Thanks to Sir Mathuradas Vissanji Education Trust, Ambuja Foundation was able to install a CNC plasma cutting machine at its Skill & Entrepreneurship Development Institute (SEDI) in Ambujanagar and Chandrapur to encourage girls’ participation in machine operations and manufacturing and an AI Lab in SEDI Bhagwanpur offering advanced skills to rural youth.

AU Skills Academy was launched as a CSR initiative of AU Small Finance Bank anchored by AU Foundation, to train rural youth in the region of Rajasthan. Ambuja Foundation’s SEDI acts as the implementing partner in training youth at AU Skills Academy, Jaipur.

All thanks to NABARD, Ambuja Foundation has received a sanction to train 125 youth in Assistant Electrician course in 5 batches at SEDI Bathinda. This sanction is part of NABARD’s ongoing efforts in fostering Skill Development and Rural Entrepreneurship Development initiatives in rural areas.

In an economy as large as India, 95% of the industrial units in the country consist of small businesses which churn out 40% of total industrial output. Again, small businesses bag around 45% of the total exports from India, and after agriculture, small business is the second largest employment provider in the Indian economy.

The National Skill and Development Corporation under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna (PMKVY) sanctioned Ambuja Foundation’s skill training institutes (SEDIs) to training 440 youth in the General Duty Assistant (GDA) course. 11 SEDI centres from Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra have been selected to train 40 students per centre in GDA.

Something radical is happening in Inaj village in Veraval, Gir Somnath District. 15 young girls have become the primary breadwinners of their families, having trained in Electronics at SEDI - securing lucrative jobs as Assembly Operators and transforming ingrained perceptions about what women can do.

Despite the pandemic, the SEDI team celebrated World Youth Skills Day with much enthusiasm at all SEDI locations. With the theme, ‘Reimaging Youth Skills Post-Pandemic’, virtual events were organized at various locations with industry experts and partners sharing insights on skill training.

Under the Gramya Vikas Nidhi – Sanction, Ambuja Foundation was provided grant assistance from NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) for implementing the ‘Employability through Skill Initiative Project

“In the online world, a start-up that has a valuation of more than a billion dollars is referred to as a ‘unicorn’.

Halfway between Jodhpur and Bikaner, on the edge of the Thar Desert, lies the city of Nagaur. Its main industries include spices and tourism, and youth in the area primarily turn to agriculture for jobs and a future.

In an absorbing conversation with Thrive, Ravi Nayse, GM – Skill Development at Ambuja Foundation outlines the work A mbuja Foundation has been doing to enable rural youth to have a prosperous future.

Mobilisation of rural youth for skill training programmes has always been a challenge. Traditional mindsets, youth aspirations, and an unwillingness to migrate to other towns/cities often stand in the way of youth enrolment.