A.P. and Germany’s Lower Saxony explore ties in skilling, employment

Head of Talent Acquisition for Skilled Workforce, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Government of Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony), Germany, Balasubramanian Ramani on Thursday called on Secretary, Skill Development and Training and School and Higher Education Kona Sasidhar.

They discussed forging of long-term collaboration in talent mobility frameworks, German language training, institutional partnership with ITIs and diploma institutes and industry-academia collaboration.

Speaking to the media at the office of Andhra Pradesh State Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC), Dr. Ramani said that Lower Saxony was prioritising international recruitment in high-demand sectors, including Industry 4.0 and Automation, Green Technologies, Healthcare and Social Service, Digital Transformation and IT and Hospitality Management. He said Andhra Pradesh, with its robust skilling ecosystem, technical institutions and growing global outlook, was well-positioned to become a key talent partner.

Managing Director and CEO of APSSDC Ganesh Kumar and Advisor to the AP government on International Skilling and Mobility Seetha Sharma said that Dr. Ramani’s visit lays the foundation for a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding between Lower Saxony and Andhra Pradesh to facilitate structured international workforce mobility, enhance youth employability and promote mutual growth through knowledge exchange and institutional cooperation.

Germany is currently facing an acute shortage of skilled professionals, with over seven lakh job vacancies and a projected demand for seven million additional workers by 2035. The shortage spans critical sectors such as transportation, construction, healthcare, engineering and information technology, significantly impacting that country’s economic growth. As part of its response, Germany has identified India as a strategic partner, formalised through the Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement and the launch of the India Skilled Labour Strategy in 2024.