CII-Chandigarh seeks stronger education-industry links

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Summit focuses on skills, vocational learning, technology, teacher development

Chandigarh, September 23

The CII Chandigarh Education Summit 2026 brought government, education and industry stakeholders together in Chandigarh on Wednesday to discuss ways to strengthen school education and align it with skills and workforce needs. Haryana Cabinet Minister for School and Higher Education Mahipal Dhanda said education must go beyond degrees by identifying talent, building skills, and creating opportunities for every child.

Dhanda called for greater collaboration among schools, universities, industry and society to equip young people with skills and capabilities required to contribute to a Viksit Bharat. He also invited education and industry representatives to share their suggestions with the government to strengthen the education ecosystem.

British Deputy High Commissioner, Chandigarh, Alba Smeriglio said the Greater Chandigarh region had the potential to connect education, skills and industry. She said collaboration among government, academia and businesses could help equip young people with skills, creativity and adaptability.

Reekrit Serai, Chairman, CII Chandigarh Education Summit 2026 and Managing Director, Satluj Group of Schools, stressed the importance of making decisions today for children’s future. He said classrooms, institutions and current decisions would shape the environment in which children would build their future.

Vivek Verma, Chairman, CII Chandigarh UT and Managing Director, Spray Engineering Devices Ltd, highlighted the impact of Artificial Intelligence, digital technologies and changing industry requirements on education. He said technology could support personalised learning, improve access and enable new approaches to teaching and assessment, but should remain an enabler rather than replace the human element.

Verma said critical thinking, creativity, curiosity, values, empathy and judgment needed to remain at the core of learning as education systems adopted AI and digital technologies.

The summit discussions covered the school-to-skills-to-industry connect, experiential and vocational learning, teacher development, emerging technologies and greater industry exposure for students. Participants also called for closer coordination among government, academia and industry to keep education aligned with changing workforce requirements while developing the broader capabilities of young learners.