College principal Dame Asha joins Deputy Prime Minister’s India trade delegation
Posted: 26 August 2014
Dame Asha Khemka, principal and chief executive of West Nottinghamshire College Group, is pictured (front, fourth from right) with the Deputy Prime Minister’s 40-strong trade delegation to India at the start of their three-day visit to the country to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the new Indian government’s focus on economic growth.
Dame Asha (front, fourth from right) joins Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg's trade delegation to India
She is part of a delegation made up of major British businesses from the retail, aerospace and education sectors in joining Mr Clegg and Ed Davey, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, on the first high-level trade mission to India since Prime Minister Narendra Modi was elected in May.
The visit – which began on Monday (25 August) and runs until Wednesday (27 August) – takes in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore and involves meetings with representatives of the Indian government and business leaders.
The delegation will also be signing deals and exploring new opportunities with their Indian counterparts.
Dame Asha is on the delegation in her joint capacity as a leading educationalist and chair of AoC (Association of Colleges) India – a partnership of UK further education colleges aiming to help meet the sub-continent’s growing demand for skills.
She said: “I feel proud and honoured to join this important trade mission, having been part of the Prime Ministerial delegation in India in 2013, which did much to strengthen ties between our two countries and promote British business overseas.
“The world-class vocational education and training delivered by UK colleges means we are ideally-placed to work with the Indian Government to achieve its dynamic aspirations of creating 500 million skilled workers by 2022.
“This visit will enable us to develop close links with the newly-created Skills Development and Entrepreneurship Ministry under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi and create mutually-beneficial partnerships with Government Ministers, education and skills organisations, and industry leaders while showcasing the experience and expertise that our education and skills system has to offer.”
The visit was organised by UK Trade and Investment, the government department that helps UK-based companies succeed in the global economy.