Phillips Education, in collaboration with Arthan, hosted The G.R.O.W.T.H. Dialogue – Gathering Resources and Opportunities for Workforce Transformation & Humanity – at Taj Lands’ End, Mumbai. The event brought together Shri Saurabh Bahuguna, Hon’ble Minister for Skill Development & Employment, Uttarakhand, along with 40 senior leaders from government, industry, CSR, and academia to deliberate on India’s skilling imperatives in aerospace, defence, semiconductors, renewables, and AI.
India is at a pivotal juncture as it pursues ambitious targets: a $64 billion semiconductor market, a $70 billion aerospace and defence sector, and 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030. With 44% of current skills projected to become obsolete, developing a highly skilled workforce is critical for sustaining growth and national competitiveness.
The dialogue addressed the central question: Can India become a global superpower without skilled manpower? Experts emphasized that effective skilling could contribute $500 billion to GDP by 2030. In aerospace and defence alone, challenges include producing millions of precision parts and meeting the projected shortage of 15 lakh defence cybersecurity professionals.
Speakers highlighted Phillips Education’s initiatives: Centers of Excellence in advanced manufacturing and emerging technologies with 100% job placement, industry-academia partnerships including an R&D lab with IIT Bombay for hybrid CNC and 3D printing technologies, and Skilling for Inclusion programs empowering youth and women from underserved communities.
Shri Bahuguna stressed the need for industry-academia collaboration to transform India’s demographic dividend into global leadership. Rakshit Kejriwal, Global President, Phillips Education, called for a National Skilling Coalition uniting government, industry, academia, and CSR to equip India’s workforce with future-ready skills.
The event concluded with networking sessions, reinforcing the shared commitment to building a workforce that will drive India’s technological and industrial ambitions.
(L-R) Rakshit Kejriwal, Global President Phillips Education; Shri Saurabh Bahuguna – Honorable Skill and Employment Minister – Uttarakhand Government; Dr Cdr Devendra Singh – R&D Director & Aerospace & Defense at Visvesvaraya Technological University; Mr Satyam Vyas – Founder and CEO Arthan