Independence Day Special: 5 Private Sector Jobs And Up-skilling Initiatives To Empower The Young

For some time now, we have been hearing about India’s demographic dividend; the untapped talent of its massive youth population. We are celebrating our 75th Independence Day. Thus, some companies are rising to the challenge of skilling and providing employment opportunities to the country’s youth. We are facing unprecedented economic and humanitarian challenges due to the pandemic. Thus, these endeavors provide tangible hope. These up-skilling initiatives also help the young at a time when unemployment rates are spiraling.

Here is an overview of five such attempts to really invest in our demographic dividend.

1. ‘Unnati For India’ by Visionet Systems

'Unnati for India' is a far-reaching skilling initiative envisioned by Alok Bansal, Visionet Systems India's MD and Global Head of BFSI Business. The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in India has been largely disruptive. India's growth in Q4 of 2020 went down to 3.1% . Many companies had to take steps to save costs; however, Visionet decided to extend their expertise to make the next generation future-ready.

Under the aegis of ‘Unnati For India’, Visionet will train over 1 lakh graduates over the next 5 years. It aims to make them employable in the Information Technology and BPM sector. They are getting training via technology-backed online modules as well as in classrooms. Here, they interact with trainers and learn from live demos to understand how the industry works. The duration of the program is 45 to 60 days and it offers world-class training for free. The same modules would cost anywhere between Rs 50,000 to Rs 2.5 lakh per person. Candidates who complete the program will get a certification post-assessment by Visionet. ‘Unnati For India’ has already trained approximately 600 people last year and 90% of them have been hired by Visionet.

National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme by Amazon

Amazon India recently launched a skilling program under the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS). This will unfold across its fulfillment centers across India. It will also train youngsters whose education or employability the pandemic impacted. The pilot program aims to empower over 1000 apprentices. During the 6-month program, the apprentices will get training in warehousing and inventory management skills. Further, if successful, they will go on to become warehouse associates and process associates. At the end of each program, the apprentices will receive an assessment from the Logistics Sector Skill Council. They will also receive a certification that will make them eligible for seasonal or full-time employment. The idea behind the initiative is to enable skilling and job creation sustainably so that India's youth can secure gainful employment even in difficult times.

3. Hitachi’s Skill Development initiative

During the pandemic, it is imperative to source borderless talent and creates synergies beyond nationalities. Hitachi’s Skill Development initiative does exactly that and is imparting training in the Air Conditioners and Refrigeration space via a virtual route. This virtual skilling curriculum will go via online classes at Skill Development Centers and ITI’s to target largely rural students who learn through mobile phones in the absence of laptops and computers. So far over 1500 students have been skilled via these online classes. The rural youth will also benefit from the experience of world-class trainers; 5 skill development centers in Andhra Pradesh, and 1 in Gujarat. The aim is to create more than 50,000 world-class technicians and cooling experts by 2025.

4. Training Centre For E-Commerce by Flipkart Logistics

Flipkart has announced an MoU with the Logistics Skill Sector Council (LSC), an organization set up by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) through the National Skill Development Corporation of India (NSDC) and Karnataka Skill Development Centre (KSDC). As part of the MoU, Flipkart has launched a Centre of Excellence (CoE) to build a skilled workforce to serve the rapidly expanding e-commerce industry in India. Spread across an area of 1,500 sq ft, the pathbreaking CoE for the e-commerce supply chain in Bengaluru boasts smart classrooms equipped with computers and projectors. The 60-day training also imparts soft skills like communication and customer interaction and allows selected candidates to join an apprenticeship under the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme.

5. JobsNearby by PayNearby

Fintech startup PayNearby has launched JobsNearby, a platform to help blue-collar migrant workers in urban areas find employment opportunities via an assisted job registry. The idea is to help workers who have been hit the hardest by the pandemic. Through its network of over 9 lakh retail points, spread across more than 17,000 plus PIN codes in India, the company has created a platform where out-of-job, registered workers will become visible to prospective employees and will find a gainful placement. The company has also synergized with banks, NGOs, global foundations, and other aggregators, where these registered workers can hopefully find a placement that is just right for their skill sets.