In its operational units in Debari, Dariba, Chittorgarh, Ajmer, Bhilwara, and Pantnagar, the company hosted a variety of events and activities for the youth. The company understands the importance of growing unemployment amongst the youth and has been striving to solve the problem through its Skilling Project
UDAIPUR: Hindustan Zinc, India’s largest producer of Zinc, Lead, and Silver, celebrated “National Youth Day” with great zeal and enthusiasm, under their skilling project, to honour the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, one of India’s greatest leaders and believers in the potential of youth. Various activities such as quiz competition, skit, poster making contest, portrait making contest, career file making contest, alumni meet, motivational session with poet Mrs. Chanda Prashar, and others were held both online and offline while adhering to all COVID guidelines.
The events were attended by youths living in the vicinity of the company’s operational locations in Debari, Dariba, Chittorgarh, Ajmer, Bhilwara and Pantnagar. The celebration welcomed over 280 trainees and provided them with crucial and motivating career guidance. Individuals participated in many innovative and creative competitions during the fun and entertaining sessions for the youth.
A virtual alumni meet was held where all of the participants recounted their training experiences and insights learned, as well as their employment experiences in various organisations and how the skills they learned at the Hindustan Zinc Skill Development Centre have helped them improve their performance. Mr. Suresh Kumar, Project Coordinator of the Dual VET Project, gave a virtual guest lecture to the trainees on the theme of Freedom from Fear and encouraged them to make small but meaningful efforts toward their goals.
The young learners demonstrated their artistic abilities through a range of posters, newspaper cuttings, and other materials in the file. A virtual youth meeting was also held to allow youth to connect and discuss their role in the development of the village and nation.
A small group of trainees from the Skill Development Center-Dariba presented a tableau on Swami Vivekananda’s teachings, as well as distributed masks and pens in the community, following the COVID-19 guidelines. A career file-making competition was also held for the trainees in order to spark their ideas and creativity. The competition’s concept was to exhibit their aims and plans in the file with creativity.
Unemployment is one of the primary difficulties confronting young people living in rural regions. Individuals lack opportunities for growth and development, and as a result, they miss out on the chance to shape their future. Hindustan Zinc recognizes the magnitude of the problem and has been working to address it through its core CSR initiatives, such as the Skilling Project. The project supports both male and female candidates in becoming self-reliant and independent by acquiring and developing industry-relevant skills and securing employment in their respective sectors. The program’s target age range is 18-35 years old and includes school dropouts, unemployed youth, and those who are already employed but want to improve their skills and expertise.
The company’s skilling center offers enrolled trainees with a highly enriched experience in terms of technical understanding of their respective sectors, as well as English, Computers, and Lifeskills training. Trainees participate in activities such as corporate visits, on-the-job training, guest lectures, and projects during their training. Aside from that, the company is committed to promoting gender equality through these centres, by assuring the enrollment of female applicants in the various skills provided at the skilling center.
The various trades and skills offered as part of Hindustan Zinc’s skilling effort include Entrepreneurship Development Programme, General Duty Assistant, Microfinance Executive, Assistant Electrician, Unarmed Security Guard, Retail Sales Executive, Data Entry Operator, Customer Relationship Management, Food and Beverages Services, Front Office Associate, BFSI-Business Development Executive, Auto Sales Consultant, Auto Service Technician (Commercial and Passenger vehicles) and Automotive Service (Two-Wheeler and Three-Wheeler). Based on market demand, the firm intends to expand the project to include numerous different trades, and the target for youth development will be extended to reach about 10,000 individuals over the next five years. In addition, the company aims to prioritize innovation and digitization.
The company partnered with Ambuja Cement Foundation and Tata Strive, which are at the forefront of skill development in rural areas. The organizations undertook a need assessment study to determine the types of career opportunities available for local youth along with their areas of interest. Based on this analysis, the Hindustan Zinc Skill and Entrepreneurship Development Institute was established in Dariba and Agucha in 2019-20 with the goal of providing short-term intensive training. Currently, Ambuja Cement Foundation has started four additional centres in Kayad and Debari, while Tata Strive is in charge of implementing the initiative in Chanderiya and Pantnagar. Since its establishment, around 2500 trainees have been trained in various crafts, with a 35% female participation rate, and more than 1900 of them have been placed in various organizations in their relevant fields or have been self-entrepreneurs.
