New Delhi: India and Finland held high-level discussions to expand cooperation in skill development, vocational education, and workforce mobility, reflecting a shared commitment to building globally competitive talent ecosystems.
Jayant Chaudhary, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Minister of State for Education, Government of India, held a bilateral meeting with Matias Marttinen, Minister of Employment, Government of Finland.
The dialogue focused on strengthening collaboration in skill development, vocational training systems, and enabling pathways for skilled workforce mobility between the two countries.
The meeting underscored the increasing alignment between India and Finland in developing resilient talent ecosystems through enhanced skill development cooperation.
Both ministers discussed expanding partnerships between institutions, industries, and vocational training systems to improve workforce readiness and facilitate global mobility for skilled professionals.
India’s Vision to Become a Global Skill Capital
Highlighting India’s commitment to strengthening skill development, Jayant Chaudhary said the country is steadily positioning itself as a major provider of global talent.
“Under the vision of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is steadily moving towards becoming the Global Skill Capital of the world. With one of the youngest and most dynamic workforce, supported by a rapidly expanding skilling ecosystem, India is well positioned to contribute skilled talent to global industries.
India’s demographic strength and Finland’s technological and vocational excellence create a natural partnership in the domain of skills. Our discussion focused on building practical bridges between training ecosystems, strengthening institutional cooperation and creating pathways for skilled youth to access global opportunities while maintaining high standards of training and mobility.”
The minister emphasised that deeper collaboration in skill development between the two countries can help connect India’s talent pool with global opportunities while ensuring strong institutional frameworks and training quality.
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Finland Recognises India’s Skilled Workforce
Matias Marttinen highlighted Finland’s interest in strengthening cooperation with India in skill development and workforce development.
“Finland values its growing partnership with India in the field of vocational education and workforce development. We deeply appreciate the contribution of highly-skilled Indian professionals who are working across different sectors and strengthening our workforce. India’s strong skilling ecosystem and its young talent present significant opportunities for further collaboration.
By strengthening cooperation between our institutions and industries, we can address workforce challenges while promoting innovation, skills development and sustainable economic growth.”
He noted that collaboration in skill development could help both countries address workforce shortages while driving innovation and economic growth.
Focus on Key Sectors for Workforce Mobility
During the meeting, both sides acknowledged the complementarities between India’s growing skill development ecosystem and Finland’s labour market requirements.
Discussions highlighted potential cooperation in sectors including healthcare, construction, green technologies, and advanced manufacturing.
The ministers emphasised the importance of structured mobility frameworks that can support skilled professionals while ensuring high standards of certification, training, and worker welfare. Strengthening global mobility pathways through coordinated skill development initiatives was identified as a priority area.
Skill Development: Strengthening Institutional Partnerships
Both countries also discussed enhancing partnerships between vocational education and training institutions. The dialogue focused on knowledge exchange, industry-driven skill development initiatives, and building stronger training ecosystems.
Key areas of cooperation included capacity building of trainers, integrating language training for international workforce mobility, and developing flexible pathways that allow learners to combine vocational education with academic qualifications.
The ministers also explored mechanisms to improve recognition of vocational qualifications across borders, which could further enable smoother workforce mobility and encourage professionals to explore global opportunities through structured skill development systems.
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Shared Commitment to Expanding Skill Cooperation
The discussions concluded with a reaffirmation of the shared commitment between India and Finland to expand cooperation in skill development, strengthen vocational education frameworks, and promote ethical and sustainable workforce mobility.
Both sides agreed to continue engagement through institutional partnerships and policy dialogue to identify priority sectors and practical collaboration opportunities in skill development.
Delegations from India and Finland
The Finnish delegation included:
- Teresa Salminen, Adviser to the Minister
- Sonja Hämäläinen, Director General, Labour Migration and Integration
- Laura Lindeman, Senior Director, Work in Finland
- Liisa Toivonen, Counsellor (Innovation)
- Tuomas Vasama, Chief Executive Officer, Works Oy
- Shrestha Sharma, Talent Boost Programme, Business Finland
- Amanda Hekkala, Embassy of Finland
The Indian delegation comprised:
- Debashree Mukherjee, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
- Nirmaljit Singh Gaba, Member, National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET)
- Dilip Kumar, Director General, Directorate General of Training
- Niranjan Kumar Sudhansu, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
