Pune: Highlighting Pune’s growing stature as an international education hub, regional passport officer Vinodkumar Damodhar Gaikwad on Thursday said the presence of foreign students in the city has been instrumental in strengthening international cooperation and academic exchange. Speaking at the international conference titled, “From Education to Employment: Building Future-Ready Youth in BRICS & Other Partner Countries”, held at the Pune Institute of Business Management (PIBM) campus in Pirangut, Gaikwad noted that Pune’s reputation as a premier academic destination was fostering deeper global engagement. “Pune has become a primary destination for international students in India. Their presence encourages cultural understanding and opens vital avenues for research and academic exchange,” Gaikwad said. He added that these interactions not only enrich the local learning environment but also contribute to long-term diplomatic and economic relationships. The conference, organised under the leadership of Raman Preet Singh, chairman and executive director, PIBM Group of Institutes, brought together diplomats, policymakers, and industry leaders from nations including Malaysia, Russia, Uganda, Belarus, Cuba, Nigeria, South Africa, China, Chad, Kenya, Senegal, Kazakhstan, and Bolivia. A central theme of the deliberations was the necessity of strengthening small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and preparing youth for a shifting global economy. To address this, participants discussed the establishment of “sector-specific business solution centers of excellence.” These centers are designed to enhance SME competitiveness through industry-academia collaboration. According to experts at the conference, these proposed centers would focus on sector-specific technology solutions and productivity enhancement, developing world-class business process systems, improving the export readiness of domestic enterprises, competency development for the youth workforce etc. Speakers underlined that countries investing heavily in SME ecosystems and workforce skills consistently achieve sustained economic growth. Strengthening these areas in India, they argued, would significantly bolster the nation’s global competitiveness and create a scalable ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship. The event served as a high-level platform for dialogue between international diplomats and Indian academic institutions. By linking education directly to employment opportunities, the conference aimed to shape collaborative policies between govts and industry stakeholders, further positioning Pune as a vital center for international academic and economic engagement.
