Indian Government Delegation Visits Kangan Institute

Kangan Institute was honoured to host a delegation from the Indian Government at its Docklands campus last week.

Headed by Mr. Dharmendra Pradhan, the Hon Minister for Education and Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, the Indian delegation consisted of a number of dignitaries, including High Commissioner from India to Australia, Mr. Manpreet Vohra. Alongside Kangan Institute CEO Sally Curtain, the delegation was hosted by a number of representatives of the Australian TAFE system including Victorian Skills Authority CEO Craig Robertson and CEO of the Office of TAFE Coordination and Delivery Xavier Csar among many others.

As part of this visit, a roundtable discussion was held where the delegation was able to ask questions regarding how the Australian TAFE system operates, how it is regulated, the process for ensuring consistency in training courses across separate institutions and the history of vehicle manufacturing in Australia. Following the roundtable discussion, the delegation was taken on a tour of Kangan Institute’s Automotive Centre of Excellence (ACE).

“It was a real privilege to meet the delegation and host a tour of our facilities. ACE is one of the most advanced automotive training facilities in the country and the training undertaken here will be integral to supporting Australia’s push towards electric vehicles.

“At ACE, we train more mechanics than anywhere else in Australia and Kangan Institute is proud to lead the way in providing our students with the training they need to secure careers in this growing industry,” Sally Curtain said.  

One of the key challenges for Government of India is the supply of quality trainers and assessors. India’s National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) is investigating opportunities to strengthening assessment processes and enhance the quality of its trainers, with the support of Australian TAFEs.

Partnership with India’s Government of Gujarat and Maruti Suzuki

Since 2016, Kangan Institute has forged a partnership with India’s Government of Gujarat and Maruti Suzuki to develop the first International Automobile Centre of Excellence (iACE) in India.

The process has involved frequent visits from iACE representatives to Kangan Institute’s ACE, to learn from their experiences and insights into delivering automotive training on campus.

Kangan Institute has partnered with iACE to deliver a range of non-accredited automotive courses and industry-led automotive teacher training programs. This includes a new teacher training course in electric vehicle safety to commence in October this year.  

iACE is the first of its kind in India and Kangan Institute’s involvement has a unique and important opportunity to showcase its facilities and training model internationally.

“We are very proud of this partnership and what we were able to deliver for staff at iACE.

Indian students represent one of the largest international student cohorts at Kangan Institute and we look forward to building on this relationship and strengthening these bonds into the future,” Sally Curtain said. 

Kangan Institute is a division of Bendigo Kangan Institute, which also provides skills assessment services to prospective migrants from India through its trading arm, VETASSESS.

Currently in India to develop further vocational education and training and skills assessment opportunities, VETASSESS Executive Director Rob Thomason said Victoria was well-positioned to support India’s skilling endeavours.

“India’s Government has made it a priority to equip youth with skills of the future and connect them with employment and improve skilling outcomes. Victoria’s education system is well placed to partner with education and industry on this,” Rob Thomason said.