Press Release - ICICI Academy for Skills trains over 3,500 women in Lucknow.

ICICI Academy for Skills trains ovICICI Academy for Skills (ICICI Academy) is an institute set up by the ICICI Foundation for Inclusive Growth (ICICI Foundation) to provide free vocational training to the youth from economically weaker sections to help them earn a sustainable livelihood.

ICICI Academy centre at Lucknow imparts free skill training to less privileged women. This centre offers a course on ‘Office Administration’ which is of three months’ duration. Female candidates who have completed education of at least 10^th standard and are between 18-30 years of age can apply for this course.

Established on May 12, 2015, this centre in Lucknow has trained over 3,500 women till date. It has tied up with Tally Solutions as its knowledge partner to help set up course content for providing training to the candidates. It has also tied up with industry partners to provide employment opportunities to the female students after successful completion of their training. Renowned industry partners like Aditya Birla Capital, Axis Bank, Bajaj Finserv, Bajaj Capital, Bandhan Bank, Reliance Trendz, Shoppers Stop, Spencers, Swiggy and Utkarsh Small Finance Bank among others have recruited trainees from the academy at Lucknow. At present, there are 201 students undergoing training at the centre.

Speaking about ICICI Academy, Mr. Saurabh Singh, President - ICICI Foundation for Inclusive Growth said, “We set up ICICI Academy for Skills in Lucknow in 2015 with a view to provide vocational training to the less privileged women so that they could earn a sustainable livelihood. The centre at Lucknow has provided free-of-cost training to over 3,500 female candidates so far. A significant achievement of this programme is that 100% of these young women who opted for job placement found suitable employment with various organisations.”

Since its inception in October 2013, ICICI Academy has set up 25 centres across the country and has trained over 1.27 lakh people of which over 48,700 are women. It aims to provide relevant and practical training to the underprivileged youth in 12 disciplines, namely: Selling Skills, Office Administration, Electrical & Home Appliance Repair, Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Repair, Central Air Conditioning, Pumps & Motor Repair, Paint Application Techniques, Tractor Mechanic, Two & Three Wheeler Service Technician, Retail Sales, Assistant Beauty Therapist and Home Health Aide. All the students are also trained in specific life skills such as etiquette & grooming, communication, basics about computer and financial literacy which helps them adapt to an organised work environment. In addition to training, ICICI Academy provides uniforms, meal and all relevant course material to the trainees.

ICICI Academy reaches out to target segments through multiple channels depending on relevance in a particular geography. This includes conducting awareness programs in communities, arranging youth counselling sessions in various parts of the state, taking the help of the state government to mobilise candidates, taking help from NGOs, evaluating referrals and walk-in candidates as well as references from employers.er 3,500 women in Lucknow