**Executive Summary**
This document reports on a bilateral meeting between India and Finland held on March 5, 2026, to explore enhanced cooperation in skill development, vocational education, and workforce mobility. The discussions aimed to deepen collaboration between institutions, industry, and training systems to create pathways for skilled workforce mobility and address global workforce challenges. Both nations reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening partnerships and continuing dialogue on priority sectors.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Objective of the Meeting:**
* To explore avenues for strengthening cooperation between India and Finland in skill development, vocational education, and workforce mobility.
* To deepen collaboration between institutions, industry, and training systems.
* To create pathways for skilled workforce mobility.
* **Key Areas of Discussion and Agreement:**
* **Talent Ecosystems:** Building resilient and future-ready talent ecosystems.
* **Skill Development:** India's ambition to become the Global Skill Capital and leveraging its young workforce. Finland's recognition of India's strong skilling ecosystem and young talent.
* **Partnership Focus:** Leveraging India's demographic strength and Finland's technological and vocational excellence.
* **Complementarities:** Recognizing complementarities between India's expanding skilling ecosystem and Finland's evolving labour market needs, particularly in sectors like healthcare, construction, green technologies, and advanced manufacturing.
* **Mobility Frameworks:** Emphasizing structured and mutually beneficial mobility frameworks for skilled professionals to access global opportunities, ensuring high standards of training, certification, and worker welfare.
* **Knowledge Exchange and Industry-Led Initiatives:** Strengthening partnerships between vocational education and training institutions, promoting knowledge exchange, and encouraging industry-led skill development.
* **Alignment of Skill Standards:** Collaborating to align skill standards with emerging global requirements.
* **Recognition of Qualifications:** Exploring mechanisms for smoother recognition of vocational qualifications.
* **Workforce Shortages:** Addressing workforce challenges and facilitating mobility of skilled professionals in sectors facing shortages.
* **Trainer Development and Language Training:** Exploring capacity building of trainers and integration of language training to support international mobility.
* **Combining Vocational and Academic Qualifications:** Developing pathways for learners to combine vocational training with academic qualifications.
* **Commitment to Future Engagement:**
* Reaffirmed shared commitment to expand cooperation in skill development and strengthen vocational education systems.
* Agreed to continue engagement through institutional partnerships and ongoing dialogue to identify priority sectors and practical areas of collaboration.
**Impact Analysis**
**Stakeholder:** Vocational Education and Training Institutions (India and Finland)
* **Impact:** Enhanced opportunities for collaboration, knowledge exchange, and potentially leading to curriculum alignment with global standards and improved training quality.
* **Action Required:** Participate in institutional partnerships and ongoing dialogue to identify priority areas and practical collaboration.
**Stakeholder:** Skilled Professionals (India)
* **Impact:** Potential for improved access to global opportunities, smoother recognition of qualifications, and enhanced worker welfare.
* **Action Required:** Benefit from strengthened mobility frameworks and pathways for international employment.
**Stakeholder:** Industries (India and Finland)
* **Impact:** Access to a more skilled workforce, potential to address labour shortages, and opportunities for innovation through cross-border collaboration.
* **Action Required:** Engage in industry-led skill development initiatives and collaborate to align skill standards with emerging global requirements.
**Stakeholder:** Learners/Youth (India)
* **Impact:** Development of pathways to combine vocational training with academic qualifications, and increased opportunities for international mobility.
* **Action Required:** Benefit from improved vocational education systems and potential for global career prospects.
**Stakeholder:** Governments of India and Finland
* **Impact:** Strengthened bilateral relations, development of ethical and sustainable workforce mobility, and promotion of economic growth through skills development.
* **Action Required:** Continue to facilitate and support institutional partnerships, ongoing dialogue, and the implementation of agreed-upon cooperation frameworks.
Key Entities Referenced
India and Finland: The two countries discussing cooperation in skill development, vocational education, and workforce mobility.
Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship: The Indian ministry involved in the discussions and represented by Shri Jayant Chaudhary.
Minister of Employment, Government of Finland: The Finnish minister involved in the discussions and represented by Mr. Matias Marttinen.
Shri Jayant Chaudhary: Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Minister of State for Education, Government of India.
Mr. Matias Marttinen: Minister of Employment, Government of Finland.
Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
India and Finland Discuss Expanding
Cooperation in Skill Development, Vocational
Education and Workforce Mobility
Posted On: 05 MAR 2026 2:38PM by PIB Delhi
Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Minister of State
for Education, Government of India, Shri Jayant Chaudhary today held a bilateral meeting with Minister
of Employment, Government of Finland, Mr. Matias Marttinen to explore avenues for strengthening
cooperation between India and Finland in the areas of skill development, vocational education and
workforce mobility.
The meeting reflected the growing convergence between the two countries in building resilient and future-
ready talent ecosystems. Both ministers discussed opportunities to deepen collaboration between
institutions, industry and training systems in order to enhance vocational education and create pathways
for skilled workforce mobility.
Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Minister of State
for Education, Government of India, Shri Jayant Chaudhary said: “Under the vision of the Prime Minister,
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.”
Minister of Employment, Government of Finland, Mr. Matias Marttinen said: “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.”
The discussions recognised the significant complementarities between India’s expanding skilling
ecosystem and Finland’s evolving labour market needs, particularly in sectors such as healthcare,
construction, green technologies and advanced manufacturing. The two sides emphasised the importance
of structured and mutually beneficial mobility frameworks that enable skilled professionals to access
global opportunities while ensuring high standards of training, certification and worker welfare.
During the interaction, both ministers noted the importance of strengthening partnerships between
vocational education and training institutions of the two countries, promoting knowledge exchange and
encouraging industry-led skill development initiatives. They also deliberated on areas such as capacitybuilding of trainers, integration of language training to support international mobility and the development
of pathways that allow learners to combine vocational training with academic qualifications.
The discussion also highlighted the potential for closer collaboration between institutions and industry
stakeholders in both countries to align skill standards with emerging global requirements. Both sides
expressed interest in exploring mechanisms that could facilitate smoother recognition of vocational
qualifications and encourage mobility of skilled professionals in sectors facing workforce shortages.
The meeting reaffirmed the shared commitment of India and Finland to expand cooperation in skill
development, strengthen vocational education systems and promote ethical and sustainable workforce
mobility. Both ministers agreed to continue engagement through institutional partnerships and ongoing
dialogue to identify priority sectors and practical areas of collaboration.
The Finnish delegation included Adviser to the Minister, Ms. Teresa Salminen; Director General, Labour
Migration and Integration, Ms. Sonja Hämäläinen; Senior Director, Work in Finland, Ms. Laura
Lindeman; Counsellor (Innovation), Ms. Liisa Toivonen; Chief Executive Officer, Works Oy, Mr. Tuomas
Vasama; Talent Boost Programme, Business Finland, Ms. Shrestha Sharma; and Embassy of Finland, Ms.
Amanda Hekkala.
The Indian side was represented by Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Ms.
Debashree Mukherjee; Member, National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET), Shri
Nirmaljit Singh Gaba, Director General, Directorate General of Training (DGT), Shri Dilip Kumar and
Additional Secretary, MSDE, Shri Niranjan Kumar Sudhansu.***
SH
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