As Germany and India focus on enhancing their strategic bilateral partnership, one field of increasing importance is the training of skilled personnel. A combination of the available workforce in India and Germany's famed dual training system can prove a successful mix.

The Indo-German commitment to work together in this field was reiterated during the recent visit to India by German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and German Economics and Technology Minister Rainer Brüderle. During talks with Indian counterparts, vocational training emerged as a key area in our bilateral collaboration.

Young population an advantage

One of India's biggest advantages is its growing and creative young population. According to India's annual report on unemployment, the average Indian will be only 29 years old in 2020; compared to 37 in China and the US; 45 in West Europe and 48 in Japan. And for a country so young, it would be a boon to create a well-trained workforce.

To this end, Germany can prove to be an experienced partner — by bringing to India our system of dual vocational training. In simple terms, this means a combination of ‘in-the-school' and ‘on-the-job' training. Under the German dual system, vocational schools impart theoretical knowledge to a student for two days a week, and students spend the other three days on the job, in industry.......Read More

Source: The Hindu