~Aiming to upskill rural youth and assist them into livelihoods~

New Delhi, August 2023: Ambuja Foundation, an independent, pan-India development organization, has joined hands with Western Coalfields Limited (WCL) to upskill the youth of mining areas in Gadchandur and Korpana of Chandrapur region, to make them job ready. Through this collaboration, Ambuja Foundation will train 72 young aspirants in welding, and 60 young people in general duty assistant profile to get employed in hospitals.

WCL is a coal mining company which operates through mines in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh providing coal to industries and electricity boards, along with supply to cement, steel, chemical, fertilizer, paper and brick industries. Via its CSR program, WCL aims to provide vocational skill training to youth in the region under accreditation of the National Skill Development Corporation. Ambuja Foundation will implement the program at its Skill & Entrepreneurship Development Institute (SEDI), Chandrapur.

As the implementation partner in the program, Ambuja Foundation will commence work with registration and verification of candidates to ensure a smooth enrollment process. The team will also organize multiple camps in the region to publicize the initiative and mobilize students - highlighting skill training activities through videos and counselling sessions. The candidates will be trained with non-residential, short-term certificate courses at the Gadchandur and Korpana Skill & Entrepreneurship Development Institutes of Ambuja Foundation.

Talking about the association, Ms Pearl Tiwari, CEO, Ambuja Foundation said, “Youth unemployment is one of the biggest problems that rural India is struggling with. In our 17 years experience skilling rural youth, we have found that our graduates are often the primary breadwinner in their family and play a crucial role in uplifting the entire family. We have partnered with WCL to extend on ground support to the youth of rural communities in Chandrapur region to become employable and get good jobs – simultaneously filling a desperate need among growing industries for skilled workers. It is a win-win for both young people and the businesses that our economy rely upon”.

As part of its Skill & Entrepreneurship Development Institutes (SEDI), ACF trains youth across rural India enabling them to secure well-paid jobs or start their own businesses in various industries. Till date, the SEDI program has trained over 1,00,000 rural youth across its 35 centres with a placement rate of 75%. The program offers training in various trades from 43 different organized sectors. Basic computer skills, knowledge of functional English and soft skills are compulsory components of all training programmes conducted at SEDI centers, and many graduates are also nurtured to become entrepreneurs.

About Ambuja Foundation

Ambuja Foundation is an independent, pan-India development organization, committed to generating prosperous rural communities. We believe in the vast, untapped potential of rural communities and the unstoppable power of the people that live there. With investments in water, agriculture, skills, women, health and education, we enable ‘livelihoods’ as a pathway to unleashing that potential. Partnering with like-minded corporates, Governments and others, we work collaboratively with communities to solve pressing community problems – empowering local people to be the catalysts and drivers of change. And over almost 3 decades of work, we have seen a complete transformation in the remote geographies in which we work. We are committed to expanding our footprint and impact of our work even further, through partnerships – building many more sustainable, prosperous rural communities, and revitalizing rural India as the backbone of this country.

About Western Coal Fields

Western Coal fields has mining operations over the states of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh providing coal to the industries and electricity boards in the region along with supply of cement, steel, chemicals, fertilizers, paper and brick industries.