Context

Ahead of the G-20 foreign ministers’ meet in New Delhi, the external affairs minister announced UK-India 2030 Roadmap for Young Professional scheme and to also bolster the two countries’ ties in defence, security, trade and investment.

The Young Professionals Scheme:

• Under the scheme, the U.K will offer about 3,000 degree-holding Indiansin the 18–30-year age group places to work in the U.K. for up to two years.
• The scheme will commence in early 2023. Both India and UK will allow young professionals in their Countries to hold degree programs.
• India is the first country to benefit from such a scheme, highlighting the strength of the UK-India Migration and Mobility Partnershipagreed upon last year.
• Objective: The Young Professionals Programme is a recruitment initiative aiming to improve geographical representation, and promote gender parity in the Organization at the international level.

India-UK ties on Skill development:

• Education: Education is an important plank of the India-UK bilateral relationship. Over the last 10 years, the relationship has grown substantially with the introduction of bilateral mechanisms such as the India-UK Education Forum UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI).
• Indian Students: UK has traditionally been a favourite destination for international students.

Other Government Initiatives to attract International students:

• HEFA (Higher Education Finance Agency) is a welcome step in providing finance to premier educational institutions for the creation of high-quality infrastructure and innovation ecosystems.
• Student Insurance Schemes: Contrary to popular opinion, a considerable chunk of students who study abroad is not from wealthy families; they take expensive loans to finance their education.
  • The aspiration to secure better exposure and the future can render them prone to difficulties.
  • A mandatory student insurance scheme as well as responsibility for the welfare of students in the foreign country should be incorporated into agreements to secure the interests of students who also spend considerably in the host country.