Govt in advanced talks to expand academia-industry partnerships for skill development: Ashwini Vaishnaw

The government is in talks with several global logistics and transportation firms for academic tie-ups to make the best-in-class manpower available to the industry, Ashwini Vaishnaw, India’s Minister for Railways, Communications and Electronics & Information Technology said in New Delhi. 

The minister disclosed this during an industry-academia MoU signing between aerospace major Airbus and Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya, Thursday. 

“This [MoU with Airbus] is a first step in this direction. We are in talks with eight large companies including Alstom, Siemens, Deutsche Bahn, etc., who are leaders in the field of global logistics and transportation for an MoU,” said Vaishnaw. 

The minister said a series of similar agreements were expected to be inked over the course of the next few months, with the course curriculums being decided in consultation with the participating companies so that students of Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya were industry-ready on passing out. 

“The government wants the Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya to become the source of talent for the country and the world by providing the best engineering, operations and maintenance and design talent for industries such as aviation, railway, heavy trucking, maritime, ports and shipping and warehousing,” informed Vaishnaw.

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As the country’s first central university in transportation and logistics, Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya seeks to foster a unique value proposition in applied education, training, skilling and research through experiential learning and academia-industry interface. The MoU inked between Remi Maillard, President & Managing Director, Airbus India & South Asia, and Prof. Manoj Choudhary, Vice Chancellor, is part of the Vadodara-based university’s stated mission to establish national and international partnerships with other educational institutions and industries. 

India: Airbus’ talent hub and strategic resource

Saying that Airbus was fully committed to the development of a comprehensive aviation ecosystem in India, Maillard said the development of a skilled workforce was critical to laying its foundation. 

“For Airbus, India is not just a tremendous growth market. For Airbus, India is a strategic resource and a talent hub. Every Airbus aircraft and helicopter has parts and technologies that are designed, manufactured and maintained here in India,” asserted Maillard. 

For instance, the facility for manufacturing C-295 transport aircraft for the armed forces being built by a consortium of Airbus and Tata group in Vadodara would require 15,000 engineers. Airbus and Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya will be working together to create that talent pool. 

Maillard also confirmed that the first C-295 aircraft would be delivered in flyaway condition to the Indian Air Force later this month. Out of the total 56 aircraft orders, 16 will be imported from Spain while the remaining 40 will be manufactured at the upcoming facility.