India Aligns Vocational Standards With Germany, Japan to Ease Overseas Jobs
India is aligning vocational training standards with Germany, Japan, Israel and Middle East partners to help skilled workers find jobs abroad, NSDC CEO Arun Kumar Pillai said.
India is working to align its vocational training standards with those of several countries, including Germany, Japan and Israel, in a bid to make it easier for skilled Indian workers to take up jobs overseas, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) CEO Arun Kumar Pillai has said.
The initiative is being steered through NSDC International, which partners with overseas organisations to bring global skill standards into India's training ecosystem and improve the international mobility of Indian workers.
"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 said 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 broader aim, he added, is to raise the quality of standards within the country so that an Indian worker can become a global worker.
The push comes as India seeks to improve the quality of vocational training at scale and link 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, which he described as a significant advance in awareness of vocational skills competitions. Candidates progressed through state, regional and national-level contests before the final contingent was chosen.
According to the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, India is fielding its largest-ever contingent at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026, with 70 competitors taking part across 63 skill categories.
Pillai said international competitions are not only about winning medals but also about learning from countries that have built strong vocational training systems. He said the focus now is on strengthening India's own institutions and infrastructure, and on driving the skills agenda deeper across the country to create a stronger pipeline of workers who can compete and perform at global standards.