By TIOL News Service

NEW DELHI, NOV 04, 2023: UNION Minister for Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Dharmendra Pradhan met Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Group Chairman & CEO of DP World in Dubai, where they witnessed signing of an agreement between NSDC International and We One, a subsidiary of DP World for long term recruitment of skilled manpower. They also discussed opportunities for collaboration.

Speaking on the occasion Pradhan said that the agreement will create more avenues for global talent mobility, skilling and connecting Indian youth to relevant overseas employment opportunities. India is a reservoir of wide-range of talent, he added. Pradhan reaffirmed commitment to fulfil aspirations of India's youth and prepare them to drive economic prosperity, not only for India but also for global economies. in the presence of Sunjay Sudhir, the Ambassador of India to the UAE and Consul General of India to Dubai, Satish Kumar Sivan, CEO, NSDC, Ved Mani Tiwari along with other senior officials.

NSDC International, is an enabler for global skilling solutions and We One, part of DP World, is a global leader in providing smart end-to-end logistics solutions.They   signed an agreement today which aimed at supporting the skill development and employment opportunities for the front-line workforce.

The signing event comes in continuation of a Memorandum of Understanding inked in May 2022 between NSDC International and Hindustan Ports (a DP World Company) to establish the Skill India International Centre in Varanasi, as a global centre of excellence for skills. In line with this, DP World collaborated with NSDC to set up the Skill India International Centre at Varanasi, which provides front-line workforce with services such as skill training, counselling, mobilisation, pre-departure orientation, foreign language training, placement and immigration and post-placement support.

Pradhan also had a fruitful meeting with teams of VFS Global and Transworld today. He commended the insightful conversations on working together to connect India's youth with overseas opportunities, strengthening the training infrastructure in India as well as collaborations for building capacities in skill development. Creating more opportunities for skilling, apprenticeship and employment and making our youth future-ready is a priority of PM Narendra Modi's government, he added. He appreciated both VFS Global and Transworld Group for their keenness to be an active partner of India in securing futures, empowering youth and in making the skill landscape more vibrant.

The Minister, yesterday, held an interaction with Principals of all 105 CBSE-affiliated schools functioning in the UAE. He was happy to learn that all these schools are aligned to the vision of NEP 2020 and are implementing it on ground. Pradhan highlighted great insights on ways in which Indian schools abroad can integrate global best practices to cater to the needs of our students and teachers.

Of the 5-lakh Indian students studying in CBSE-affiliated Indian schools in the GCC, more than 2.50 lakh students are there in the UAE, he added. He shared that in the wake of the long-pending demand of these schools, CBSE India has decided to open a regional office in Dubai for better administration and for the benefit of the Indian diaspora.

Pradhan said that academic community and our diaspora are permanent ambassadors of our culture, values and knowledge systems. He expressed his confidence that ,going forward, education will be a key pillar of friendship and our CBSE-affiliated schools in the UAE will play a stellar role in further cementing our trusted friendship.

The Minister also held a meeting with EFS Facilities Services Group, Group CEO & Co-founder Mr. Tariq Chauhan. The Minister expressed his happiness to know about Tariq Chauhan's plans to partner India in strengthening the skill ecosystem as well as facilitating international mobility of Indian workforce. The Minister was happy to note that EFS Group remains committed to intensify institutional engagements to make India's skilling ecosystem more aspirational as well as skill, up-skill and empower India's talented youth.

Pradhan also witnessed the signing of an MoU between EFS Facilities Services Group and NSDC for facilitating international mobility of India's workforce with a specific focus on GCC countries.

Speaking on the occasion Pradhan said that the MoU will pave the way for deepening engagements in the areas of curriculum development as well as developing joint skilling programmes and co-branded skilling institutions to up-skill workforce with industry-ready skills and make them future-ready for global opportunities, particularly in GCC countries.