World Youth Skill Day: Amazon India kicks-off skill development initiative under NAPS to boost employment
During the six-month training course, the apprentices are expected to receive guidance on warehousing and inventory management skills, Amazon India said.
The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the learning curve, as well as the placement of many fresh graduates and students.
Amidst this, intending to train the youth during the coronavirus pandemic, Amazon India on Tuesday launched a skill programme under the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) across its fulfillment centres.
The programme entails the identification of apprentices through a slew of sources, including NSDC-accredited training centeres (DDU-GKY centres) and the NSDC skilling database.
One of the employees working at Amazon India's fulfillment centre.
During the six-month training course, the apprentices are expected to receive guidance on warehousing and inventory management skills, so that they can further be employed in the positions of warehouse or process associates.
Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Joint Director Anita Srivastava is very positive about the value-addition the programme will have on the youth.
“It is encouraging to see large job creators like Amazon furthering our vision to enhance the employability of the youth. We are confident that this apprentice programme will help create a skilled workforce which will greatly benefit our communities and the economy,” she said.
The programme curriculum has been designed in such a way that it consists of a combination of on-the-job learning, classroom sessions, and assessments.
All the apprentices, as part of the skilling drive, will be eligible to a monthly-stipend as per the ground rules laid under the NAPS. Trainees will be put through an assessment by the Logistics Sector Skill Council - after the completion of the sessions, and the ones who clear it, will receive a certificate. Post the certification, the apprentices will be considered for seasonal and full-time employment opportunities by Amazon.
Currently, the training is scheduled to take place across Amazon’s fulfillment centres in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad. The e-commerce giant will be taking all the necessary safety precautions while organising these sessions, including regular sanitisation and social distancing.
Amazon India’s move to skill the youth is a big step towards supporting the Indian government’s commitment to training and boosting the employability of the apprentices.
“At Amazon, our business is naturally aligned to the government’s priorities of enabling skilling and job creation. For us, skilling is not only meaningful but a sustainable and long-term approach. We are deeply invested in creating opportunities for the youth which will help them secure gainful and skilled employment in the future,” says Swati Rustagi, Director of Human Resources, Amazon India Operations.
This is not the first time Amazon launched skilling drives to support the Indian youth. In September 2019, it had announced its collaboration with Sol’s ARC, an NGO that trains children and young adults with learning lags and autism, to bag vocational opportunities.
Edited by Suman Singh