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MUMBAI, Kurla

DBITI Kurla Launches Indo-German Bridge Course to Equip Trainees for Careers in Germany

5 September 2026

Education Technical, Language and Cultures,

News reported by: BIS Correspondent

Don Bosco Industrial Training Institute (DBITI), Kurla, launched the Indo-German Bridge Course on September 1 to equip vocational trainees with technical and language skills for career opportunities in Germany.

The programme was inaugurated at the Fr Santino Mondini Hall in partnership with GIZ India under the Indo-German Green Skills Programme (IGGSP). It combines technical trade competencies with specialised German language training to prepare trainees for direct integration into the German vocational and industrial environment.

Christoph Rendtorff, Deputy Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany, Mumbai, was the chief guest. The event was attended by Dr Rodney Reviere, Cluster Head (SPSD), GIZ India; Fr Anthony Pinto, Rector and Director; Mohamed Badran, Head of Project (IGGSP), GIZ India; Shivraj Jagtap, Advisor to the German Consulate; Dr Usha Ganesh, Senior Advisor, GIZ; Tarun Maske of GIZ India; and Amarr Prabhu, Principal, DBITI.

Addressing the gathering, Fr Pinto highlighted the importance of language in building cultural understanding, observing that “mastering a language opens an authentic window into another culture.” Dr Reviere encouraged the trainees by sharing his own experience of learning German despite being an American.

Rendtorff pointed to the wide-ranging opportunities across Germany's industrial regions. He noted that Germany is the world's fourth-largest economy and stressed that proficiency in German enables professionals to connect not only with major cities such as Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich, but also with industrial communities across the country.

The bridge course is the outcome of detailed collaboration between DBITI and GIZ India. DBITI is among 12 training institutions selected nationwide for the pilot initiative. The intensive supplementary programme will comprise up to 240 hours of training mapped to the relevant German reference occupation, focusing on critical competency gaps, green mobility and vocational German at B1 to B2 levels.

Badran commended Don Bosco for the initiative and expressed appreciation to Principal Amarr Prabhu for introducing the bridge course.

Prabhu said the initiative aimed to raise technical education to global standards. “Coupling hands-on workshop mastery with German language fluency gives our technicians a decisive edge abroad,” he said.

A notable moment during the inauguration came when trainees Curtis Fernandes and Abhay Sawant addressed the dignitaries fluently in German. Sawant said the training had transformed his aspiration of working abroad into an achievable goal.

The initiative is expected to expand to additional trades in the future, further strengthening efforts to provide young people with global competencies, dignified employment and opportunities for sustainable livelihoods.