Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) under its Skills for Jobs programme hosted a one-day Virtual Skills Exhibition (VSE) on the 25th March 2021. The event was conducted through a high-end digital platform, wherein the UK vocational sector organizations exhibited their service offerings through virtual stalls and engaged in discussions with the Indian participants who joined remotely.
Ms Anu Gupta Head-Skills, FCDO, chaired the inaugural session, which included several senior keynote speakers sharing their insights. The eminent speakers included the below:
- Dr Daniel Bradley, Team Leader, Low Carbon Growth, British High Commission, India
- Mr Randheer Singh, Senior Specialist (Joint Adviser) E-Mobility & Core Team-Advanced Chemistry Cells Programme NITI Aayog Government of India
- Mr Nikunj Sanghi, Chairman – Automotive Skills Development Council
- Mr Jonathan Ledger – Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Specialist,
Department of International Trade
Ms Anu Gupta inaugurated the session and provided information on the key initiatives undertaken in the project in the EV sector and enumerated how E- mobility continues to be a priority sector for the Skills for Jobs programme.
Dr Daniel Bradley in his address spoke about the role of integrating E mobility in the transport systems and the key role it can play in meeting climate goals. In line with the stringent targets of countries in the space of electrification of transport, he highlighted the importance of investments in innovation and R&D.
Mr Randheer Singh provided a brief overview of the multiple initiatives that have been taken by the Government of India to promote manufacturing as well as the adoption of EVs and highlighted the importance of global collaborations for the creation of an affordable, reliable, safe and accessible eco-system.
Mr Nikunj Sanghi shared an overview of the initiatives taken by the Automotive Skills Development Council in furthering skill development in the EV sector and highlighted the various collaborations undertaken with Industry and Academia towards the development of curriculum and delivery of customized training courses.
Mr Jonathan Ledger presented an overview of the UK expertise in the EV sector and shared a vision for enhancing UK-India skills partnerships, through which Indian partners can access UK expertise. He emphasised the importance of such events, which bring the institutes from both countries together on a common platform and allow them to create mutually beneficial collaborative partnerships.
Ms Anu Gupta concluded the inaugural session with a vote of thanks to all the exhibitors, speakers and participants for their efforts in making the event a success.
The inaugural session was followed by a round of presentations by the UK exhibitors and the virtual exhibition which provided a great opportunity for stakeholders from both countries to network and identify potential collaboration opportunities. The event witnessed an encouraging turnout with more than 140+ participants joining in.
