Amara Raja Skill Development Centre's eighth batch of students gets certified   

In line with its commitment to uplift socio-economic development of rural India by skilling youth from these areas and thereby facilitating them to build a sustainable livelihood, Amara Raja Skill Development Centre (ARSDC) today held convocation of its eighth batch of students.

The centre awarded 60 students, including 47 boys and 13 girls, at a ceremony held at the Mangal Vidyalayam premises at Petamitta, Chittoor District. 812 students from Batch-1 to Batch-8 comprising of 611 boys and 201 girls have already been placed on regular rolls in various companies of the Amara Raja Group.

This year's batch of students received certificates at the convocation ceremony, hosted in the presence of Dr. Ramachandra N Galla, founder and chairman of Amara Raja Group, Jagan Mohan G, Head Operations – Amara Raja Batteries, senior management of Amara Raja, Plant heads,  Prem Sagar Raju, Head CSR, HR Heads, and staff of ARSDC. The parents of students were also present in large numbers.

Rashmikant Joshi, managing director, FESTO India, who was the chief guest, delivered the convocation address. He said: "Skill development programs motivate youths to build their own business and learn in such a way that they have expert knowledge in any field of their choice. The Amara Raja Skill Development Centre is helping students secure a better livelihood for themselves, no matter which road they take their journey on. Our focus is to build a robust pool of industry ready professionals, and this we believe is a small step in line with the government’s ambitious Skill India program.”

Dr. Ramachandra N Galla, founder and chairman of Amara Raja Group, said, “The Centre is aimed at empowering young aspiring talents with requisite knowledge and resources that would help them in charting successful careers. Many rural folks are not able to contribute meaningfully to their community and the country at large, because of the dire lack of affordable and accessible quality skilling ecosystem. We are bridging this gap by providing them with training which will be relevant for their entire lifetime. My good wishes are with all my students for a bright future ahead.

18-month, residential course
The ‘Multi Skill Technician Course’ is an 18-month, fully residential course (blended with classroom learning, workshops, sports, games, on-the-job training and various other cultural activities) offered free of cost to the rural youth. While the students undergo on-the-job training at different factories, the companies also offer them a stipend. The course covers 9 months of training at ARSDC and 9 months of job training at Amara Raja group of Companies.

ARSDC says it has the latest infrastructure, replete with well-equipped class rooms and labs. The institute encompasses Mechanical Fitting Shop, Machine Shop, Welding Shop, Electrical Lab, Electronics Lab and Computer Lab. The entire Curriculum is developed by ARSDC with inputs from Industry, to bridge the demand-skill gap.

ARSDC, which is run by the Rajanna Trust under the patronage of the Amara Raja Group, started functioning from July 2014 with an investment of around Rs.30 crore at Pettamitta, Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh, and a committed annual maintenance expenditure of Rs 4.5 crore. 

The skill development course prepared for the students focuses not only on technical skills, but also lays emphasis on making students better team players and respectable disciplined citizens.