Newsletter Summer 2013 Introduction The project partners of the Swiss Vocational Education and Training Initiative India are pleased to send you the Newsletter Summer 2013. In this issue you will find information on: - Swiss Vocational Education and Training in India The Journey So Far - The National Skill Development Corporation - SkillSonics Partnership - India s Vocational Education and Training Sector - Switzerland s Vocational Education and Training Sector We hope you find this edition an informative and interesting read. Swiss Vocational Education and Training in India (SVETI) The Journey So Far The SVETI pilot project was launched in India in 2008 by the Swiss Federal Office for Professional Education and Technology (OPET) and the Swiss-Indian Chamber of Commerce (SICC), in association with The Swiss Mechanical and Electrical Industries (SWISSMEM) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Vocational Education and Training (SFIVET) as key knowledge partners. SVETI s focus is to adapt the Swiss Vocational Education and Training (VET) methodology and course content to India, making it available to Indian apprentices, teachers and instructors. The pilot project exceeded all goals with the participation of 9 companies in 4 states. The success of the pilot project led to the formation of SkillSonics Private Limited (SkillSonics) in 2011 to continue the project on a long-term basis. SkillSonics is building on the successful foundation laid by the SVETI pilot project. Most of the companies who participated in the pilot project have now signed up with SkillSonics.
Current Status of the VET Project Dual Track Courses Structure: - Theory courses taught by certified teachers: 15% - Practical assignments supervised by company instructors: 50% - Company production work: 35% Types: - Comprehensive Program (1-3 years): Mechanical, Electrical, Welding and Fabrication, Machining, Painting - Accelerated Program (5-120 days): Work Planning, Time Management, Safety, Housekeeping and Business Reporting/Recording Exam: - Indian National Apprenticeship and SWISSMEM Certificates - Dual Certification: national and international recognition Apprentices Certified: 58 Total Number Trained/Training: 200+ Accelerated Courses: 4000 technicians Trainers (Trained through Trainer Workshops) Teachers: 79 Company Instructors: 73 Examiners Total Number: 38 Companies Locations 7 Swiss Companies: Bobst, Buhler, Burckhardt Compression, Rieter, ABB, ACC/Holcim and Starrag 2 Indian Companies: EFD Induction and GMM Pfaudler 9 Cities: Bangalore, Kolar, Malavalli, Hubli, Pune, Shirur, Chandrapur, Karamsad, Vadodra Outlook SkillSonics is currently preparing the launch of a pilot project in India s food processing industry in partnership with the Federation of Swiss Food Processing Industries (FIAL).
Swissmem s Role in the SVETI Project Swissmem: Association of the Swiss Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Industry Interview with Arthur W. Glättli, Swissmem Representative on SVETI 1. Why did Swissmem join the SVETI Project? Swissmem joined the Swiss VET initiative in India during the pilot phase in 2008, because several of its leading member companies saw an urgent need to improve the skilled labor in their Indian operations. 2. What role does Swissmem play in the project? Swissmem developed the training program for a multi-skilled production technician and provided the necessary teaching school material and practice tools in close coordination with its Indian partner. Furthermore, Swissmem supports the development and implementation of examinations. It also awards the participants Swissmem diplomas on completion of the program. 3. What have the challenges been in training Indian apprentices, and how have you overcome these? Taking the multi-skilled mechanic vocational profession as the basis, the idea of the project was to examine whether the Swiss dual system of vocational education and training model could also gain ground in a country like India, which has a different vocational education and training system. An initial analysis of the Indian context revealed that the curriculae of vocational professions could not be transferred one-to-one. In India, companies had different needs, the quality and quantity of infrastructure was inadequate, cultural differences existed and there was a lack of operational trainers (instructors). These were some of the factors that made it necessary for Swissmem to provide specialized support in order to adapt the Swiss vocational education and training model to India. The companies had to equip training workshops with high quality machinery and tools. They also had to provide professional trainers from their staff or hire new employees to train the apprentices, if unavailable in-house. On this point, efforts at persuasion were necessary. On the academic side, similar to Switzerland, teachers from state vocational schools (Industrial Training Institute, ITI) were engaged to provide the theory courses. This required the consent of the relevant government authorities. A crucial factor for the project s success is not only participation of the private sector (companies) and state players (ITI), but also the training of instructors and teachers. The instructors and teachers must become familiar with the Swiss dual system of vocational education and training, and then learn the teaching methods, social skills and work
