By Gaurav Sharma, Head - Industry Engagements, General Manager, TSSC
Corporate Social Responsibility has been a key component for industries to give back to the communities they serve. Once implemented, corporate responsibility has a positive trickle-down effect on employees, the environment, the business itself, and society as a whole. Notable initiatives include efforts to combat climate change, reduce industrial carbon footprint, etc. Most importantly, supporting livelihood-enhancing training programs which help the youth from the underprivileged segment of society to get skilled and secure jobs in the industry. The significance of CSR is in its impact on the people involved, what it does for society and how it helps organizations build accountability. In doing so, it imparts both a positive brand image and builds up the market perception of an organization as socially responsible.
Getting the word out about CSR initiatives is a powerful branding tool that can help build a forward-thinking tag, both online and offline. When I talk specifically about generating employment, I refer to developing livelihood-enhancing training programs that help a person to be industry-ready by acquiring relevant skills and ultimately securing a job in the industry. Today, that can also extend to entrepreneurship through skill development, as in the case of our nation, digital literacy is at an all-time high. A question I generally get asked is whether skill development initiatives become diminished by making it free under CSR. What is important to understand is that CSR exclusively caters to unserved and underserved members of society. Skill development as a tool for empowerment has much more to offer to the larger diaspora of our great nation.
When I consider the young aspirational minds, a more prudent approach comes by the way of industry-oriented training programs. Under these programs, the courses are designed as per the demand of the industry. So, post-completion of these training programs the candidates are easily placed in the relevant industries. Short-term training can improve productivity, refine skills, and conduce better communication thereby quickly imparting key professional rigor. We provide complete assistance to ensure the placements of these candidates after certification.
For anyone looking to pick up a trade/skill, understanding the new ventures of an industry can be fast-tracked through apprenticeship. India has historically practiced apprenticeship for centuries as one of the most efficient ways to learn on the job. The government under the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPs) creates a framework to promote apprentices for industrial training. The best part is that the stipend paid to the apprentices beyond the mandatory count of 2.5% of total employee strength and up to 15% of the total number can be covered under CSR.
TSSC works with several Ministries, Skilling bodies, and technical institutes to promote skills amongst young Indian talent and bridge the manpower demand-supply gap in the industry. We are a 12A and 80G accredited organization with a proven track record in our current and past projects with highly reputed organizations like Ericsson, SBI Card, TCIL, Huawei, etc.</p>
We continue to support our candidates post-certification as well and ensure the best assistance for placements. TelcoJobs.in is a job portal project by Telecom Sector Skill Council to support placement primarily for Telecom and ICT job roles. We connect enterprises and talent to create a simple and effective ecosystem for hiring and placements.
By collaborating with several companies, we bridge the gap between the demand and supply of telecom talent. Our courses are specialized in 5G, AI, IoT, etc., to name a few. These courses are recognized by the industry. As the youth gets more serious about their future, we must be ready to cultivate their young minds to the best of our abilities, and CSR by corporates can really help to create a livelihood for the underprivileged youth.