New Delhi, Feb 4 (IANS): India and Australia Wednesday signed a skills development pact under which a vocational education college would be established in the National Capital Region.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Australia's largest provider of vocational education and training, Technical and Further Education (TAFE), South Australia, India's National Skill Development Corporation, and Heraud Education and Training, an Indo-Australian skill-based venture.

Australian High Commissioner Patrick Suckling said the agreement would put his country at the centre of India's drive to train half a billion students within a decade.

"Under this agreement all three parties will work to establish a new vocational education college in India that could train 80,000 students a year within a decade," he said.

"India has an enormous appetite for high quality skills and training and our world class vocational education providers are perfectly positioned to meet that demand," he added.

Suckling also hoped that the agreement would encourage more Australian providers to explore the opportunities available in India.

The agreement was signed in the presence of minister for State Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajiv Pratap Rudy and South Australia's Employment, Higher Education and Skills Minister Gail Gago MLC.

"The bilateral collaboration between India and Australia is consistently increasing manifold. We would like to leverage this relationship and take this ahead by adopting transnational standards in training for meeting the requirement of skilled manpower in both the countries," Rudy said.