Odisha inks MoU with Singapore-based ITE on skill development

The Odisha government on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ITE Education Services, Singapore for collaboration on skill development in the state.

The Odisha Skill Development Authority (OSDA) and the ITE Education Services (ITEES), a subsidiary of the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), inked the MoU to transform the skill development ecosystem in the state.

"This initiative will certainly step up the quality of our skilled youth. I thank the ITEES for helping us with knowledge, collaboration and international linkages," said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

Informing that the ITE is a global leader in vocational education and has made a significant contribution to this field in Singapore, the Chief Minister said one hundred ITI teachers will be trained at the ITE in 2018.

"My Government is committed to development of human and social capital for enhancing the capabilities of our people and this partnership will go a long way in fulfilling this objective," said Patnaik.

As part of the collaboration, ITEES will share ITEs experiences in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and provide consultancy support to OSDA in raising the quality of skill development and vocational training.

For a start, ITEES will be conducting a two-week training on leadership development for 100 leaders of government-run ITI institutions that are in the forefront of TVET in Odisha.

The programme aims to develop human and social capital, contributing towards community development and enhancing capabilities for skill development and vocational training, said an official.

ITEES will also provide TVET consultancy support to OSDA on the proposed Advanced Skill Training Institutes (ASTIs) formations for advance skilling of youths.

OSDA Chairman Subroto Bagchi said: "We are delighted to forge a collaboration with ITEES, a global leader in the area of technical training and skill development.

"We believe, with their help, we can push up the standards of our ITI institutions to global levels".

Bruce Poh, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ITEES said: "We are extremely impressed with the vision Odisha has for skill development. We are looking forward to a very long-term collaboration between us."

--IANS

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