News from Berlin - Germany’s vocational training system is setting an example for new training centers in India, which are offering opportunities for unskilled Indian youth and providing the economy with trained employees. India is currently facing an ongoing shortage of skilled workers. Only 5 percent of Indian adults have undergone vocational training and their skill level is still not adequate for employment at any of the international corporations operating in India. The German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) has set up Multi Skills Development Centers in the federal state of Karnataka, in south-west India.

GIZ is offering a solution to this issue, setting up vocational training facilities in the cities of Bangalore and Gulbarga on behalf of the Indian Ministry of Labour and Employment. These centers have the capacity to produce up to 4,000 graduates every year, partaking in internationally recognized courses and training that have been on offer since 2011. This has been a huge success. The centers offer six-month intensive courses in subjects from welding and milling technology, to environmental engineering, computer technology and mechatronics. Applicants must be over 16 years of age and have completed ten years of schooling. GIZ is essentially providing the last stage of school education, filling the gap between traditional training and specialization.

GIZ’s role is to help Indian workers become prepared and trained for their first day of work, providing a vocational qualification. The program is based on Germany’s dual vocational educational system, which has been adapted to suit the conditions in India. GIZ has assembled trained instructors and has also initiated up-skilling inputs itself. Scholarships have also been established with well-known companies such as Bosch, Volkswagen and Festo. The next phase of the program is already in motion: late in 2013 construction began on three more training centers. One of the Indian Government’s established goals is to have 500 million people in practice-oriented training by 2022.

News from Berlin - Berlin Global