On World Youth Skills Day, Vedanta Aluminium reaffirms commitment to empowering rural youth
15th July 2022
- More than 12,000 rural youth made employable through various skill development programs till date
New Delhi; 15th July 2022: On World Youth Skills Day, Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest producer of aluminium, reaffirms its commitment to scaling up skill development programs for rural youth, helping them learn employable skills and find livelihood opportunities. Through various skill development initiatives, the company has, till date, helped more than 12,000 youth get trained in solar energy technology, housekeeping, industrial sewing machine operations, tailoring, food & beverage, electricals, fitting & welding, advanced agriculture, etc. and find lucrative employment in various industries.
Speaking about the company’s approach, Mr. Rahul Sharma, CEO – Vedanta Aluminium, said, “Creating sustainable livelihoods through skill development is fundamental to our vision for sustainable development in the regions where we operate. India’s future aspirations hinge on its young, talented workforce having the right skills as the future of work evolves rapidly. By creating avenues for the local youth to get trained in such skills, Vedanta Aluminium is helping them seek gainful employment both within their communities and beyond, thereby transforming the socio-economic fabric at grassroots.”
Earlier this year, Vedanta Aluminium launched a skill development program for the communities in the vicinity of its alumina refinery at Lanjigarh, in Kalahandi district of Odisha. The first batch of 29 students who underwent this program are now employed in some of India’s top hospitality sector players. This is significant, since Lanjigarh is located in one of the remotest regions of India, with not many education and livelihood opportunities for the youth to chase their aspirations. Success of Vedanta Aluminium’s skill development program is encouraging many other youngsters to come forward and enrol for subsequent phases of the program.
Niharika Durga, who was one of the trainees in the program, says, “I would like to thank Vedanta for providing placement-linked skill training which has opened up a world of opportunities for me. I am very happy to share that I have successfully completed the 3-month training program and got employment with Ramoji film city, Hyderabad, which has consequently brought happiness to my family. I am the first girl in my family to have secured such a good job. My parents are very proud of me!”
Vedanta Aluminium has established Subhalaxmi Co-operative, one of India’s largest rural women’s co-ops, at Jharsuguda, in Odisha, where the company operates one of the world’s largest aluminium smelters. With a presence across 72 villages in Odisha and over 4100 women members, the co-op enables aspiring women entrepreneurs with micro-finance, skill development, financial literacy and market linkage. More than 1800 women have already benefitted from its skill development programs in financial literacy, enterprise development, business management, and trades like sewing, animal husbandry, farming, mushroom cultivation, etc.
Similarly, through Jeevika Samridhhi, a land & water management program being run at Jharsuguda, Vedanta Aluminium has helped more than 300 farmers get trained in advanced agricultural practices such as crop plan, harvest and management, package of practices (PoP), organic farming, natural pest management, etc. Jeevika Samridhhi aims at increasing farmers’ income by encouraging adoption of, and training them in, advanced agriculture practices through agri-scientists from Krishi Vigyan Kendra and other agricultural research institutes.
In Chhattisgarh, Vedanta Aluminium has established 3 Skill Schools in Korba, Kawardha and Mainpat through which more than 10,000 youth have been trained in various trades. The Vedanta Skill School provides robust technical education designed as per the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). Graduates from these schools have found employment with some of India’s leading companies in power, steel, automotive, solar and hospitality industries. Vedanta Skill School has been imparting these trainings in convergence with government schemes like Mukhya Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (MMKVY), NABARD, Skill India Impact Bond (SIIB) and National institute of Solar Energy (NISE).
Vedanta Aluminium, a business of Vedanta Limited, is India’s largest producer of aluminium, manufacturing more than half of India’s aluminium i.e., 2.26 million tonnes in FY22. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. Vedanta Aluminium ranks 4th in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) 2021 world rankings for aluminium industry, a reflection of its sustainable development practices. With its world-class aluminium smelters, alumina refinery and power plants in India, the company fulfils its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow. www.vedantaaluminium.com
About Vedanta Limited:
Vedanta Limited, a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources Limited, is one of the world’s leading Oil & Gas and Metals company with significant operations in Oil & Gas, Zinc, Lead, Silver, Copper, Iron Ore, Steel, and Aluminium & Power across India, South Africa and Namibia. For two decades, Vedanta has been contributing significantly to nation building. Governance and sustainable development are at the core of Vedanta's strategy, with a strong focus on health, safety, and environment. Vedanta has put in place a comprehensive framework to be the ESG leader in the natural resources sector. Vedanta is committed to reducing carbon emissions to zero by 2050 or sooner and has pledged $5 billion over the next 10 years to accelerate the transition to net zero operations. Giving back is in the DNA of Vedanta, which is focused on enhancing the lives of local communities. The company’s flagship social impact program, Nand Ghars, have been set up as model anganwadis focused on eradicating child malnutrition, providing education, healthcare, and empowering women with skill development. Under the aegis of the Anil Agarwal Foundation, the umbrella entity for Vedanta’s social initiatives, the Vedanta group has pledged Rs 5000 crore over the next five years on social impact programmes with a thrust on nutrition, women & child development, healthcare, animal welfare, and grass-root level sports. Vedanta and the group companies have been featured in Dow Jones Sustainability Index, and was conferred Frost & Sullivan Sustainability Awards 2020, Golden Peacock Award for excellence in Corporate Governance 2022 and certified as a Great Place to Work 2022. Vedanta Limited is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange.
For more information, please visit www.vedantalimited.com
About Vedanta Aluminium Business:
Vedanta Aluminium, a business of Vedanta Limited, is India’s largest producer of aluminium, manufacturing more than half of India’s aluminium i.e., 2.29 million tonnes in FY23. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. Vedanta Aluminium ranks 1st in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment 2023 world rankings for the aluminium industry, a reflection of its leading sustainable development practices. With its world-class aluminium smelters, alumina refinery and power plants in India, the company fulfils its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow.
For more information, please log on to www.vedantaaluminium.com
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