Tata Chemicals signs MoU with TCIT to build skill development centre

Tata Chemicals Limited (TCL) announced a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Tata Community Initiatives Trust (TCIT) to explore and develop skill development initiatives in the country through Tata Strive. The MoU was signed by R Mukundan, Managing Director, TCL, and Shankar Venkateswaran, Chief, Tata Sustainability Group.

TCL is the first Tata group company to sign the MoU with the Tata Strive programme, a Tata group initiative that brings together all the group companies to leverage expertise in its respective sectors and introduce skill development opportunities in the group business and skilling eco-systems.

"Tata Strive aims to make a distinct impact in improving the skills of the country's youth, thereby increasing their ability to find meaningful employment or set up their own enterprises and ensuring them a brighter future. The knowledge expertise within Tata companies will bring in quality into the training programmes, besides appropriate certification and measurement of outcomes," said Venkateswaran.

This partnership will reach out to the underprivileged youth of the country and equip them with skills relevant to the industry, thereby helping them become more employable. As per the MoU, TCL along with the TCIT will set up a Tata Strive skill development centre at Aligarh that would become a 'showcase centre' for the Tata group, and would help promote the growth and development of the surrounding communities by providing skill development courses. The company will also encourage its stakeholders - employees, suppliers, distributors and consumers - to support the initiative in various capacities.

Speaking on the development Mukundan said, "Tata Chemicals is delighted to join with Tata Strive to bridge the skills gap that exists across the industry value chain, and help build a capable work force required by the industry. We are positive that this initiative will be highly beneficial to the communities at large, and we will continue to undertake similar initiatives in the future."

Explaining the significance of the partnership Dr Mukund Rajan, member, Group Executive Council and brand custodian, Tata Sons, said, "Professional competence in today's industry requires not just cutting-edge technical skills, but also effective commercial and interpersonal skills aligned to the specific needs of the industry. Tata Strive will optimise and scale up the various skill initiatives currently being undertaken across Tata companies by aligning them with national and global occupation standards. Our endeavour will be to provide the Indian youth with opportunities to acquire these skills in an environment which makes them industry-ready from day one."

Skill development is an essential ingredient for India's future economic growth as the country transforms itself into an internationally competitive economy. Creating new jobs is only a part of the equation for employment in today's developing India as over 12 million youth are joining the workforce each year and hence, bridging the existing skill gap is of prime importance.

Expressing pleasure, Anita Rajan, chief operating officer, Tata Strive, said, "This MoU with Tata Chemicals is significant because the initiative will help us demonstrate that quality training programmes can make youth, especially marginalised youth, more employable in ways that open up better opportunities for a brighter future. This initiative, as it scales up through partnerships with non-Tata companies, NGOs, foundations, union and state governments, can make a positive contribution to national productivity."