UK Skills Caravan :10 UK Education & Skills Companies in Odisha
01 August, Bhubaneswar
The British Deputy High Commission has organised the visit of a 10-member UK Education and Skills Delegation to Odisha Monday here to further strengthen economic links between the UK and Odisha and promote business opportunities for UK-based companies.
At an interactive business session with the Odisha Skill Development Authority and representatives of the Odisha Government, the visiting UK companies showcased their operations and how their products and services can help Odisha bridge the skills gap and drive the economy forward.
Subroto Bagchi, Chairman, Odisha Skill Development Authority, Sanjay Kumar Singh, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Department of Skill Development and Technical Education, Government of Odisha, and Mr Rajesh Patil, Director, State Skill Mission, were among the Odisha representatives present to interact with the UK companies.
The visit of the delegation titled the ‘UK Skills Caravan’ is in response to the Government of Odisha’s (GoO) request for information and knowledge about UK expertise in the area of English language skills for primary, ITI and Diploma level students. The GoO also sought interaction with UK vocational and technical skill providers especially in areas like healthcare, electrical, and building infrastructure. An area of particular interest for Odisha is ‘training the trainer’ programmes to accelerate skills training.
In a message, the British Deputy High Commissioner to Eastern India, Mr Bruce Bucknell, said the relationship between Odisha and UK is already strong but there is scope to make it even stronger. Welcoming the interaction, Mr Bucknell said the UK Skills Caravan was an ideal example of how UK expertise and proven service delivery can play a catalytic role in this vital area.
‘UK vocational skills and training providers have over a hundred years of experience in delivering world class skills to people around the globe. The UK has the capacity to deliver at scale – delivering skills to over 3 million learners a year in the UK alone and to countless more around the globe,‘ he said.
Mentioning that developing a more skilled workforce is critical to India’s future development, Bucknell said he was proud that India is already host to many of the UK’s most experienced and innovative skill development providers. He was hopeful that the visiting UK companies would find business partners and commercial opportunities in Odisha.
Apart from the interaction with the GoO, the visiting UK companies held focussed meetings with Odisha-based companies looking for education and skills partnerships.BM