ICICI Academy for Skills Trained Over 5,660 less Privileged Youth in Mohali

By Samachar Vishesh News

Kharar 07^th November:- ICICI Academy for Skills (ICICI Academy) is an institute set up by the ICICI Foundation for Inclusive Growth (ICICI Foundation) to provide free vocational training to the youth from economically weaker sections to help them earn a sustainable livelihood.

The Academy of Skills centre at Mohali imparts free skill training to less privileged individuals and offers eight courses of three months each. Technical courses include ‘Electrical and Home Appliance Repair’, ‘Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Repair’, ‘Central Air-conditioning’, ‘Two Wheeler Three Wheeler Technician’, ‘Tractor Mechanic’, ‘Pumps & Motor’ while non-technical courses offered are ‘Office Administration’ and ‘Selling Skills’. Individuals who have completed education till at least 8^th standard and are between 18-30 years of age can apply for these courses.

Established on August 24, 2016, the academy in Mohali has trained over 5,660 students till date. This centre has tied up with Blue Star Ltd., Schneider Electric India Foundation, Voltas Ltd., TVS Training Services, Mahindra & Mahindra, Crompton and Tally Solutions among others, as knowledge partners to help set up course content for providing training to the candidates. It has also tied up with industry partners to provide employment opportunities to the students who get trained at the academy. Renowned industry partners like Reliance Smart, PVR Cinemas, Hinduja Leyland Finance Ltd., Team Lease, Mahindra & Mahindra, Titan, among many others have recruited trainees from the academy at Mohali. At present, there are 410 students undergoing training at the ICICI Academy for Skills at Mohali.

Speaking about ICICI Academy,Saurabh Singh, President - ICICI Foundation for Inclusive Growth said that we set up ICICI Academy for Skills in Mohali in 2016 with a view to provide vocational training to the less privileged youth so that they could earn a sustainable livelihood. The centre at Mohali has provided free-of-cost training to 5,660 youth so far. A significant achievement of this programme is that 100% of the trainees who opted for job placement found suitable employment with various organisations.

Since its inception in October 2013, ICICI Academy has set up 25 centres across the country and has trained over 1.27 lakh people of which over 48,700 are women. It aims to provide relevant and practical training to the underprivileged youth in 12 disciplines, namely: 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, basics about computer and financial literacy which helps them adapt to an organised work environment. In addition to training, ICICI Academy provides uniforms, meal and all relevant course material to the trainees.

ICICI Academy reaches out to target segments through multiple channels depending on relevance in a particular geography. This includes conducting awareness programs in communities, arranging youth counselling sessions in various parts of the state, taking the help of the state government to mobilise candidates, taking help from NGOs, evaluating referrals and walk-in candidates as well as references from employers.