The young Indian scholar Manish Joshi currently works at the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB). He has been awarded the German Chancellor Fellowship by the German Alexander von Humboldt -Foundation. From 1 November 2015 until 30 September 2016 he does research on vocational education and training (VET) and skill development.
iMOVE: Please give us some information on your personal and professional background.
Manish Joshi: I grew up in New Delhi. I studied Business Administration at Delhi University and then studied Public Policy at the Korea Development Institute in Seoul, South Korea. For 5 years I have been working in the field of entrepreneurship development at The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE). TiE is a global non-profit organization which focuses on mentoring, educating and incubating startups.
In 2013, I switched to the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and its Program Development team. There I build a 'deal pipeline', which means I identify innovative, sustainable and high impact vocational training projects that could be funded by NSDC. Apart from advising project owners on various aspects of project financing and helping them build the technical and financial proposals, I also represent NSDC at industry forums and state-level engagements.
iMOVE: What was your motivation to come to Germany and the BIBB?
Manish Joshi: Having been exposed to various skill development initiatives in India, I realized that apprenticeship-based VET has not taken off in India so far. So I started some research in order to learn about VET systems from other countries. It was not long before I realized that the German model is worth studying. India is currently trying to revamp its apprenticeship system and I think Germany can provide valuable lessons from its long-standing experience of implementing the dual VET system.
iMOVE: How would you describe your experiences so far?
Manish Joshi: I am really enjoying my time in Bonn and at the BiBB. The depth and width of expertise available at the BiBB in the area of VET is just amazing! While the BiBB is a large organization, I find it surprisingly easy to reach out to colleagues who are always generous with their time and ready to provide guidance. I am also trying to learn the German language which I must admit is really challenging!
