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. A central theme of the deliberations was the necessity of strengthening SMEs and preparing youth for a shifting global economy. To address this, participants discussed the establishment of “sector-specific business solution centres of excellence.” 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. According to experts at the conference, these centres would focus on sector-specific technology solutions and productivity enhancement, improving export readiness of domestic enterprises, competency development for the youth workforce etc. The event served as a high-level platform for dialogue between international diplomats and academic institutions.
