Born hearing and speech impaired, Nrishingha Malik faced a major hurdle when he graduated from his Sewing Machine Technician course at SEDI – how to appear for an interview to get a job? Something most take for granted, became a major blockage for the young man from Sankrail West Bengal, and he decided to turn his attention to kick-starting his own business instead.

SKF India and Ambuja Foundation announced the set-up of a dedicated YES skill training centre in Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad Gujarat. The initiative is an expansion of SKF’s YES (Youth Empowerment at SKF) program, which focuses on training, skill development and employability of youth across Gandhinagar (Ahmedabad, Gujarat), Sankrail (Kolkata West Bengal) and Pali (Jodhpur Rajasthan).

With an objective to support India’s young generation in obtaining job-relevant skills and livelihoods, Ambuja Foundation has imparted skill training to over 88,000 youth with a placement rate of 76% from rural and semi urban areas across 10 States of India, via its SEDI (Skill and Entrepreneurship Development Institutes).

Vikram Chouhan, Principal at SEDI Udaipur, has a problem on his hands. Hotels across the state have been calling him to fill 500 new jobs in the hospitality sector, and he simply doesn’t have enough trainees to fill the jobs!

Ambuja Foundation’s Skilling Centres (SEDI) across India, have welcomed various high-level dignitaries and guests over the last month. Whilst guests appreciated Ambuja Foundation’s skill training models, the visits created an opportunity for trainees to interact with, and grasp insights, from such eminent individuals.

The inspiring stories of Ambuja Foundation’s beneficiaries have been captured in a stunning coffee table book format – highlighting their perseverance and ‘unstoppable’ drive in pursuing their livelihoods and passions.

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.

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.

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.

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.