In the presence of Hon. Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Shri Raghubar Das and Hon. Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas and Skill Development Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, QSEC has signed an MOU with the Department of Higher, Technical Education & Skill Development, Government of Jharkhand, to act as a country partner to the state.
The agreement, which was signed at the Skill Jharkhand 2018 Summit in Ranchi, will enable the implementation of several key projects which both parties have been discussing over the past 6 months.
The Queensland Skills & Education Consortium (QSEC) is a group of Australian Institutions with a reputation for delivering high-quality industry focussed skilling. The partners include TAFE Queensland, Griffith University, Australian Retail College, Intech Institute of Technology and FoodCoach Institute.
The JSDMS is the apex body responsible for all skill development activities within the state of Jharkhand, and acts as the policy-making body providing convergence platform for all other departments. JSDMS is determined to create a robust skill development sector and is progressively working towards meeting State target of skilling 2 million people in five years by taking the mandate to train 1.2 million youth through its programmes.
The two organisations will contribute to the growth vocational skills in the state, across industries such as Mining, Construction, Automotive and Agriculture. The collaboration will look to upgrade skilling qualifications, enhance the training role; and in the next phase embed Australian standards into training programs to enhance the productivity of workers in Indian mining sector.
In addition to the presence of the Hon. Chief Minister and Hon. Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship the ceremony was attended by Secretary, Higher Technical Education & Skill Development of the Jharkhand Mr Ajoy Kumar Singh, Queensland Trade Commissioner (TIQ), Mr Gitesh Agarwal along with many state dignitaries and 3 QSEC members from Australia.
Queensland’s global business agency, Trade and Investment Queensland (TIQ), has played a key role in today’s signing. Staff at TIQ’s Bangalore office facilitated the growth of the relationship and were on hand to witness the official signing ceremony in Ranchi.
“QSEC views Jharkhand as a key state in India. It is a cultural and industrial hotspot with strong synergies between our two states” said Sam Freeman, head of QSEC in India. “We have worked closely with JSDMS over the past 6 months and are delighted to have found a partner who shares our vision of quality, industry-focused skilling.”