In a fresh bid to revive its stalled skill migration programme with Germany, the Maharashtra government has cleared the overseas visit of Rahul Rekhawar, director of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), who will travel to Germany from July 13 to 19 for a crucial study tour. The move is being positioned as an effort to re-energise a two-year-old Indo-German agreement aimed at sending skilled workers from Maharashtra to German industries.
Reviving a Stalled Project
Rekhawar’s tour comes after the skill migration initiative, formalised through a memorandum of understanding with Germany’s Baden-Württemberg state in 2023, hit a roadblock following Maharashtra’s 2024 assembly elections. Although more than 32,000 students had enrolled for the programme, only around 7,500 were eventually shortlisted for training in language skills and specific trades. Preparations included identifying training centres and allocating ₹36 crore for German language instruction, but implementation ground to a halt.
Focus on Language Integration
The study tour, organised by the German Federal Foreign Office in Mumbai, focuses on how German as a foreign language can be integrated into the recruitment process for skilled workers, particularly from South and South-Eastern regions. Rekhawar is scheduled to meet institutions involved in vocational training and skill recruitment to understand effective language education models.
According to officials, insights gathered during the tour could help shape future training modules in Maharashtra, ensuring workers are better prepared both linguistically and technically for employment in Germany.
Costs Covered, Report Expected
In a government resolution, authorities confirmed that the Goethe Institute would cover the entire cost of Rekhawar’s trip. Upon returning, he will be required to submit a detailed report to the Ministry of External Affairs and various state departments, summarising the outcomes of his meetings and proposing recommendations for moving the programme forward.
Officials added that knowledge gained from Rekhawar’s visit would be shared widely among departments to hasten the rollout of training for shortlisted students—many of whom have been waiting for nearly a year for the programme to begin.
