Australian varsities explore Indian market

Invest Victoria, the investment promotion agency of the Victorian Government in Victoria State of Australia, was recently in India on a vocational education and training trade mission. The trade delegation conducted a workshop in Chennai in the last week of September along with The Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) to explore possibilities of partnerships to provide vocational training to industry workforce in India. John Steer, senior projects manager - International Kangan Batman TAFE, shared with Autocar Professional their views on the purpose of the mission's visit to India, the current areas of improvement in the skills and vocational training modules in the country within the automotive space and the Victorian institutes' expertise that the mission representatives could bring to the table. India focus The purpose of the trade mission to India had three focus areas: ??? To assist the participating Victoria institutes gain a better understanding of industry sectors and skills training needs in India. ??? To introduce the institutes to potential partners in Bangalore, Chennai and New Delhi, and ??? To participate in the CII-sponsored Third Global Summit on Skills Development in New Delhi. The mission to India comprised six Victorian TAFE (Technical and Further Education) Institutes: Bendigo Regional Institute, Box Hill Institute, Chisholm Institute, Central Gippsland TAFE, Kangan Batman TAFE and Sunraysia Institute of TAFE. It was led by the Victorian Employers’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI) and its stated aim is to lead business into the future. According to Steer, “The institutes are highly skilled, reputable Victorian government-owned organisations with long histories of providing skills training. Four of the institutes provide training and consultancy services to the automotive industry in Australia and abroad. The aim (of this mission) is to showcase the capacity and capabilities of the Victorian VET sector and also to understand the role of the Indian industry in VET provision and to explore opportunities to work with providers in-country for VET provision and identify strategic partners to tie up in India.” He added, “The workshop with ACMA and company representatives was a first step in meeting and understanding local skill development needs. The workshop was well attended by local component companies such as Lucas TVS, Mahle IPL, Delphi–TVS Diesel Systems and Stumpp, Schuele & Somappa. Gayathri Sriram, member of the Regional Committee, ACMA (SR) and chairperson, CII Tamil Nadu, inaugurated the workshop and presentations were made by all the Victorian TAFE institutes. Discussions are continuing to build on the achievements of the workshop. The results of the Skills Gap analysis will determine the types and range of inputs to assist the industry meet its needs and the CII’s ‘Vision for Tamil Nadu Automotive Industry 2015’ to become a top Asian destination for the manufacture of automobiles and their components.” Invest Victoria’s activities in India are spearheaded by the Victorian Government Business Office (VGBO) in Bangalore which was established in 2006 to widen and expand trade and investment linkages between India and Victoria. The office assists Victorian companies in the Indian market to find partners and customers and also works with Indian investors interested in setting up or establishing their presence in Victoria. One of VGBO’s main activities is to bring trade missions to India like the TAFE mission. All of Invest Victoria’s services are free and confidential to companies.