Davos 2026: MSDE, World Economic Forum sign MoU to deepen cooperation on skilling

The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the World Economic Forum (WEF) at Davos 2026 to launch a Skills Accelerator in India. 

“What began as a strategic vision to align India’s skilling ecosystem with the future of work has now taken a structured and global form,” Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Jayant Chaudhary said. Chaudhary called the formalisation of the India Skills Accelerator a “key milestone” in building a future-ready and globally competitive workforce.

He said the initiative would bring together government, industry and education to address current and emerging skill gaps, enable outcome-based skill financing and promote lifelong learning, while aligning India’s skilling efforts with global labour-market demand. The programme is aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and Vision India@2047, he added.

Under the MoU, MSDE and WEF will collaborate to strengthen India’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) ecosystem through a multistakeholder platform aimed at identifying, scaling and accelerating innovative solutions and public–private partnerships. The Skills Accelerator will focus on ensuring closer alignment between skilling initiatives and the evolving demands of industry and the global economy.

Welcoming the collaboration, Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar said the initiative complements NEP 2020 by integrating education with skilling and fostering lifelong learning. He added that the programme would help bridge critical skill gaps and enhance the global employability of Indian youth, particularly in emerging domains such as artificial intelligence, green energy, robotics and advanced manufacturing.

Industry leaders also underscored the strategic importance of the initiative. Sanjiv Bajaj, Co-Chair of the India Skills Accelerator, said aligning global insights on the future of work with India’s large talent pool would help build scalable, industry-aligned skilling architecture and convert India’s demographic advantage into economic leadership.

Shobana Kamineni, Co-Chair of the Accelerator, said the platform would strengthen the link between policy and practice by mobilising industry, educators and innovators to translate workforce needs into sustainable jobs, positioning India as a future-ready talent contributor to the global economy.

According to MSDE, the Skills Accelerator will promote lifelong learning, upskilling and reskilling, encourage flexible curricula, support mutual recognition of qualifications and strengthen capacity building across institutions. The ministry will work closely with higher education and vocational training institutions, as well as regulatory bodies such as AICTE and UGC, to support implementation and scale.

The initiative will also explore innovative financing mechanisms for skilling, identify global demand-supply trends across job roles to enhance international employability, and focus on future-of-work sectors including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, robotics and green energy. A structured action plan, including innovation-led activities such as hackathons, is also envisaged.

The MoU will be implemented through a governance framework involving co-chairs from government and the private sector, in collaboration with the World Economic Forum. The partnership builds on momentum generated during India’s participation at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos in January 2025, where skill development was highlighted as a pillar of inclusive growth.