Hyderabad: On successful completion of 10 years of its flagship employability program – Skills-for-Market Training (SMART), Tech Mahindra Foundation (TMF), the CSR arm of Tech Mahindra Ltd., organized SMART Exemplar National Awards to recognize the efforts of its stakeholders in empowering the youth in the last decade. The major awardees from NGO partners include organizations like Reach India Trust, Don Bosco Vazhikkatti, Society for Participatory Integrated Development (SPID), Bhagavatula Charitable Trust, BTGT Education Foundation, Auxilium Center, Sujaya Foundation, Sishu Mandir, The Association of People with Disability, Faith Foundation amongst many others. Prior to this, regional awards were also organized to recognize the efforts at the regional level.
In October 2012, SMART started with a vision, “To be a model vocational training program for youth from underserved communities, enabling them to actualize their potential in a career of their choice.” The program aims to empower youth from socio-economically backward urban communities. The flagship skill development training program enables youth with requisite employability skills through structured training to bridge the gap between demand and supply in various manufacturing and service industries. Besides the specific training, it also includes imparting Foundation skills i.e., Spoken English, Basic IT and Workplace Readiness. The Foundation has been implementing the SMART program by establishing a network of Centres and Academies – both directly and through other partner implementing agencies.
Speaking on the occasion, Chetan Kapoor, Chief Executive Officer of Tech Mahindra Foundation, said, “SMART program has actively worked towards providing intensive, high-quality training to equip youth from socially and economically disadvantaged communities with the right skills and knowledge to be employment ready. TMF will continue to work towards positively impacting the lives of people from marginalized communities.”
Presently, TMF’s SMART program comprises 9 SMART Academies directly managed by TMF and 86 SMART Centres running in collaboration with multiple NGO partners through 80+ courses across 11 locations in the country. Over the years, more than 1.35 lakh youth including 18, 392 in FY 21-22 have been trained through the SMART program. Approximately 75% of the youth are placed in jobs across multiple industries in the FY 2020-21 after completion of their training. The Foundation enables the youth to acquire employable market-oriented skills and links them to potential employers, thereby facilitating the development of self-reliant and confident individuals.
