World Youth Skills Day: Vedanta Aluminium announces impactful skill development initiatives to empower local youth

On July 15, World Youth Skills Day, Vedanta Aluminium, India's largest producer of aluminium, reaffirmed its commitment to youth empowerment by announcing the expansion of its skill development initiatives across its locations. These programs aim to enhance the skillsets of rural youth, transitioning them from unskilled to semi-skilled categories through placement-linked training programs. Towards this goal, the company has collaborated with several coveted training institutions like the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), Odisha Skill Development Authority (OSDA), and Skill Development Institute (SDI), among others. Through these efforts, Vedanta Aluminium is aiding youth across India in achieving sustainable livelihoods and contributing to the socio-economic development of their communities and the nation.

Following a robust skilling framework, Vedanta Aluminium has trained nearly 14,000 youth through its skill development initiatives and institutional collaborations so far. As trainees gain experience and improve their skills, they become eligible for higher-paying job opportunities, offering them secure employment and the potential for salary growth over time. The visible success of these trainees inspires a learning culture, encouraging more individuals in the region to enrol in the programs and fostering continuous improvement. By covering trades in constant demand within the market, the training programs ensure sustainable employment prospects that meet ongoing industry needs.

John Slaven, CEO of Vedanta Aluminium, said, "Skilling the younger population is integral to our vision of elevating the socio-economic status of regions where we operate. By equipping them with market-relevant skills and fostering a culture of continuous learning, we are not only helping them to secure their future but also bringing remote areas of the country to the socio-economic mainstream. To date, we have trained 14,000 youth, and on World Youth Skills Day, we reiterate our commitment to bridging skill gaps and creating opportunities to help shape the next generation of leaders and innovators in India."

Vedanta's skilling programs in Odisha span multiple locations:

• Around its alumina refinery operations in Lanjigarh in Kalahandi district (Odisha), Vedanta Aluminium aims to upgrade the skills of 3,500 youth over the next three years in partnership with OSDA and Vedanta's collaboration with NABARD.
• Skill training centres at Lanjigarh and Bhawanipatna offer training courses for roles in food and beverage, hospitality, and electrical maintenance, to name a few. Graduates of these programs have secured placements with prominent organizations such as Club Mahindra, Minerva Group of Hotels and Restaurants, Honda showrooms, and Sarovar Hotels and Resorts. In this fiscal year, the program saw a successful placement percentage of 77%.
• At the aluminium plant in Jharsuguda, Odisha, the company has collaborated with Ashok Leyland and the State Government for the light motor vehicle and heavy motor vehicle training program. Many of the trainees are employed at Vedanta's operations and in nearby industries.
• Vedanta also provides technical training for youth in mechatronics, mechanical, and electrical services at the World Skill Centre in Bhubaneswar.
• At its mining operations at Jamkhani in Sundargarh, Odisha, Vedanta Aluminium has partnered with SDI, Bhubaneswar and the State Institute of Hotel Management, Balangir, to train more than 60 candidates across various programs. These programs have been successful, with the majority of the trained candidates already securing relevant jobs post-training.

At Chhatisgarh, where Vedanta has a manufacturing facility in Korba,

• Its unit, BALCO, is imparting vocational training to rural youth, dropouts, and unemployed population through three centres of Vedanta Skill School. The schools impart skills in relevant trades like electrical maintenance, welding, hospitality, fitter, and solar technician and link them to gainful employment opportunities. In FY24, a staggering 81% of trainees secured jobs or pursued entrepreneurship after training.

In Andhra Pradesh, where Vedanta runs the Vizag General Cargo Berth (VGCB) port operations,

• The company has collaborated with the Vedanta Foundation to establish a cutting-edge computer lab at Queen Mary Government High School. The lab has empowered over 11,00 young beneficiaries, significantly bridging the digital divide in the area.
• It has also partnered with the Centre of Excellence for Maritime & Shipbuilding (CEMS) for the training and placement of 100 youth as computer numerical control (CNC) operators, electricians and inventory controllers, with the inventory controller training batch comprising only female candidates.

Vedanta Aluminium, a business of Vedanta Limited, is India's largest producer of aluminium, manufacturing more than half of India's aluminium, i.e., 2.37 million tonnes in FY24. 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 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.