Mumbai: The Maharashtra government on Thursday signed three Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with leading South Korean institutions to strengthen skill development and create global opportunities for students and youth, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said.
The MoUs were signed at the Sahyadri Guest House between the Directorate of Vocational Education and Training and Korea Polytechnics; the Maharashtra State Skill Development Society (MSSDS) and the National Institute for Lifelong Education; and the Ratan Tata Maharashtra State Skills University and two schools of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, a release said.
Fadnavis said South Korea has established a distinct global identity in new-age industries, business and skill development, and the cooperation agreements would bring Korean expertise and advanced technology to India.
He said the partnerships would support training across all levels, from basic industrial skills to advanced technologies, directly benefiting Indian students and helping convert the country's youthful population into skilled human resources.
"Nearly 65 per cent of India's population is below the age of 35, and this age group is our real strength," the chief minister said.
Fadnavis said Maharashtra, which currently has an economy of around $660 billion, aims to become a $1 trillion economy, and a highly skilled workforce would be essential to achieve that target.
The CM said the MoUs would soon be implemented on the ground and would help provide skilled manpower to industries while opening new international employment opportunities for Indian youth.
State Skill Development Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha said the agreements would help provide Maharashtra's youth with world-class skills, modern technology training and international employment opportunities.
Additional Chief Secretary Manisha Verma said support received under the Korea-World Bank Partnership Facility for the state's 'Daksh' initiative would help strengthen Maharashtra's technical and vocational education and training ecosystem.
She said a two-day workshop being held in Mumbai on May 21 and 22 had brought together experts from the Government of India, the Maharashtra government and leading South Korean skill institutions on a common platform.
Under the agreement between DVET and Korea Polytechnics, Maharashtra will establish advanced training centres based on South Korea's "Learning Factory" model to provide practical and industry-oriented training using modern technologies.
The state government said strategy manuals for these centres would be prepared between May and September 2026, while the centres are expected to become fully operational between March 2027 and June 2028.
Another agreement between MSSDS and the National Institute for Lifelong Education aims to create a lifelong learning policy framework for Maharashtra and develop digital learning and certification systems for upskilling and reskilling.
The partnership between Ratan Tata Maharashtra State Skills University and Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology will focus on sustainability and digital innovation, the release said.
Under the agreement, selected faculty members, staff and alumni of the university will get opportunities to pursue master's and doctoral programmes in South Korea.
The two institutions will also establish a Joint Research Centre on Global Sustainability and form a joint steering committee to oversee long-term implementation of the partnership, it added.
This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
