Union Minister of State for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and Electronics & IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar virtually addressed the 1st India-Japan Skill connect conference, held in Tokyo at the Indian Embassy. He emphasized the strong partnership between India and Japan, which has expanded beyond traditional areas like security, trade, and economics to include technology and talent.

The minister said that the world is currently undergoing significant global and economic changes driven by digitization and technological advancements and amidst these changes, the India-Japan partnership is a defining partnership for the future of Asia, Indo-Pacific & the World. Under PM Narendra Modi and PM Fumio Kishida, this partnership spans security, trade, economics and is now expanding into Technology and Talent.

Highlighting the recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Japan on semiconductors, the Minister emphasized the importance of trusted partnerships around the world that rely on skilled talent to leverage emerging technologies. He further said that trends in digitization, emerging new technologies and the disruptions that these are bringing in whether it is AI, future of the internet, semiconductors or electronics have increased. Consequently, India places a high priority on cultivating skilled talent to ensure economic prosperity.

The government is firmly committed to collaborating with Japanese industries to establish skill hubs that align with their requirements, including language proficiency. This approach aims to make Indian professionals readily employable in Japan without additional certification and training.

The minister informed that India boasts an extensive network of skill centres, with recent integration of the Higher Education system into the skilling ecosystem. He also said that skills serve as passports to opportunities and prosperity for the Young Indians. He reiterated that the government is keen on working with Japanese industry and building skill hubs that are specifically aimed at delivering capabilities That the Japanese industry requires.

The conference was attended by various Japanese government ministers, officials, and representatives from Japanese companies, along with the Indian Ambassador Sibi George and a delegation from the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).