Union Minister of State for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and Electronics & IT Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar virtually addressed the 1st India-Japan Skill connect conference, held in Tokyo at the Indian Embassy. He emphasized the strong partnership between India and Japan, which has expanded beyond traditional areas like security, trade, and economics to include technology and talent.

The minister said that today, the world is going through a deep rooted and decisive structural, global and economic change. With the tailwind of digitization and technology, supply chains are transforming around the world. India-Japan partnership is a defining partnership for the future of Asia, Indo-Pacific & the World. Under PM Shri Narendra Modi and HE PM Fumio Kishida, this partnership spans security, trade, economics and is now expanding into Technology and Talent.

The Minister highlighted a recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Japan on semiconductors. He emphasized the importance of trusted partnerships around the world, where skilling and talent play a significant role as emerging technologies are becoming more prominent.

He further said that trusted partnerships are coming to the fore. Trends in digitization, emerging new technologies and the disruptions that these are bringing in whether it is AI, future of the internet, semiconductors or electronics have increased. Skilling and talent are playing a more significant role in our country's success and economic prosperity. In India, talent and skill are a deep priority. In 2015, PM Shri Narendra Modi started focusing on creating capabilities and capacities of skilling, reskilling and upskilling of our young Indians to make them more future ready for upcoming opportunities and challenges that our economy will face, he added.

The Minister reiterated the government's commitment to working with Japanese industries to establish skill hubs that align with their requirements, including language skills. This way, Indian professionals can be industry-ready and deployable in Japan without additional certification and training.

The Minister informed that we have an extensive network today of skill centers and in recent years our Higher Education network has been integrated into a skilling network. Skills are a passport to opportunities and prosperity for Young Indians. He reiterated that the Government is keen on working with the Japanese industries and building skill hubs that are specifically aimed at delivering capacities and capabilities that the Japanese industry requires. This will also include language skills. The Japanese industries can look at the Indian skilling system as something that will be future ready and industry ready. Without having to go through any additional certification and training in Japan, he further added.

The conference was attended by various Japanese government ministers, officials, and representatives from Japanese companies, along with the Indian Ambassador Sibi George and a delegation from the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

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