Chandigarh, Dec 10: 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.