Top UK companies pledge £29 million investment in creating 20 lakh workforce in India

Leading UK based companies, with significant presence in India, have signed the UK-India Skills Pledge, committing to invest £ 29.29 million to train about 20 lakh people in India by 2020

Through the Pledge, which is a part of the UK India Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO), the 10 UK companies have committed to support the Government of India’s Make in India and Skill India initiatives by enhancing skills to global standards and by giving the trainees greater employment opportunities in India and at a global level.

The areas of skills being covered are: apprenticeships; career development; technical, soft and leadership training; and the all-important certification support.

These 10 UK companies have a long standing and strong bond to India, and are among the largest investors in the country – HSBC, Vodafone, Reckitt Benkiser, Rolls Royce, OCS, Mott Macdonald, G4S, Aviva, Marks & Spencer and GSK.

Speaking about the Pledge, UKIBC Chair, Rt Hon. Patricia Hewitt, said “This is another highly impressive example of the commitment UK companies have for India, and to skills development. India has an enormous pool of ambitious and talented young people, and the Pledge gives them access to work quality training to recognised international standards. Through this pledge UK companies are further reinforcing their efforts to contribute to India’s ongoing economic success, and we would invite more businesses to join the initiative.”

Mr. Ashok Bajpai, Managing Director, G4S Secure Solutions (India) Pvt. Limited, said – “A skilled workforce is at the bedrock of India’s race to meet it’s destiny of becoming an economic superpower. The Skills Pledge is a means of focusing the combined energies of Government and the private sector to achieve that ambition”.

Commenting on the Pledge, Mr. Srikanth Kumar Swami, MD, OCS India said – “The sustainability of our enterprise primarily depends on our people, and it shall be our goal to foster an environment where they learn, grow and contribute.”

Mr. Nitish Kapoor, Regional Senior Vice President South Asia, Reckitt Benkiser said – “India is a key Reckitt Benkiser market. We’re delighted to announce we are increasing our training investment here by 50% between now and 2020.”

Ms. Liz King, Managing Director, Mott MacDonald India said – “Mott MacDonald is committed to ensuring that our staff in India have the skills needed to serve our clients in India and is implementing a comprehensive training framework covering soft skills, professional and technical training. Further, we are using our technical skills to educate 1 Lakh/year Indian school students in energy saving as part of our CSR commitment to India.”