India and Australia on Tuesday held a high-level roundtable on Skilling Partnership at Kaushal Bhawan, New Delhi, as part of ongoing collaboration under the 3rd Australia–India Education and Skills Council (AIESC) Meeting.
The dialogue brought together senior officials from NCVET, NSDC, Green Jobs, DGT, NSDC International, and industry stakeholders, while the Australian delegation included representatives from Jobs & Skills Australia, the Australian Mining & Automotive Skills Alliance and ASQA.
In her opening remarks, Debashree Mukherjee, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE), called for greater institutional coherence between ASQA and NCVET on regulatory frameworks and between India’s Sector Skill Councils and Jobs & Skills Australia on implementation. She highlighted a shared commitment to enhancing the reputation of vocational education and reviewed outcomes of the bilateral discussions held during the 3rd AIESC Skills Session on 8 December 2025.
Discussions centred on aligning skilling systems to keep pace with rapid technological change, particularly AI-led industry transformation, and meeting talent requirements across emerging sectors. Both sides noted common challenges in preparing workforces for clean energy, advanced manufacturing, green jobs, agri-tech and digital roles. The need for industry-linked training models, flexible learning pathways and strengthened trainer capacity was widely emphasised.
Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and Minister of State for Education, Jayant Chaudhary, said India and Australia are advancing towards building a globally mobile, industry-ready talent pool. He called for a time-bound roadmap to deliver measurable outcomes in joint certification, global skills recognition and trusted assessment frameworks.
Australia’s Minister for Skills & Training, Andrew Giles, reaffirmed commitment to deepening cooperation and highlighted the need to overcome operational challenges to translate intent into outcomes. He noted progress in institutional engagement spanning ITIs, NSTIs and TAFEs.
The roundtable voiced strong support for joint training programmes, trainer and assessor exchange mechanisms, and pilot placement initiatives for skilled workers in priority job roles. Participants also backed the proposal to institutionalise an Annual India–Australia Skills Meet to review progress, share best practices and sustain long-term collaboration.
The Australian side presented labour market insights pointing to rising demand for high-skilled roles, faster workforce transitions, and the growing relevance of clean energy, agri-food systems and services-driven growth. They also highlighted the economic impact of AI and the need for adaptable regulatory frameworks.
India provided an overview of ongoing VET reforms, including strengthened qualification equivalence pathways, enhancements to the National Skills Qualifications Framework and the establishment of Centres of Excellence in future-oriented sectors.
Concluding the session, Anna Faithful, Deputy Secretary for Skills and Training, and Archana Mayaram, Economic Advisor (IC), MSDE, reiterated the shared intent to make skilling aspirational and establish continuous mechanisms for engagement.
