DLF LIFE Skill India centre inaugurated in Mullanpur

April 9, 2013 - PRLog -- New Delhi, April 9, 2013: DLF Foundation, the philanthropic arm of DLF Limited, also working in the area of skill development and employment for the unemployed and under-employed youth, launched the DLF DB Tech Skill Centre in Dhanauran, Mullanpur, on Friday.

The centre was inaugurated by Mr. Manvesh Singh Sidhu, IAS, Chief Administrator, Punjab Urban Planning & Development Authority, in the presence of Ms. Gayatri Paul, Associate Director, DLF Foundation, and Mr. Rakesh Kerwell, Director (North), DLF Limited.

The DLF Foundation has set up this centre as a part of its mandate to open 250 employability linked skill training centres across the country to train a million (ten lakh) youth. This centre has been set up in partnership with DB Tech which is a network of Don Bosco skill training centers that attempt to bridge this widening divide between those who have access to opportunities and those who are increasingly being marginalized from the ‘new economy’ jobs

Located at Village Dhanauran in Mullanpur, the DLF Tech Skill Centre Training Centre offers short-term courses in IT Enabled-services, sales & retail.

More than 25 of the 250 planned DLF Skills Centres are already operational across the country. Nearly 20 of these centres will be opened in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. The DLF Skill Centre at Mullanpur will train about 250 youth each year in sales and marketing, retail, ITES and security duties through this centre and all will be provided employment. The duration of the course will be short term and will range from 2 months to 6 months depending on the course.

In the wake of the Union Budget 2013-14 and the Economic survey, the government has allocated INR 1,000 crores for the skill development for the youth. As a part of the agenda, the National Skill Development Corporation has decided to train 5 crore people in the current plan. Assisting the government and NSDC in their noble initiative, DLF Foundation in collaboration with several partners which Laurus Edutech, Labournet, Empower Pragati & Don Bosco has set up DLF LIFE Skill India Centres across the country.

Lauding the initiative undertaken by DLF Foundation, Mr. Manvesh Singh Sidhu, IAS, Chief Administrator, Punjab Urban Planning & Development Authority said- “As we are aware of the lacunae in the skilling industry which has also been rightly addressed by this year’s Union Budget, it is imperative for players like DLF Foundation to come forth & take a step forward to address the problem. The key objective of these initiatives should be to create jobs for the under- privileged. There is a need by skill training providers in the country to take a step forth in setting up quality training institutes with well-trained faculty imparting the much needed training in the trades required by the industry.”

Ms. Gayatri Paul, Associate Director- Programmes, Head of the Skill Development Department of DLF Foundation stated- “I am happy to be inaugurating this centre at Mulanpur and I am sure that this employment linked training will enable the unskilled youth to attain the industry required skill sets and pave the way for India’s economic growth. These centre launches are a part of our flagship ‘Skill a Million’ programme which we had started in 2011 for the disadvantaged youth. We have received a tremendous response up till now nd the successfully trained students have been already placed & earning a livelihood for themselves.”

Expressing his delight on the launch, Mr. Rakesh Kerwell, Director (North), DLF Limited, said- “In today’s knowledge economy, talent & skills of the youth form the base of a strong nation. This is a vital component to address the challenges and opportunities for growth in this extremely competitive and globalised world. Hence, I am sure that these small steps undertaken by organizations like DLF Foundation will contribute to build a better nation.”    

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Biseswar Talukdar, Sr. Manager – Projects, DB Tech, said- “We are delighted to be associated with a partner like DLF Foundation which is committed to addressing the issue of skill gap in the country and we sincerely hope that this centre would immensely benefit the local youth & help increasing their standard of living.”

DLF Foundation was set up with the express mission of empowering communities & creating opportunities for the underprivileged in areas of Education, Skill Development, cluster-village development and healthcare.  These four sectors were identified as DLF believes that they are integral to the upliftment & better quality of life for the economically challenged sections of society.