The industry-academia round-table on skill development, in which representatives from Rio Tinto, Ernst & Young, Queensland Resources Council, TAFE Queensland SkillsTech, Runge Pincock Minarco, University of Queensland, Queensland University of Technology, University of Newcastle as well as Indian representatives from Coal India, ISM Dhanbad, NTPC, Mining Skill Council of National Skill Development Corporation(NSDC) etc and representatives from the Indian industry were present, held at Brisbane, Australia.
Goyal is co-chairing the 3rd India-Australia energy security dialogue there.
It has been stated that Australia and India will enhance cooperation in skill development in the mining sector by setting up training centres to improve productivity and minimize plant accidents. Goyal stated that the skill development engagement with Australia will be scaled up to 1000 as compared to current engagement of 20 people per year through the combination of set up of Indian centres, e-learning as well as on-site training which will also include leadership training with training on mine operations and safety. He also highlighted significant opportunities in skill development in India.
He also talked about Prime Minister’s vision of affordable energy access for all and consequent doubling of output of Coal India itself by 2020.
The Minister has initiated collaboration with Queensland government’s Centre for Virtual Mining SIMTARS (Safety in Mines Testing and Research Station). Virtual mining training was showcased at SIMTARS which included labor safety, mine planning and refinery operations. He added, such training centres can significantly improve productivity while minimizing mine and plant accidents. Goyal suggested, at the occasion, a larger collaboration with more than six centres in each of the large mining states especially in east India while the original plan was of one Indian centre in collaboration in SIMTARS and ISM Dhanbad.
“This will help the workers in these states to ramp up their skills and fully benefit from the fruits of development. SIMTARS, Coal India Limited and ISM Dhanbad will jointly prepare a roadmap for setting up of these centres with a target to set up the first centre within the next year,” he said.
Sports were also identified as a key enabler for the health of workers and for bringing significant benefits at the workplace. A commitment to set up a sports university in Ranchi was made by Central Coalfields Ltd (CCL), a subsidiary of Coal India Ltd, and also to upgrade 14 stadiums in the city. The statement said that CCL will collaborate with sports institutes in Australia with an aim to produce several Olympians from India in 10 years. This will help bring the best sports training practices from Australia to India as well as promote traditional Indian sports like Kabaddi and Kho-kho back in Australia.
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