The 3rd Indo-Canadian Seminar on Skill Development was hosted by Seneca in New Delhi’s Le Meridien Hotel yesterday and attended by more than 250 participants from Canada, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, representing Government, Academia and Industry sectors.
The seminar received greetings from Shri Rajeev Chandrashekar, Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and Skill Development, Government of India and video messages from Members of Provincial Parliament of Ontario Government – Nina Tangri and Deepak Anand, Indo-Canadian political leaders in the Province of Ontario.
In his inaugural address Seneca President David Agnew, spoke about enhancing India-Canada relationship through education and technology. He also lauded India’s getting the G-20 presidency. He further said that Seneca believes in providing innovative and skill education and it caters to the needs of thousands of Indian students. Emphasizing the need to have modern education to meet global education, he said that Seneca provides top class education that can meet any future challenge.
The Keynote Speaker Canadian High Commissioner to India, His Excellency Cameron MacKay, in his remarks remarked that there are more than 600 current Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) between Indian and Canadian institutions and more than 100 Canadian colleges and universities have in-country representatives in India. The High Commissioner lauded the strong partnerships achieved by Seneca with a number of Indian institutions, which makes it one of the most engaged Canadian academic partners in India.
The event featured a panel discussion on India’s New Education Policy with the eminent panel of experts deliberating on how Indo-Canadian Collaboration can contribute to the skill India mission of the Government of India, harnessing its demographic dividend and making India a development nation by 2047. The panelists included distinguished former Indian Ambassadors, Ajay Bisaria, Vishnu Prakash, Ashok Sajjanhar, Senior Government of India Officials and noted academic leaders from Canada and India.
Ambassador Ajay Bisaria, India’s Former High Commissioner to Canada and Pakistan said that India is at the forefront of meeting global aspirations. He lauded the India-Canada robust collaboration in the field of education. He said that India’s demographic dividends should not be a liability but a chance to excel.
Ambassador Vishnu Prakash, India’s Former High Commissioner to Canada and South Korea, another panelist, said that Canada is a sort of home for Indian students as it offers cool and affordable education to them. Thus, Canada is a boon to Indian students.
Ambassador Ashok Sajjanhar, Former Ambassador of India to Kazakhstan, Sweden and Latvia, said that the Government of India is praiseworthy for giving special attention to skill development and learning attitude of students. He said that skilled labour is needed at every level.
Ms. Ila Singh, Deputy Comptroller and Account General, Government of India, said that Seneca is open to Indian students of all age groups to help them develop their skills, including on machine and human programming.
Director General of Jan Nayak Chaudhry Devilal Vidyapeeth (JCDV), highlighted the MoUs signed on skill training in 2015 and 2018-19 between Canadian and Indian Institutions under the NSDC’s skilling initiative.
Brock Dykeman, former President and Vice-Chancellor, University Canada West, Vancouver, appreciated National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 for catapulting skills and training of Indian students to a new level. He said that the NEP will redefine India’s education in the coming years.
Prof. Prem Kumar Kalra, Director (Vice Chancellor) of Dayalbagh Educational Institution participated in the panel discussion by delivering his recorded remarks emphasizing the need of a frugal lifestyle for the planet.
During the seminar, Seneca signed MoUs with Dayalbagh Educational Institutions and Delhi Public School – Amritsar and a Letter of Intent with ICICI Bank Ltd in its out reach of Skill Development, Training and providing financial solutions to Indian Students aspiring to study at Seneca.
President Agnew (left) signing MoU with Delhi Public School – Amritsar Pro Vice-Chairman Aakash Khandelwal, witnessed by (left to right) Ambassador Ashok Sajjanhar, Canadian High Commissioner to India Cameron MacKay, Ambassador Vishnu Prakash and Ambassador Ajay Bisaria.
President Agnew (left) signing a Letter of Intent with ICICI Bank Ltd Esha D’Souza ), witnessed by (left to right) Ambassador Ashok Sajjanhar, Canadian High Commissioner to India Cameron MacKay, Ambassador Vishnu Prakash and Ambassador Ajay Bisaria.
Prof. Anil Sahasrabudhe, Chairman of National Board of Accreditation of Government of India, shared his experience of visiting Seneca and the partnership development with the College of Engineering Pune, as its Director, as well as a visit leading a delegation of Indian Educators when he was the Chairman of All India Council for Technical Education.
Academic Partners of Seneca, Dayalbagh Educational Institutions, Agra, Arun Jaitley National Institute for Financial Management, INSCOL Healthcare Ltd, Thakur Institute of Management and Research Studies and IILM University received Skill Development awards from Seneca.
Top 40 recruitment partners of Seneca received Awards of Excellence for their contribution in Skill Development.
The seminar provided a strong platform for individuals and organisations to share their knowledge, experience and explore ways to boost skill development in India.