In response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for ‘Skilling India’, GE Healthcare on Tuesday announced the setting up of various education and training institutes across India for 12th standard pass students.
To begin with, the company, which provides medical and diagnostic technologies and equipment, along with its partners, will set up such institutes with state-of-the-art healthcare infrastructure in Mumbai, Greater Noida, Bhatinda and Bhubaneshwar.
“We hope that the skilling of 100,000 healthcare professionals in five years will address an important government priority of bridging the skill deficit,” John L Flannery, President and CEO, GE Healthcare said while launching the mission.
For the institutes, the company has signed memoranda of understanding with Max Institute of Health Education & Research to set up institutes in Greater Noida, Mohali and Bhatinda, with Manipal Health Foundation in Karnatak, Mahajan Imaging in Delhi, ILFS Skill Development Copr in Thiruvantanthapuram, Coimbatore and Bhubaneswar, Symbiosis International University in Pune and has a strategic partnership with HCL.
Hailing the initiative, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, said the challenge is huge in India as only 2 per cent of the workforce is skilled compared with 96 per cent in South Korea and over 60 per cent in the UK and the US.
The mission aims to churn out trained, certified employable professionals for allied healthcare services as well as healthcare professionals.
“GE Healthcare has developed the curriculum for several courses, including imaging, patient safety, advanced medical diagnostics and leadership development,” the company said, adding that the National Skill Development Corporation India, through the Healthcare Sector Skills Council, is playing a key role in defining the curriculum for these courses.