Samsung signs MoU with Electronics Sector Skills Council of India to train less-privileged youth 

Gurugram, NCR: Samsung today launched its CSR program ‘Samsung Innovation Campus’ in India to upskill youth in future tech domains such as AI, IoT, Big Data and Coding & Programming, reiterating its commitment to being a strong partner of India and working alongside the Government in its mission to empowering the country’s youth and #PoweringDigitalIndia.

A Memorandum of Understanding to train the first batch of 3,000 less-privileged students across India was exchanged between Samsung and the Electronics Sector Skills Council of India (ESSCI) today in the presence of Hon’ble Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship & Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

Speaking on the occasion, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Hon’ble Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship & Electronics and Information Technology said there is no deficit of talent in the country but an increased demand for talented & skilled Indians across the globe.

“Skilling should not be just about equipping the youth with employable skills but should act as gateways to employability and employment— as their Passports to Prosperity. The more employment-oriented skilling is, the more aspirational it will be for the students and young Indians. It is the vision of Hon’ble PM Narendra Modi ji that Digital Opportunities should be equitably be available to each and every Indian and efforts should be taken up not just with premier educational institutions but also with universities and institutes in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities,” he said.

Welcoming Samsung’s initiative with ESSCI to empower young Indians with skills, he said, “It was a true hallmark of being a good partner to India and the Indians.” He urged Samsung to headquarter their programmes in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities to ensure skilling opportunities for the hundreds of thousands of students from these places.

Also present at the ceremony were Atul Kumar Tiwari, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Ved Mani Tiwari, COO (Officiating CEO), National Skill Development Corporation, Amrit Manwani, Chairman, ESSCI, Ajai Chowdhry, Founding Chairman, ESSCI and Dr. Abhilasha Gaur, COO (officiating CEO) ESSCI.

Samsung was represented by Ken Kang, President and CEO, Samsung Southwest Asia, Peter Rhee, Corporate Vice President, Samsung SWA and Partha Ghosh, Head, CSR, Samsung SWA.

Ken Kang, President and CEO, Samsung Southwest Asia said, “Samsung has been in India for over 26 years now and is a committed partner in its growth story. We are aligned to the Government’s vision, and through Samsung Innovation Campus, want to empower the youth and create opportunities in future tech domains, giving a further boost to new India’s growth story.”

Samsung Innovation Campus aims to upskill youth aged 18-25 years in future technologies and enhance their employability. These are key technology skills for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

ESSCI, which is a National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) approved entity, will execute the program through its nationwide network of approved training and education partners. ESSCI will look at opportunities to provide the courses to beneficiaries in India’s smaller towns, where students do not have easy access to the best of future tech education.

“ESSCI’s focus is on establishing an effective and efficient skilling ecosystem for developing and imparting outcome oriented skills. The Future Tech program under Samsung Innovation Campus will support in strengthening the skills ecosystem and will be an important step forward to make India a Skills capital of the world,” said Dr. Abhilasha Gaur, Chief Operating Officer (Officiating CEO), ESSCI.

With SIC, Samsung has also reiterated its commitment to being a strong partner in India’s growth story, supporting the various initiatives of the government such as Skill India to create the right opportunities for the youth of the country – the pillars of New India.

During the course of the program, participants will receive instructor-led blended classroom and online training through approved training and education partners of ESSCI across the country.

Youth enrolled for the program will undergo classroom and online training and complete their hands-on capstone project work in their selected technology areas from among Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Big Data and Coding & Programming.

They will also be imparted soft skills training to enhance their employability and provided job placements in relevant organizations. The participants will be mobilized through ESSCI’s training and education partners across India.

Those opting for the AI course will undergo 270 hours of theory training and complete 80 hours of project work while those doing the IoT or the Big Data course will undergo 160 hours of training and complete 80 hours of project work. Participants opting for the Coding & Programming course will do 80 hours of training and be part of a 4-day Hackathon.

With Samsung Innovation Campus, Samsung is expanding its CSR programs that focus on education and skilling of youth in India. Samsung runs two other CSR global programs in India, Samsung Smart School and Solve for Tomorrow, through which it is empowering the leaders of tomorrow and equipping them with the tools they will need to realize meaningful change.