methodology. This factor is probably the biggest challenge the project faces. Hence, The Swiss Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (SFIVET) and Swissmem focus intensively on training multipliers (occupational instructors, specialist teachers and examiners). 4. How would you evaluate the SVETI Project now and what do you think are its future prospects? Currently there are 9 companies in India in the SVETI Project; until now over 230 apprentices were awarded Swissmem diplomas. The companies involved in the project confirm that the graduated apprentices have better know-how that is far more aligned with the companies needs than those apprentices who have graduated from the state training course. Further expansion of SVETI depends, among other things, on state recognition of the program s diplomas. As important will be the ability to convince Indian companies to join the program in light of the benefits of the Swiss dual system of vocational education and training. Training of the Master Trainers First Batch: November 12-22, 2012 Second Batch: June 24-28 and August 19-23, 2013 From the outset, Skillsonics has had to train the instructors and teachers involved in the project. SFIVET developed a Master Trainer Training Course of two-weeks in length, where teacher and instructor trainers receive their instruction. Interview given by Sirisha Ganeshula, training participant, on August 22, 2013, to Hanspeter Tanner, Senior VET Consultant at SFIVET and Martin Nydegger, Independent Senior VET Consultant. 1. You have almost completed the trainer training, what is your key learning? My key learning is the fact that teaching should be learner-focused. The learner takes the responsibility of learning through the situation learning approach while the teacher acts as a guide and mentor. Enabling the learning environment becomes the most important factor. This makes no sense. I would leave out Q1 2. Which element of the training surprised you the most? The most surprising thing for me is the way the training was delivered. It was more of a guided approach to learning than a classroom lecturing session we usually see in seminars. 3. In which area did you benefit the most? The training program was very useful in teaching me about the Swiss VET system. I got information on the approach used in Switzerland to learning which will help me in communicating the SkillSonics approach and adapt parts of it to the Indian context. Many new
and interesting ideas on learning were also communicated which I will explore further in my teaching approach. 4. What are the main differences between the way you have taught so far and the Swiss VET methods taught? The primary difference between vocational teaching in India and the Swiss VET method is the dual-track approach which involves industry in vocational training. The situation learning approach with its CoRe model that leads to development of trades is also very different from the way curriculum is developed in India. 5. Would you recommend this training to your fellow colleagues? Yes, I will recommend this training program to my colleagues so that they can get a perspective on useful, new learning approaches that can be applied in an Indian context. This will help us in addressing the various skilling and educational challenges we face today. The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) Partners with SkillSonics - with Equity and Debt Funding to Scale Up the Swiss VET Model in India The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) was set up as part of the government s national skill development mission to fulfill the growing need in India for skilled manpower across sectors and to narrow the existing gap between the demand and supply of skills. NSDC s target is to contribute to the skilling of 150 million people in India by 2022, mainly by fostering private sector initiatives in skill development program and providing funding. Recently, NSDC became a partner of SkillSonics on the SVETI Project. SkillSonics received Rs 22.5 crore in funding (equity and debt) from NSDC. This will help SkillSonics reach its target of training and certifying up to 1 million engineering technicians by 2022. SkillSonics plans to expand its presence to eight states, and cover all major engineering clusters in India. In order to achieve this goal, SkillSonics will increase its manpower to over 3000. Mr. G P Chandra Kumar, Chairman and CEO, SkillSonics (left), Mr. Franz Probst, Co Chairman, SkillSonics (centre) and Dilip Chenoy, NSDC CEO & Managing Director, (right) sealing the partnership on June 24, 2013 in New Delhi.
