THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ∙ 4000 people who have passed B.Tech, Polytechnic and ITI courses in mechanical and civil department from Kerala have job opportunity in railway construction in Germany. The German team came to Kerala for the project of upgrading 9000 km of railway in six years to those who have skills in these fields.

The Kerala Academy for Skills Excellence (CACE) will conduct the selection for the Deutsche Bahn (DB) company which has taken up the railway renovation. An average monthly salary of 3500 Euros (approx. Rs. 3.18 lakhs) is available. The German railway, known for its precision, started a massive renovation project when trains started getting delayed due to track problems. The German Consul General Ekim Barkat brought them to Kerala after the investigation conducted by the DB Company due to lack of human resource capacity in the field of labor skills.

The team met with Minister V. Shivankutty, Case MD Dr. Veena N. Madhavan and returned after visiting the Indian Institute of Infrastructure and Construction and some engineering and polytechnic institutions at Chavara. Will be back soon. Case candidates are identified by outlining basic eligibility criteria. They will be given German language training and internship in institutions including Kochi Metro and sent to Germany. Germany has recently relaxed its immigration policy targeting skilled Indians. German agencies are conducting the ‘Triple Win’ program in Kerala in collaboration with NORCA to recruit nurses to Germany by teaching them the German language.

Within two years, more than four hundred people came to Germany through this project. About five hundred people are preparing to leave. The success of this program is the reason for the professionals in the construction sector to come to Kerala.