Karnataka Govt Explores Collaboration with Melbourne-based RMIT University for Skill Development

Bengaluru Express
Bengaluru, April 4: The Karnataka skill development department and Melbourne-based RMIT University on Thursday explored opportunities to enhance re-skilling and up-skilling initiatives for students in the state’s skill development sector.

A delegation from RMIT University, led by Mish Eastman, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Vocational Education, along with Prashil Singh, Director of the College of Vocational Education; Justin Schmitt, Manager; and Annie Santhana, Regional Director (Education), State Government of Victoria (Australia), met Medical Education and Skill Development Minister Dr. Sharan Prakash Patil at Vikasa Soudha. The discussions focused on strengthening collaboration between the university and the Karnataka government in skill development.

Eastman commended the Karnataka government for its efforts in skill education and emphasized RMIT’s commitment to establishing a long-term partnership with the department. She noted that RMIT has already collaborated with few Indian universities and is keen on training trainers with contemporary, globally relevant skill sets. “Upgrading trainers to meet global standards will bring significant advancements to the skill industry,” she added.

Dr. Patil highlighted the role of the Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya Institute in Chikkaballapura, which specializes in training skill trainers under the skill development department. “We have master trainers who train skill trainers, and now our focus is on bringing in super trainers to further enhance the expertise of master trainers to meet global benchmarks,” he stated.

RMIT University, known for its expertise in applied research and training innovation in healthcare, expressed interest in contributing to Karnataka’s skill ecosystem. Dr. Patil noted that Karnataka has a vast pool of nursing and allied health science professionals and is keen on sending students for up-skilling programs at international institutions as part of their curriculum.

The meeting was also attended by Australian delegation coordinator Dileep Ebrahim, Principal Secretary Mohammed Mohsin, commissioner Dr R Ragapriya, Director of Medical Education Dr. B.L. Sujatha Rathod, Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences Vice-Chancellor Dr. Bhawan, and Registrar P.R. Shiva Prasad, among other officials.