Union Minister of Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw has called for concerted action to build talent and capacity in support of the ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’ mission.
Addressing a roundtable attended by industry leaders and academia, Vaishnaw called on stakeholders to accelerate the development of a future-ready workforce to drive manufacturing growth in India.
The roundtable discussion focused on talent development and capacity building for sustainable manufacturing, combining a global perspective with local action.
Vaishnaw praised the emergence of a new sector, Manufacturing, Engineering, and Technology (MET), an initiative by NAMTECH (New Age Makers Institute of Technology), the MET Innovation School, which aims to meet the demands of Industry 4.0 and beyond, specifically by addressing the talent gap in emerging technologies and preparing a highly-skilled workforce and future leaders capable of driving transformative change in India.
Vaishnaw welcomed MIT delegation at the event, calling them one of the best institutes globally for advanced manufacturing.
He also recognized Indian industry leaders such as Suzuki, Siemens, ABB, Inox and others, emphasising that their participation is necessary to make NAMTECH truly impactful and aligned with ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’ mission.
Vaishnaw highlighted the success of Gati Shakti platform as a model for industry-academia collaboration, where companies co-created job-ready curriculums without any financial investment just by sharing knowledge. He called for replicating such models across sectors to ensure employability from day one, stating that the opportunity for the stakeholders to build something truly transformative is now. He noted that NAMTECH aims to skill talent across all levels – shop floor, design, and research with full government support and MIT’s mentorship to drive innovation and mindset change.
NAMTECH has previously signed MoUs with other partners such as Siemens India, Analog Devices Inc, and Applied Materials Inc to develop laboratories, training centres, skilling infrastructure, and scholarships in priority sectors such as semiconductors, smart manufacturing, and robotics.
The government has launched several pioneering missions, including the India Semiconductor Mission, AI Mission, National Robotics Strategy, Mobility Manufacturing Mission, and National Hydrogen Mission, which reflect the priority placed on advanced technology development and adoption.
The National Education Policy 2020 also emphasises holistic development and the integration of vocational and digital education into mainstream schooling.
Complementing these are talent-oriented frameworks such as the Skill India Digital Hub, ITI Upgradation Scheme, Chip to Startup, and the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) — all of which emphasise industry-aligned, inclusive skilling models.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) continues to support such ecosystem-driven initiatives that bridge critical skill gaps, democratise access to advanced technology education, and contribute to India’s global competitiveness in the electronics and manufacturing domains.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was also signed at the event between NAMTECH and Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya (GSV), Vadodara.