Shanghai [China]: India is working with countries including Germany, Japan and Israel to align vocational training standards and make it easier for skilled Indian workers to access jobs overseas, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) CEO Arun Kumar Pillai said.
The effort is being driven through NSDC International, which works with overseas partners to bring global skill standards into India's training ecosystem and improve the international mobility of Indian workers.
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"One of the reasons for doing that is to promote global mobility. So an Indian trained to say German standards can then opt to work, go to Germany and work. Of course, after learning German language, similarly trained to Japanese standards can go there," Pillai told on the sidelines of WorldSkills Shanghai 2026.
He said NSDC is working closely with Germany, Japan, Israel and countries in the Middle East, including on skill verification.
"The whole drive is to improve the quality of standards in the country so that Indian worker can be a global worker," Pillai said.
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The push comes as India looks to improve the quality of vocational training at scale and connect its skilling system more closely with international employment opportunities.
Pillai said nearly 3.6 lakh people registered for the WorldSkills selection process across India in the current cycle, reflecting growing awareness of vocational skills competitions.
"First and foremost, 3.6 lakh people got registered for WorldSkills competitions across the country. That itself is a huge, huge leg up," he said.
Candidates went through state, regional and national-level competitions before the final contingent was selected.
India is fielding its largest-ever contingent at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026, with 70 competitors participating across 63 skill categories, according to the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
Pillai said participating in international competitions was not only about winning medals but also about learning from countries that have built strong vocational training systems.
"While we have this first set of winners, we need to look back and see how do we strengthen our own system, you know, in terms of institutions, infrastructure," he said.
He added that the longer-term objective was "driving the whole skills agenda deeper in this country" and creating a stronger pipeline of skilled workers who can compete and work at global standards.
