ICICI Academy for Skills inaugurated its new centre in Dehradun today

February 21, 2019

• Honourable Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Shri Trivendra Singh Rawat inaugurated the centre
• ICICI Foundation will reach a milestone of providing free vocational training to 5 lakh individuals by FY20 since inception across the country

Dehradun: ICICI Academy for Skills (ICICI Academy), an arm of ICICI Foundation for Inclusive Growth, today launched a new centre in Dehradun to provide free vocational training to the youth from economically weaker sections to help them earn a sustainable livelihood. Honourable Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Shri Trivendra Singh Rawat inaugurated the centre, which is the first centre of ICICI Academy in the state.

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. The centre will provide free training in two disciplines namely ‘Selling Skills’ and ‘Office Administration’. The curricula consist of industry relevant vocational training as well as life skills such as etiquette and grooming, communication, basic English and financial literacy. The duration of the training is 12 weeks. Less privileged youth who have completed at least standard X and are between 18 and 30 years of age are eligible for these courses. Initially, the centre will train 550 students a year.

Speaking at the launch Mr. Saurabh Singh, President, ICICI Foundation for Inclusive Growth said, “The 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.

With the launch of the Dehradun centre, ICICI Academy will run 25 centres across the country. It has so far trained over 1.14 lakh youth, including 46,000 women. Eligible students have achieved 100% placement. In addition to ICICI Academy for Skills, ICICI Foundation for Inclusive Growth enables sustainable livelihood through skill development at over 1,200 villages and through the 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.”

Key highlights of the Dehradun centre:

• The centre will offer courses in two disciplines: ‘Selling Skills’ and ‘Office Administration’
• The curricula consist of 12 weeks free industry relevant vocational training courses, and life skills such as etiquette and grooming, communication, basic English, and financial literacy
• ICICI Academy will also provide free uniforms, meals and all relevant course material to trainees
• Eligibility criterion: Students from the economically weaker sections in the age group of 18 to 30 years and have passed at least standard X
• The centre has tied up with Tally Solutions as ‘Knowledge Partner’ to create the course content
• The curricula and training for the ‘Selling Skills’ course is developed in-house
• Successful trainees shall be provided employment opportunities through our network of national level employers

ICICI Foundation has already undertaken significant work in Uttarakhand through its other rural initiatives. The programmes provide vocational training in locally relevant skills to rural communities and help beneficiaries find employment, so that they can earn a sustainable livelihood without the need to leave their ecosystem.

Since Nov 2018, ICICI Foundation has undertaken two key initiatives in Uttarakhand. The first initiative provides training for making handicrafts with the Lantana plant in villages of Leti and Okhaldunga in the Nainital district. Also, the trainees are aided with credit and market linkages. The second initiative is the training in ‘Cold Water Fisheries’ which is being undertaken in partnership with ICAR-Directorate of Coldwater Fisheries Research, an independent research centre, at Bhimtal. Through this programme, the beneficiaries shall receive training on the development of sustainable freshwater fisheries, cold water aquaculture and improved nutrition of fishes. This shall lead to an increase in production, better disease management and integration of fisheries with other vocations as a sustainable means of livelihood in the region.

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.

About ICICI Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs): ICICI Foundation also undertakes skill development activities through the RSETIs in Udaipur and Jodhpur districts of Rajasthan. The 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. The centres impart skill training in over 30 diversified trades based on the requirements of the local economy. Since inception, ICICI RSETIs have trained over 81,000 people of which 54% are women.

Overall Impact: Through the above initiatives, ICICI Foundation has completed the training of nearly 3.87 lakh people. We aim at reaching the milestone of providing training to 5 lakh people by FY20.

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