GRAS Academy collaborates with MSDF to promote skill development and vocational education in India
In a first of its kind collaboration in India, Gras Academy and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation will work together to impart quality vocational training to school dropouts and unemployed youth, aimed at enhancing livelihoods in economically challenged households.
The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation (MSDF) is making an equity investment in GRAS Academy, a pioneer in imparting vocational education and skill development. As part of the strategic collaboration, GRAS Academy, supported by the Dell family foundation aims to train and assist with job placement of 1.3 million youth- many of whom are school drop‐outs and from underprivileged backgrounds- in different trades across the country, over a 10‐year period.
GRAS Academy is an ISO 9001:2008 certified company and a pioneer in the field of vocational skills training industry in India. The academy has been successfully conducting training programmes to enhance youth employability and skill development, with the aim of improving the lives of thousands of underserved youth across India. The collaboration will also bring international quality standards to the Indian vocational and skill set curricula, through the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation's global expertise.
Mr. Ajay Swarup and Mr. Gautam Sen Gupta, Founders and Directors of GRAS Academy; Mr Debasish Mitter, Portfolio Director, Education and Mr Satyam Darmora, Program officer, Michael & Susan Dell Foundation; Mr Tahsin Zahid, CEO-GRAS Academy; and Mr. Arindam Lahiri Executive Director were present on the occasion to announce the collaboration.
Mr. Gautam Sen Gupta, Gras Academy, said, "It gives us immense pleasure to be associated with the Michael &Susan Dell Foundation. India has a growing pool of youth who would require skill development and up-gradation training in line with industry needs thus reducing the gap for needed skilled manpower. We hope and believe that through our extensive experience and the Dell family foundation's support, the GRAS skill training and employment centres will create entrepreneurs out of these youth, increase their income generation potential, leverage their prior education and personal talent, and motivate them to participate in productive activity."
Through this collaboration, GRAS and the Dell family foundation want to enhance the livelihoods at the bottom of the pyramid by ensuring relevant and quality skill education for youth across urban and semi-urban areas of the country.
The target trainees will primarily be those who have not had the opportunity to study beyond the 8th, 10thor 12thstandards.
Mr Debasish Mitter, speaking on the occasion said, "The mission of the Dell family foundation is to transform the lives of children living in urban poverty. In that context, we share a common desire to enable underserved and unemployed youth exit poverty by acquiring skills that allow them to enter trades and vocations of modern India. GRAS Academy is a leader in this space and has already set up 18 centers across India to train unemployed youth in industry-relevant job skills and has also successfully provided them with placements."
"The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation's equity investment will help with significantly scaling up the current operations of GRAS Academy, and will enable high quality training to be offered in retail, information technology/IT-enabled services, banking, financial services, insurance and education sectors through 325 GRAS Academy centres overtime", he further added.
About GRAS Academy:
A pioneer in bringing an integrated approach to the vocational skills industry in India, GRAS Academy conducts training programmes to enhance youth employability and helps with skills development in urban and rural areas to improve the lives of thousands of youth.
The academy delivers high quality programmes that support individuals, corporate and government by offering vocational training and skills development that lead to better employment opportunities for unemployed youth. GRAS has tie-ups with various State and Central Governments, NGOs and international bodies for providing industry-oriented training courses to local youth and helping with its students with job placements. The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) has funded GRAS Academy to support its goal of providing employable skills to 1.3 million youth in different trades across 21 states and 176 districts over a 10‐year period. PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) is also associated with GRAS Academy for conducting assessments of trained students and for providing them with an industry relevant certificate.
About the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation
The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation (www.msdf.org) is dedicated to improving the lives of children living in urban poverty around the world. With offices in Austin, TX, Cape Town, South Africa and New Delhi, India, the Dell family foundation funds programs that foster high-quality public education and childhood health, and improve the economic stability of families living in poverty. The foundation has committed more than $700 million to global children's issues and community initiatives to date.
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