City of Westminster College Principal Keith Cowell joined a UK education delegation to meet leading businesses and education providers in India and explore potential training opportunities.

India is considering ways to train 500 million people by 2020, with a clear focus on vocational opportunities. This high-level UK delegation included 59 skills providers, including Further Education Colleges, A4e, City & Guilds, Edexcel and Tribal.

During the visit the group attended the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) Skills Summit and participated in the UK India Skills Forum (UKISF) Awards. They also met leading Indian companies, including ArcelorMittal, Globysn, Hero MotorCorp and Mahindra & Mahindra. Meetings with Indian skills providers were organised with the assistance of the British Council and British High Commission.

Among the many positive outcomes was a memorandum of understanding signed by the UK India Business Council and FICCI to consider areas of collaboration, including skills development, training for trainers, knowledge transfer facilities and utilising collective expertise for government-funded programmes that target India’s vulnerable groups. Key training sectors explored included construction, health care, manufacturing/processing, media, retail and travel & tourism.

City of Westminster College Principal Keith Cowell says: “This was a fascinating and rewarding visit for everyone involved. India is a powerhouse economy with a young and dynamic population, so it was a privilege to discuss the opportunities and challenges it faces and also consider ways in which UK providers might assist in meeting the future training needs of its young people.”