'Unemployed UK youths should be sent to India for IT training'

Cable, who was in India recently, made the remarks at the annual dinner of Indian Journalists Association.

He said that during his meetings in Bangalore, India's IT tycoon Azim Premji had offered that he could train British youths and send them back so that they could have better job prospects.

Cable is also opposed to placing an annual cap on migrants from India and other countries outside the EU.

On Friday, he told The Financial Times that the limit imposed by the Home Office is already affecting the country's economic recovery.

Placing an annual limit on the number of Indian and other non-EU professionals who could come to Britain for work is one of the major items on the coalition government's agenda. The plan, however, has been opposed in several quarters.

Cable said the cap - currently placed at 24,100 until April 2011 - was leading to companies moving jobs overseas because they are unable to hire key personnel.