India, UK explore areas to firm up skill ecosystem

A UK delegation today met Union Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy here to explore areas of collaboration between the two nations to strengthen the skill ecosystem.
The delegation led by UK Minister of State for Universities and Science Jo Jonson expressed interest in supporting Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) to create 8 new Centres for Excellence over the next few years.
In the meeting, the Ministers discussed the UK India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI) with the aim of enhancing educational and knowledge exchange links between the two nations.
"During the interaction, the Ministers appreciated the collaboration between the two countries in the area of skill development and discussed the way forward to deepen this collaboration under UKIERI III, which will begin in April 2016", a release said.

The UKIERI programme aims to deliver systemic changes in the educational and vocational training ecosystem, by focusing on capacity building and leadership development within these institutions.
Rudy welcomed the UK's association with India for skill development and highlighted the fact that it is important to move at speed in operationalizing UKIERI III, in order to meet India's massive skilling requirements.