Indian Railways’ Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya (GSV) Vadodara and Airbus have entered into a collaboration to significantly strengthen the Indian aviation sector. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed at Rail Bhawan, New Delhi between Rémi Maillard (President and Managing Director, AIRBUS India and South Asia) and Prof. Manoj Choudhary (Vice-Chancellor, Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya).
Rail minister present during MoU signing
The MoU was signed in the presence of Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Railways, Communications, Electronics and IT, who is also the First Chancellor of Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya. Jaya Varma Sinha, the Chairperson and CEO of Railway Board, and senior officials of the Railway Board were present on the occasion.
Airbus and Tata recently announced a partnership to design, innovate, manufacture, and develop a C295 aircraft facility in Vadodara, Gujarat. Airbus is the world’s largest manufacturer of commercial aircraft and a leading producer of helicopters, defense, and space equipment. The company has a long-standing relationship of symbiotic growth with India and recognizes India as a key driver of global aviation, as well as an indispensable talent and resource hub. Airbus is committed to maturing all the necessary building blocks to develop a fully integrated aerospace ecosystem in the country. "Make in India" is at the heart of Airbus’ business strategy in India, and the company is steadily increasing India’s contribution to its global products.
Speaking on the occasion, Ashwini Vaishnaw said, “GSV will focus on intense industry-academia partnerships. All its courses will be designed in collaboration with the industry. The students who study at GSV will be industry-ready and highly sought after for employment in the transportation and logistics sectors. Today’s MoU with Airbus is a significant step in achieving this goal.”
Airbus MD: Project to create strong pipeline of skilled workforce
Rémi Maillard, President and Managing Director, Airbus India and South Asia, said, “As a company committed to developing the aerospace ecosystem in India, we realise our responsibility to invest in human capital development. The partnership with Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya will develop a strong pipeline of skilled workforce in the country that will be future-ready to serve its fast-growing aerospace sector.”
This industry-academic partnership will enable the co-development and co-delivery of sector-relevant skilling courses and programs for regular students and working professionals. It will also involve joint research and industry experiences for faculty, internships and placements for students, and scholarship programs. The collaboration is expected to create job opportunities for students according to industry requirements, with an estimated placement of 15,000 students in Airbus Indian operations.
Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya (GSV) Vadodara was established through an Act of Parliament in 2022 to create a best-in-class workforce for the entire transportation and logistics sectors. This Central University is sponsored by the Ministry of Railways, Govt. of India, and has Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Railways, Communications, Electronics and IT, as its First Chancellor.
Focusing exclusively on transport and logistics sectors, GSV is a “first of its kind” university aiming to fulfill the mandate of the National Developmental Plans (PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan 2021 and National Logistics Policy 2022) across railways, shipping, ports, highways, roads, waterways, and aviation, among others. The GSV shall create a resource pool of professionals across technology, economics, management, and policy comprising multidisciplinary teaching (bachelors/masters/doctoral), executive training, and research. GSV shall also undertake training for Indian Railways probationers and serving officers. As an industry-driven and innovation-led university, GSV already has several collaborations with leading institutions and industries worldwide.
(To receive our E-paper on WhatsApp daily, please click here. To receive it on Telegram, please click here. We permit sharing of the paper's PDF on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.)
