पत्रिका जगत Positive Journalism
Jaipur 25th February 2019: ICICI Foundation for Inclusive Growth (ICICI Foundation), the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of the ICICI Group, today announced that it will reach the milestone of providing free vocational training to a cumulative of 5 lakh youth from economically weaker sections by FY’20. Mr. Saurabh Singh, President, ICICI Foundation, made this announcement while inaugurating a new centre of ICICI Academy for Skills (ICICI Academy) at Dehradun in Uttarakhand today. ICICI Academy is the flagship initiative of ICICI Foundation which provides free vocational training to youth from weaker sections. This is the 25th centre of ICICI Academy in India and the first in Uttarakhand.
Honourable Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Shri Trivendra Singh Rawat inaugurated the centre. ICICI Academy will run the centre at Dehradun under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model with the Department of Skill Development and Education, Government of Uttarakhand. This centre will initially train 550 students a year. It will provide free training in two disciplines namely ‘Selling Skills’ and ‘Office Administration’.
ICICI Foundation was founded by the ICICI Group in 2008 with a view to carry forward and build upon the Group’s legacy of promoting inclusive growth. In addition to ICICI Academy, ICICI Foundation provides vocational training through Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs) and various rural initiatives. Through these initiatives, ICICI Foundation has trained 3.87 lakh people till date.
At the inauguration programme of the Dehradun centre, Mr. Singh said, “ICICI Group has a long standing tradition of contributing to the nation’s growth through its business and CSR initiatives. In line with this tradition, we recognised skill development as an important area of focus. With this focus, emerged the idea of setting up skill training centres across the country, and the launch of ICICI Academy for Skills. Our effort has been to take a holistic approach to ensure free-of-cost, job-oriented training, to the youth from the weaker sections of society and also help them to find employment through our linkages with the industry.
We are delighted to partner with the Uttarakhand Government to establish a new centre of ICICI Academy in Dehradun under the PPP model. We believe that the skills acquired through this Academy will equip the trained youth to engage in productive and remunerative economic activity and take part in the state’s growth.
ICICI Academy has so far trained over 1.14 lakh youth, including 46,000 women. Eligible students have achieved 100% placement. In addition to ICICI Academy, ICICI Foundation enables sustainable livelihood through skill development at over 1,200 villages and through the ICICI Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs). In total, ICICI Foundation has trained 3.87 lakh people since inception. We are striving to achieve a milestone of training 5 lakh individuals cumulatively by FY20.”
The ICICI Academy has 25 centres across the country offering free vocational training in 12 disciplines- Selling Skills, Office Administration, Electrical & Home Appliance Repair, Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Repair, Central Air Conditioning, Pumps & Motor Repair, Paint Application Techniques, Tractor Mechanic, Two & Three Wheeler Service Technician, Retail Sales, Assistant Beauty Therapist and Home Health Aide.
Key highlights of ICICI Academy in Dehradun:
- ICICI Academy will run the centre at Dehradun under a PPP model with the Department of Skill Development and Education, Government of Uttarakhand
- The Dehradun centre will initially train 550 students a year. It will provide free training in two disciplines namely ‘Selling Skills’ and ‘Office Administration’
- The curricula consist of 12 weeks industry relevant vocational training courses, and life skills such as etiquette & grooming, communication, basic English and financial literacy
- ICICI Academy will also provide free uniforms, meals and all relevant course material to trainees
- Students from weaker sections in the age group of 18 to 30 years, who have passed at least standard X are eligible to undergo the training programme
- The centre has tied up with Tally Solutions as ‘Knowledge Partner’ to create the course content for Office Administration. The curricula and training for the ‘Selling Skills’ course is developed in-house
- Successful trainees shall be provided with employment opportunities through our network of national level employers
ICICI Foundation also offers skill development training through other rural initiatives. It aims at improving the income levels of villagers through earnings from new skills or through improvements in their existing occupations. It offers vocational training to villagers based on the local needs and helps establish market linkages for them to earn a sustainable livelihood. Training is imparted in over 50 locally relevant skills, including a module on Entrepreneurship Development. Through this project, ICICI Foundation has trained more than 1.91 lakh villagers in over 1,200 villages across 29 states. The availability of a sustainable livelihood at these villages now discourages individuals from migrating to urban locations in search of jobs.
ICICI Foundation also operates the ICICI RSETIs that undertake skill development activities through centres in Udaipur and Jodhpur districts of Rajasthan. The ICICI RSETIs operate two residential centres in these districts along with 16 non-residential centres across various blocks within these districts to provide training to semi-urban and rural underprivileged. They impart skill training in over 30 diversified trades based on the requirements of the local economy. Since inception, RSETIs have trained over 81,000 people of which 54% are women.
Key highlights of ICICI Foundation:
About ICICI Foundation for Inclusive Growth (ICICI Foundation): It was founded by the ICICI Group in early 2008, with a view to carry forward and build upon ICICI Group’s legacy of promoting inclusive growth. ICICI Foundation seeks to promote inclusive growth in India by contributing to the key enablers required for widespread participation in economic opportunities in the country. Through focused initiatives in the identified areas including skill development, sustainable livelihood and financial inclusion, ICICI Foundation is working towards building capabilities and developing innovative models that can be replicated and scaled up in future. It operates through ICICI Academy for Skills, ICICI RSETIs and the Rural initiative.
About ICICI Academy for Skills: ICICI Academy for Skills has 25 centres across the country offering free courses in 12 disciplines. The disciplines are: Selling Skills, Office Administration, Electrical & Home Appliance Repair, Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Repair, Central Air Conditioning, Pumps & Motor Repair, Paint Application Techniques, Tractor Mechanic, Two & Three Wheeler Service Technician, Retail Sales, Assistant Beauty Therapist and Home Health Aide. All the students are also trained in specific life skills such as etiquette & grooming, communication, basic English and financial literacy which helps them adapt to an organised work environment. In addition to training, ICICI Academy provides uniforms, meals and all relevant course material to the trainees. ICICI Academy has tied up with 10 ‘Knowledge Partners’ and over 1,300 ‘Industry Partners’.
ICICI Academy has trained over 1.14 lakh youth including 46,000 women since inception and aims to take the number to 1.5 lakh by FY20.
About ICICI Rural initiatives: In 2016, the ICICI Foundation for Inclusive Growth started a programme for enabling sustainable livelihood through skill development at villages. This initiative aims at taking a holistic approach towards the development of rural India. The programme offers vocational training to the villagers based on the local needs and helps establish market linkages for them to earn a sustainable livelihood. It aims at improving the income levels of villagers through earnings from new skills or through process improvements in their existing occupations. Training is imparted in over 50 locally relevant skills. The programme also includes a module on Entrepreneurship Development which is an integral part of the curricula. Through this project, ICICI Foundation has trained more than 1.91 lakh villagers in over 1,200 villages across 29 states. Out of this 63% are women. The availability of a sustainable livelihood at these villages now discourages individuals from migrating to urban locations in search of jobs.
