On International Youth Day, Vedanta Aluminium expands skill training avenues for youth

New Delhi: On the occasion of International Youth Day, Vedanta Aluminium, the largest aluminium producer in India, is expanding the ambit of its extensive skill training programs for youths in rural India, especially within the vicinity of its operations in Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Through these efforts, it aims to create additional avenues for building sustainable livelihoods and gainful employment. As India approaches its 77th independence Day, the effort also signifies opportunities for rural youth to contribute to the nation’s progress.

Recently, the company launched a major new skill development initiative in partnership with the Skill Development Institute, Bhubaneswar. The program offers rural youth enhanced employment opportunities by training them in market relevant skills. The first batch of students is currently undergoing skill training as Industrial Electricians. Now, Vedanta Aluminium has further expanded the ambit of the program to include trainings in Industrial Welding. With this, nearly 40 youths from the vicinity of the company’s operations in Sundargarh, Odisha are undergoing trainings in industry-beneficial trades.

Dilip Kumar Gardia, part of the second batch of the skill development initiative said, “This program has been an empowering journey for me, equipping me with a range of technical skills. I am grateful to Vedanta for facilitating this program and for delivering on its commitment to helping us explore our full potential. Such programs also help drive growth and progress within our communities, and has benefitted a number of youths from my own village.”

Further, the company will shortly be inducting the second batch of young trainees under its project Sakhyam, a drivers’ training program launched in collaboration with the Society for Government of Odisha - Ashok Leyland HMV Driver Training Institute in Chhatia, Cuttack. As part of the program, Vedanta Aluminium is providing youths with training in operating Heavy Motor Vehicles & Light Motor Vehicles through fully residential programs. Now, the company plans to expand the trainings to include Forklift Operations as well, a critical skill for jobs in core operations within manufacturing plants. In a first, the second batch will also include women and transgender professionals, thereby boosting diversity and inclusion within the domestic manufacturing landscape.

Vedanta Aluminium’s developmental endeavours in the realms of education, healthcare, livelihood, skill development and grassroots sports, art & culture continue to benefit rural communities in rural India. Nearly 15,000 youths have been trained through its skill development initiatives so far. These include focused programs, such as the Subhalaxmi Self Help Group (SHG) Co-operative in Jharsuguda, Odisha, support for artisans practising traditional art forms such as Dhokra Art and the Mor Maati, Mor Maati program which is training farmers across Chhattisgarh in more sustainable farming techniques. Through these efforts, Vedanta Aluminium is actively helping foster increased entrepreneurship, sustainable economic development, and vibrant local economies across the country.

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.