The interest of entrepreneurs and private equity players to invest in this sector is generated due to the fact that the sector is not affected much by recession and requires minimal working capital. Some of the recent major investments in the education and training sector in India are as follows:
• Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has joined hands with the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) for a five-year contract of US$ 5 million to conduct the Combined Aptitude Test (CAT) examinations in India.
• The Arya Vaidya Chikitsalayam and Research Institute, Coimbatore, and the University of Latvia have joined hands to offer Ayurvedic education programmers to Western medical graduates. The proposed education programmer is expected to help Ayurveda get a stronger global footing.
• Newcastle University, UK has announced that it will provide two Indian scholarships for undergraduates applying for entry into degree programmers in the Faculties of Humanities and Social Sciences, Science, Agriculture, and Engineering and Medical Sciences.
A collaboration has taken place between IIM-A and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harvard University, and University of California, Berkeley to conduct joint research projects to develop field water quality testing and filtration equipment, ambient pollution measuring products and mobile technologies for health purposes. The University of Oxford has approached the Indian government seeking collaborations in medical technology research and training in order to address an acute shortage of bio-medical engineers in the UK and evolve cost-effective models of healthcare delivery.
Indian Electrical and Electronics Manufacturers’ Association (IEEMA) joined hands with New York-based Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in order to promote collaboration on various initiatives that include skill development and training in the electrical and electronics sectors and enrichment of technical and technological knowledge among the electrical and electronics fraternity in India. IIT-Madras has established a center for technology and policy to address development problems and help technology innovators work more effectively. The center will enable consultation and networking with policy makers, industry, investors and various other stakeholders and will also play a role in the design, promotion and assessment of public policies imposed by technological and scientific innovations.
