There has been a chorus for need to improve employability of Indian graduates for a couple of years now. However, there is little beyond induction training that we hear as the solution to the problem.
We churn out graduates every year by the thousands, yet, they lack the basic skills required to function in the real world. Whatever the reasons for this condition of the education system, the need to bridge this gap between education and employment opportunities places an additional burden on most students, and impossible difficulties for those from the underprivileged and economically weaker sections of our society.
Earlier this week, I had an opportunity to visit ICICI group’s ICICI Foundation for inclusive growth. What I encountered there was phenomenal. The set-up and what they do there was beyond any expectations I had from a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative.
In Pune alone, the ICICI Academy For Skills has trained nearly 2000 candidates from Pune and surrounding areas. More than 50 percent of these are women. Most of these students are now employed full-time and earning a decent income for themselves and their families.
Through these skills development centers, ICICI Foundation provides technical and administrative office courses to its students. They have a mix of day centers and residential centers across India. In Maharashtra, their Narsobachi Waadi center functions as a residential school, where students are trained for technical skills including Electrical and Home Appliance Repair, Refrigeration and AC repairing, Tractor Mechanic and more.
Classrooms and Labs at ICICI Foundation Academy for Skills
The Pune city center is focused on administrative office skills and includes training for Selling, Web Designing, and Retail cafe Operations. The most impressive part of this effort and quality of training provided to these students was evident from the fully functional Cafe Coffee Day set-up they have recreated at the training center.
One of the reasons most students face problems in a corporate environment is because of lack of confidence and their inability to function in a formal environment, where language is also a major barrier.
ICICI Academy For Skills ensures that students get all the training they need to function in an official environment. This includes basic communication skills, how to behave in a social setting, table manners, and much more to boost their confidence and belief in their ability to function anywhere.
Although local language is important, in today’s India it is imperative that you understand and converse in English. I was glad to see that all classroom instructions were carried out in English to make these students comfortable with the language.
During this visit to the ICICI Academy For Skills, I also got an opportunity to meet some of the past students who shared their experiences at the training center and the change it has brought into their lives. It was obvious that the guidance and personality development efforts by the faculty at the academy was most dear to them.
Sapna from Katraj, Pune had big dreams and also had responsibilities to take care of. After the loss of her brother, Sapna decided to make sure that her parents did not feel the economic hardships. Although a commerce graduate, she could not land a job for lack of soft skills. She joined the Academy without informing her parents of what she was doing and finished her 12 week course. Her pride today in being an independent woman contributing to her family was priceless.
But the academy is not just about getting jobs. It is about acquiring the skills everyone needs to be successful. The best example, perhaps, of this function was a student from Lonavala who has become a successful entrepreneur after going through the 12 week Selling Skills course.
I caught up with him later in the day and asked him a bit more about why he wanted to join the ICICI Academy For Skills and how did it help him. He was thrilled and excited to talk about how things worked out the way he wanted them to. He already had a job as an accountant, but wanted more from life. His only barrier to his dream was lack of salesmanship. He was happy that he made the right decision by investing time at the academy. Soon after the course, he forged a lucrative partnership and started his “Car Spa at your Doorstep” business.
He reiterated that he could talk to a customer, but making that first contact was a big problem. The academy with its numerous role-play sessions and real-world, situational training classes ensured that he shed all his inhibitions and moved a step closer toward completing his dream.
Mr Chinmay Sengupta, ICICI Foundation COO, gave us a glimpse into ICICI Foundations vision of training the weaker sections of the society and support inclusive growth. He has been satisfied with their current progress and hopes to reach more rural and urban youth in a gradual manner.
I am in general a cynical person. But the amount of money and time the foundation and ICICI management has invested in the endeavor deserves a big applause.
As Victor Mallet points out in Demographic Dividend – or Disaster, our demographic advantage can be a boon or it can just as easily be a curse. The only way to make it our strength is to aim for inclusive growth, and ICICI group has made a strong commitment to this goal with their Academy For Skills.
My request to all readers in India is that you share this information about ICICI Academy For Skills with as many people as you can so that everyone in need knows they have an option that requires only their commitment and get an opportunity to fulfill their dream of a better life.