CHICHWAD-PUNE , AUGUST 27, 2014: “If there’s anyone who does not wish to succeed in life, please raise your hands!” – was the first question Mr. Ravindra Waghmare asked a group of 80 students of the Don Bosco Vyawasaik Prashikshan Kendra when he began his motivational speech in the A.V. Hall at 2:45 p.m on August 22, 2014.

 Mr. Waghmare, a motivational speaker from the Kishore Musale Charitable Trust who has been working in the corporate industry for 35 yearsand has been giving motivational talks to corporate houses, management students and vocational trainees for many years was the speaker for the seminar. Aptly titled, ‘Progressing for Success,’ the objective of his talk to the vocational trainees of Don Bosco Vyawasaik Prashikshan Kendra (DBVPK) was to motivate the youngsters to make good use of the opportunities offered by the institution and succeed in life.

 He invited the students to probe themselves and find out why they were there. With the aid of slides he showed, how the choice of course picked at Don Bosco’s, the students have made a fundamental choice in changing their lifestyle. From probably playing cricket on the streets or crowding around street corners and wiling away precious time, they have now chosen to spend time learning skills which would soon become their means to earn a living. He also convinced them that by learning a trade they would also gain knowledge, skill, a right attitude, valuable experience andsomething that would make them different.

Comparing attitude to a magnet, he drew on the fact, that a right attitude attracts positive things in life. He expected each student to have a passion to learn more, eagerness to enhance value in self, gain more knowledge and be a self-starter. Drawing a parallel with a scooter he got most of the students in the audience to believe that success could only be achieved if they themselves developed a drive to push forward. Asking them to be competent he ended his talk listing down qualities one needed to develop in life. During the student feedback, the efficaciousness of his talk was affirmed when, from the many who came upfront and proclaimed their resolution, a student of tribal origin confessed it was the first time she was speaking in public, drawing a loud applause from all.

After the successful completion of the three months Vocational Education and Training (VET) programme, the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce, Pune in collaboration with Don Bosco Private Industrial Technical Training Institute, Chinchwad launched its first one year VETnet programme on 1^st December 2015.

The event was graced by several dignitaries from the German government and representative companies from India and Germany.The aim of the Indo-German Vocational Education and Training (VETnet) initiative is to provide both countries with a win-win situation in workforce employment. German companies in India can meet their need for qualified workers and establish themselves effectively in a highly competitive market like India, while Indian workforce profits from the expert know how of German Vocational Education and Training. The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and supported by the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK). The German Chambers of Commerce have successfully implemented project VETnet in 9 other countries- Brazil, China, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Spain and Thailand.

The event began with a welcome note by Dr. Sabine Donauer from German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), followed by an introductory welcome messages by Mr. Peter Deubet, Deputy Director General, Indo-German Chamber of Commerce and Fr. Corlis of Don Bosco Private Industrial Technical Training Institute. They highlighted the role played by IGCC, Don Bosco and German Government in promotion of vocational education and training among Indian students.

The dais was further graced by Fr. Savio, head of Don Bosco institutes who elaborated upon the history of Don Bosco training institutes from Italy to around the globe as one of the leaders in vocational education and training. Thereafter, Mr. Frank Hoffman, Senior Manager, Indo-German Chamber of Commerce, Pune took to dais and briefed the audience about the VETnet project. He also highlighted the support provided by the sponsor companies, German government and role of Don Bosco which led to the successful completion of their first pilot project.

To highlight the achievements of the training programme, a live interview session was held between Mr.Alexander Ley, Senior Manager- Design & Engineering, BPW Trailer Systems India Pvt. Ltd. (one of the participating company) and Alfred Ramsey (VETnet apprentice). Mr. Ley asked questions to Mr. Ramsey about several aspects of the VETnet training programme that he was undergoing at Don Bosco. It was an interesting exchange of questions and answers which sent an assuring message to the audience about the projects implementation and durability.

The interview was followed by a panel discussion on the topic “Skill India to Make in India” with company heads of 3 participating companies- Mubea India, Bharat Forge & Schmersal; Mr. V K Shukla from Ministry of Skills Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India and Mr.Juergen Maennicke of iMOVE. The discussion was moderated by Ms.Maren Verfürth from Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training, Germany.Many interesting points were raised regarding vocational education and training in India.The key needs highlighted during the discussion are:

• Apprentices to emerge as role models for the future generation.
• The VETnet project to be accredited by Government of India.
• Authorities to ensure acceptability & continuity of the programme.
• Expanding the reach of the programme to all the German companies (currently numbered around 300) based in Pune.
• Promotion of competence and positive attitude among the apprentices.
• German companies to identify more VET areas and come together to work on a common entrance exam.
• Requirement of increased investment by German government to make this a successful venture.
• Make use of Government of India’s Public-Private Partnership model (PPP) in vocational education sector.
• Vocational Education and Training to be cost effective as it could be a great contributor to the human workforce of India.
• Support required by the Government of India for such future endeavours.
• Participation and support of industries at vocational schools to help the government in its goal to skill India.

After the discussion, the overalls (workshop dress) were handed over to all the VETnet apprentices by Dr.Sabine Donauer, Dr.Juergen Wuttke, Mr. V K Shukla and Fr. Corlis.

Dr.Juergen Wuttke, Head of Social and Labour Affairs, Vocational Education and Training, German Embassy, New Delhi gave the vote of thanks by showing gratitude to associate companies, Indo-German Chamber of Commerce and respected dignitaries. He appreciated the views out of by the panellist’s and he also stressed out the need for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to be viewed as an important dimension for the VETnet support by German companies in India.

The event was concluded by Lunch and a tour of the training workshop at Don Bosco.