The India-US Working Group on education and skill development has been launched to enhance cooperation and collaboration in the fields of education, research and skill development by terming them all being integral to the shared future and prosperity of both of the countries. Both sides have agreed to foster academic and cultural exchange, enhance educational quality and promote innovation and knowledge-sharing under this initiative.
The Ministry of Education, Government of India and US Department of State launched the India-US Working Group on education and skill development. The establishment of the India-US Working Group on education and skill development was announced by the leaders on the sidelines of the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue held between India and US in Washington DC on 11.04.2022.
Both sides discussed a number of topics and sub-topics during the meeting to finalize the agenda of this innovative bilateral move. Skilling and vocational education, certification and recognition, match-making between U.S. and Indian higher educational institutions, engaging with the private sector are among the issues that have been finalized by both sides to engage into.
In an era when skilling and vocational training constitute significantly when it comes to enhancing employability and income generation prospects, both India and US also acknowledged their importance in this industry centered era.
Both sides also recognized the need to align skills training programs with industry requirements. They also agreed to foster partnerships between educational institutions, industry stakeholders and relevant government agencies.
This collaboration between India and the US aims to address skills gaps, enhance employability and promote entrepreneurship in both the countries. Both sides also emphasized the significance of certification and recognition mechanisms in ensuring the quality and portability of skills across borders.
For the smooth mobility of students and professionals between the two countries, Indian side explained the importance of mutual recognition of academic qualifications and skill certifications.
They highlighted the potential, prospects and importance of such collaboration in the field of higher education. The importance of matchmaking between higher educational institutions of India and US, has also been discussed.
Under the move, both sides will enjoy the benefits of promoting student and faculty exchanges, joint research programs and collaborative projects between universities and colleges of both countries.
Both India and the US agreed to encourage greater inter-linkages amongst the educational institutions. In the meantime, the Indian side proposed that developing joint or dual and twinning courses in areas of mutual interest could be explored and harnessed.
Seeing the growing industry-academia collaboration in the last few decades and their good results, both sides acknowledged the importance of engagement with the private sector to align the education sector with the needs of the job market.
They did acknowledge the vital role of the private sector in driving innovation, creating job opportunities and supporting the education sector. However, avenues to promote public-private partnerships in education and skill development initiatives would be explored.
The Indian side highlighted the need for expeditious visa issuance and reaffirmed their ongoing efforts for students and faculty exchanges which are at the heart of the knowledge partnership between both countries.
The delegations from both sides expressed their commitment to strengthening cooperation in education and skill development between India and the US. The Joint Working Group agreed to continue regular meetings and explore concrete avenues to further advance education and skill development collaboration between India and the US.