India s Vocational Education and Training Sector Skill development in India was traditionally an informal matter where families passed skills on from one generation to the next. Today, students are required to complete schooling up to the eighth standard before they can enter a vocational program that will give them job-related skills. The diagram below illustrates the typical educational path of Indian students and the various vocational education options that are available to them. Recently, the Indian government has begun to introduce aspects of vocational education into the primary school curriculum (before class X). Compulsory Education Until the 8th Standard PREFERRED PATH VOCATIONAL EDUCATION OPTIONS School (X) Several trades (ex. welding) after 8 th standard or PUC (XII) Graduation / Diploma in Arts / Science /Humanities (3 years)or Engineering/Medical Degree (4-5 years) Craftsman training (ITI/ITC) after 10 th standard or Apprenticeship at companies for one year after completion of CTS at ITI/ITC to obtain higher certification Job Market Entry A brief overview of the VET environment:
Current Status It is estimated that 12 million people with and without an education join India s workforce annually. There is a critical need to train this workforce so they can get jobs. The current capacity for vocational training through technical institutes (industrial training institutes and polytechnics) is only 3 million. Less than 10% of the workforce receives any form of vocational training of which only 2% receives formal training. Outlook The projected requirement of skilled manpower for India (government and private sector) by 2022 is 500 million. In its twelfth 5-year plan the country has set a target to train 25% of its workforce in order to satisfy the immediate and the long-term requirements for skilled manpower. Switzerland s Vocational Education and Training Sector Apprenticeship training in Switzerland has a long-standing tradition. Today, VET is the predominant form of upper secondary education in Switzerland. About 65% of all young people enroll in a VET program. Most VET courses are structured along the so-called company based dual-track system because there are two places of learning a vocational school for general education and a host company where the practical training takes place. In Switzerland, VET programs of two, three or four years exist in around 230 occupations in all fields of industry, including commerce, hospitality and agriculture. Irrespective of program length, students are employed by a host company in their vocational area throughout the program. Those who wish to get a university degree after completing their apprenticeship may do so after fulfilling certain scholastic requirements. In Switzerland, VET is a joint mission of the public and private sectors. The tasks are shared among the Swiss Confederation, which functions as the overall regulatory body in charge of quality assurance; the professional sector organizations that determine the training content; the
cantons (the 26 Swiss states) that supervise implementation, and the host companies that hire apprentices within the framework of special training contracts. The strength of Switzerland s VET system can be attributed to the following characteristics: First, theoretical instruction and practical training are directly linked to the business requirements of companies in different vocational areas. This linkage reduces the discrepancy between skills that companies require and available labor trained in those skills. Course theory is not conducted in the rarified environment of an academic institution removed from the requirements of the marketplace, but defined by these very requirements. Finally, instructors themselves are systematically trained and retrained in the latest technical and pedagogical approaches. Second, in Switzerland VET is not the realm of low achievers. It is attributed respect and regarded as a desirable entry point to a successful career for the majority of Swiss youth. Many CEOs in Switzerland did not graduate from university but from VET programs and have worked their way up the organizational hierarchy. Third, the VET path offers career opportunities to its participants. This is not only because they have been instructed in the relevant hard and soft skills, but because they have been exposed to a working environment in companies and organizations during their training program. With hands-on experience they are attractive skilled resources after graduating who can hit the ground running when they enter their first employment position. Fourth, there is a degree of flexibility in the Swiss VET system so that the university path is not shut off to graduates of the VET system. Participants can progress to higher professional education including university studies. Education in Switzerland is a holistic system geared towards the needs of the labor market. It is largely due to the VET system that Switzerland has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the world, and that its companies are successful both at home and in the global marketplace.