Union Human Resource Development and Skill Development minister, Dharmendra Pradhan met US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo on Thursday, discussing ways to create lifelong learning opportunities between India and US as well as deepening cooperation in skilling, startup and SMEs. At the meeting, Pradhan and Raimondo focussed on forging stronger linkages between India and the US in the skilling sector. Pradhan said skills and competencies have become more important than degrees in today’s times.Dharmendra Pradhan tweeted, “Fruitful meeting with United States Secretary of Commerce, @SecRaimondo, on forging stronger skilling linkages between India and the U.S. We discussed ways to create lifelong learning opportunities at large scale and deepen our collaborations in 3S–Skilling, Start-ups and SMEs.”“Shri Pradhan informed that both the leaders agreed to strengthen institutional mechanisms for making the Indian skill ecosystem more vibrant as well as for building workforce of the future. He said that skills and competencies have become more important than degrees in today’s times,” the Ministry of Education said in a press release.