The Swiss VET Initiative India (SVETII) was launched as a pilot project on the occasion of the 60th anniversary celebrations of the Indo-Swiss bilateral friendship treaty in 2008. It started as a public-private initiative by the Swiss-Indian Chamber of Commerce and VET partners such as the Swiss Engineering, Electrical and Metalworking Industry Association (Swissmem), the Swiss Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (SFIVET), the Federal Office for Professional Education and Technology (OPET) and four Swiss companies in India. The initiative reflected a specific demand of Swiss companies in India for qualified workers as well as Switzerland’s interest in positioning its vocational education and training (VET) system internationally. It aimed at transferring elements which were identified as being of systemic relevance to the Swiss vocational education and training system to India. Considered as a success, the pilot project has by now been implemented by a dozen of enterprises. In order to scale up the project it is proposed to present the initiative to a wider audience of stakeholders and potential partners.
The objectives of the proposed Swiss VET Day are to, inter alia,
- showcase the Swiss VET model and Switzerland’s expertise in this field
- promote and disseminate the Swiss VET Initiative to potentially interested partners in India
- present specific initiatives of Swiss skill development in India.
Programme:
18:30 Arrival and drinks
19:00 Welcome address on behalf of Federal Councillor H.E. Mr Johann N. Schneider-Ammann, Head of the Swiss Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research
19:05 Keynote address: H.E. Mr Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Minister of State for Skills Development and Entrepreneurship (Independent Charge), Government of India
19:15 Swiss international cooperation in vocational and professional education and training and the Relevance of Swiss VET for India: Dr Linus von Castelmur, Ambassador of Switzerland to India
19:25 Make in India: Skill development imperatives: Mr Subramaniam Ramadorai, Chairman, National Skills Development Agency and Chairman, National Skills Development Corporation
19:35 Address and presentation of the proposed ‘Swiss Centre of Excellence’ in Pune: Mr Narasimha Rao, Swiss-India Chamber of Commerce and Managing Director, Burckhardt Compression (India) Pvt. Ltd
19:45 Panel Discussion: Skilling India to meet its development goals: contributions from Switzerland
Panellists:
- Mr Dilip Chenoy, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, National Skills Development Corporation
- Mr Pramod Bhasin, Chairman, CII National Committee on Skill Development and Non-Executive Vice Chairman Genpact
- Mr. R.C.R. Reddy, Chair, FICCI Skills Development Forum and Managing Director ,IL&FS Education & Skills
- Prof Dr Cornelia Oertle, Director, Swiss Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training
- Mr G.P. Chandra Kumar, Skillsonics
- Dr. Sandra Rothboeck, Senior Advisor Skills Development, Swisscontact
- Mr Narasimha Rao, Managing Director, Burckhardt Compression (India) Pvt. Ltd
- Mr Sanjib Pal, Vice President, HR Power Product Division, ABB India Limited
20:45 Concluding remarks: Dr Linus von Castelmur, Ambassador of Switzerland to India
Vote of Thanks
20:50 Buffet dinner
Entry: Please register to attend: ndh.events@eda.admin.ch
