On 26th April 2023, the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce hosted its Annual Regional Meet Pune 2023 at J.W. Marriott, along with its event partners, Fristam Pump (India) Private. Limited, Hirschvogel Automotive India Private Limited and Roedl & Partner Consulting Private Limited.
The theme of the evening was around the crucial topic of “Creating a Skilled Workforce for the Future”. The focus was to discuss and debate the importance of training and skilling for the industry’s workforce. The event brought together Indian and German businesses to interact and discuss opportunities and challenges in the Indian market.
Close to 200 company representatives of IGCC’s member companies, from various sectors, participated in the event. IGCC's commitment to sustainability and effort to execute zero waste events was visible due to a plastic-free green event.
The future of attracting and retaining talent in manufacturing is about embracing technology, promoting diversity and inclusion, offering work-life balance, and providing comprehensive training and development programs. Vocational Education and Training (VET) is on the agenda of the Indian government and new programs at the Bachelor’s and Master’s levels are planned to ensure youngsters are “fit for the job” as well as change mindsets towards vocational education. Ideally going forward, VET should be introduced at the primary level of education. From the government’s perspective, cooperation from the industry is key to rolling out such programs.
IGCC’s Director General, Stefan Halusa, opened the event with his welcome speech, followed by the opening address by the Guest of Honor, Consul General of Germany, Mumbai Mr. Achim Fabig. Both dignitaries highlighted the importance and the need for skilling and training for enhanced growth of the industry and laid the foundation for the panel discussion and debate as the key feature of the evening.
The panel discussion was moderated by Ms. Ute Brockmann, Deputy Director General, IGCC, and experts and panelists included Mr. Rajesh Mishra, Managing Director, VULKAN Technologies Private Limited, Mr. Waman Kothekar, Assistant Director (Training), ITI Regional office, Pune, Mr. Lokesh Kumar, Chief Manager, Technical Training, Skoda Auto VW India Private Limited, Mr. Kayur Modi, Head of Technical Training, Mercedes Benz India Private Limited.
Skills development programs have been introduced by the government, but awareness within the industry is lacking. The inclusion of innovation and current technologies like virtual reality for training sessions should be part of the curriculum to keep up with the industry demands. Practical training should be emphasized along with theoretical knowledge. It is imperative that government, relevant ministries, the industry, and the Chamber work together to achieve this objective. It was wonderful to hear from our partners and our esteemed panelists as they shared their experiences and insights on the topic.
The evening was concluded with a networking dinner and cocktails.
