Jayant Chaudhary, India’s Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, held a bilateral meeting with Matias Marttinen, Finland’s Minister of Employment, to discuss expanding cooperation between the two countries in skill development, vocational education and workforce mobility.
The meeting focused on strengthening collaboration between institutions, industries and training ecosystems in both countries. Officials from the two sides discussed ways to build a more resilient and future-ready talent pipeline while enabling skilled professionals to access global opportunities.
During the discussions, Chaudhary highlighted India’s efforts to expand its skilling ecosystem and strengthen workforce capabilities. He noted that the country’s large and youthful population, along with growing training infrastructure, positions it as an important source of skilled professionals for global industries. He also emphasised that cooperation with Finland could help link India’s demographic strength with Finland’s expertise in vocational education and technology-driven training systems.
Marttinen acknowledged the role played by Indian professionals working in Finland across several sectors. He said collaboration with India could help address workforce shortages in certain industries while supporting innovation and sustainable economic development.
Both sides identified several sectors where cooperation could be strengthened, including healthcare, construction, green technologies and advanced manufacturing. These sectors are expected to see growing demand for skilled workers in the coming years.
The ministers also discussed the need to develop structured and mutually-beneficial mobility frameworks that would enable skilled professionals to work internationally while maintaining high standards of training, certification and worker protection.
In addition, the discussions covered expanding partnerships between vocational education and training institutions in the two countries. Areas such as knowledge exchange, industry-led training initiatives and capacity building for trainers were also explored.
Officials further examined the importance of integrating language training to support international mobility and developing pathways that allow learners to combine vocational training with academic qualifications.
The meeting also highlighted the need for smoother recognition of vocational qualifications between countries, which could help skilled workers move more easily into roles in sectors facing labour shortages.
The discussions reaffirmed the commitment of India and Finland to deepen cooperation in skill development and vocational education while promoting responsible and sustainable global workforce mobility.
