JCF offers skill enhancement project

Jaipur, Sep 25 (UNI) Dr Rajendra and Ursula Joshi Charitable Foundation (JCF), floated by a Swiss-based NRI couple, has offered to initiate skill enhancement through dual system of apprentice education in workmen and artisans engaged in different trades and jobs.

There is no dearth of technical talent in India but due to lack of sufficient guidance, the talented people are unable to take their talent out of the country, said Dr Joshi.

Dr Joshi ran a pharmaceutical company in partnership and his wife owned her own pharmacy in Switzerland.

In 2006, they sold their respective business and started a charitable Non Profit Foundation named Rajendra and Ursula Joshi Charitable Foundation (JCF) with the aim of introducing the Swiss Dual System of Apprenticeship Education in India.

The Dual System of Apprenticeship Education is currently prevalent in Switzerland that allows students to attend vocational schools, while undertaking practical training in industry on job.

The students get chance to put the theoretical knowledge they gain in the school to practical use while working in the industry under a supervisor and thus gain valuable industry experience.

This helps transform the students into industry-ready highly skilled workforce by the time they complete their education.

''Looking at the increasing demand for skilled workforce, there is an immense value in adopting the Dual System of Apprenticeship Education in India,'' Dr Joshi told reporters here.

This required close partnership between the state government, industry and the foundation, he added.

The foundation was ready to play its role of a facilitator.

The government needs to set up and run vocational schools that include constructing/procuring school and hostel buildings and salaries to the school teachers. The industry too had to play a vital role by employing the apprentices and paying them small salaries in return of their contribution to the company's productivity so that the apprentices could afford their school fees.

JCF would have its role in knowledge transfer from Switzerland to India that includes regulations, syllabus, curriculum and teaching material.

JCF would also be responsible for translation of this knowledge from German to English and then to Hindi. Apart from this, the foundation would also bear expenses for one-two months training of four supervisors and four vocational teachers per trade in Switzerland initially, which also includes the two-way air fare for trainees.

The foundation would, however, limit its involvement to the initial stage of the project only, helping the government and industry in realising this project in India. Once the initial knowledge transfer and trainings are done and the project kick starts, the JCF will no longer be involved, Mr Joshi clarified.

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