To empower Indian nurses with global career opportunities, Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (Independent Charge), Jayant Chaudhary, on Saturday felicitated 32 healthcare professionals for successfully completing the B1 level of German language training and said, "committed to making India a global skilling hub".

This development reaffirms the government's commitment to making India the global hub for skilled talent and outlines the ambitious strategies under Skill India 2.0.

The training aims to equip the nurses with the necessary language skills for a successful career and livelihood in Germany.

"In Germany alone, with their aging population, there would be approximately 1.8 million job opportunities available for suitable candidates," the minister said.

"Therefore, it's imperative that we have the right approach to fill these positions in a focused manner, and Skill India's International's strong connect can fill this gap and I must congratulate every candidate as each of you is a changemaker and an ambassador of India," he added.

The two to three-month comprehensive residential training programme under the Skill India International initiative was imparted to all the candidates who have completed their B.Sc. Nursing or the General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) programmes.

The Minister also highlighted the successful placement of more than 58,000 skilled Indians in various countries as part of India's mission to become a global skilling powerhouse.

"The growing skill gap in Germany, particularly in the healthcare sector, poses a significant challenge. Therefore, we felt the need to find a solution to offer, which is structured migration, which not only caters to the skill gap but also offers us the quality expected to meet the demands of the healthcare Industry," said German Ambassador Dr. Philipp Ackermann.

All 32 candidates cleared the B1 German Language Training through TELC.

As per the ministry, all the candidates will be placed with the leading hospitals and employers, earning between 2,300 and 2,700 euros per month (over Rs 2 lakh), with B2 training included.

After completing B2 in Germany, their salary will increase to approximately Rs 3 to 4 lakh.

--IANS