in emerging sectors.
Ms Anna Faithful, Deputy
Secretary, Skills and Training and Ms Archana Mayaram, Economic Advisor (IC),
MSDE, while summarising the discussions mentioned about the shared
commitment of both the countries to make skilling aspirational and devise
regular channels for engagement.