According to the 2014 edition of OECD’s International Migration Outlook, Indians form the second-largest group of foreign students in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, at 5.8% of the total numbers. The research has thrown light on the need for policy initiatives by host countries to enable skilled immigrants receive recognition for educational qualifications and training.

At 2.2 million, the main group of highly educated immigrants in the OECD are Indians. In countries like Canada, Australia and New Zealand, many Indians with job offers are selected for permanent residency through points system. “Labour migration in many countries is drawn increasingly from the pool of graduates – in the USA alone, more than 40,000 H-1B work visas were granted to foreign students who graduated, the recent OECD study has found. It is no surprise that more Indian students translate into more Indians in skilled labour migration channels,” Jonathan Chaloff, policy analyst, international migration division, OECD.

500 million by 2020. With the youngest work force in the world, skills training becomes extremely important for India going forward.

The article points us towards the fact that it is of utmost importance for the UK to see how it can work with Indian industries to bridge the gap between training and unskilled human resources with its expertise in the field of skills development.

Read the South Asia skills report here: http://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/britishcouncil.uk2/files/south-asia-skills-report-summary.pdf

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