Indian Government, Samsung Join Hands for Technical Schools

Union Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Kalraj Mishra has stated that his ministry and consumer electronics leader Samsung will jointly set up technical training schools across the country to create skilled manpower in electronics.

Mishra said this after inaugurating the "MSME-Samsung Technical School" at MSME Extension Centre, Bal Sahyog, Connaught Place in New Delhi on Monday.

The MSME-Samsung Technical School will run Samsung's Advanced Repair and Industrial Skills Enhancement (ARISE-2) Programme, providing students trade-specific training on various aspects of repair and troubleshooting for consumer electronics products, such as mobile phones, televisions, home theatres, home appliances and related accessories.

Students will also get real time working experience at Samsung authorised services centres. Other than technical skills, the students will get a chance to learn soft skills as part of the course. Such soft skills will further enable the students to provide exemplary customer service.

The MSME-Samsung technical schools will be set up across India - one each in Delhi, Ahmadabad, Aurangabad, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Ludhiana, Mumbai and Varanasi, Mishra stressed.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the government and Samsung.

"The MSME sector employs maximum number of people in India next to agriculture and to meet skilled manpower requirement in the sector. The Ministry of MSME is committed to create industry responsive manpower by giving thrust on employable skills and vocational training in partnership with Industry. Various field establishments under the Ministry are regularly conducting skill development training programmes," Mishra said.

The minister hoped that this joint initiative with Samsung would be able to train approximately 10,000 youth annually. Those graduated from the schools would have the opportunity to find placement in various appliances manufacturing organizations including Samsung.

"I also believe that many of them can also establish their own enterprise and service centres for repairing and maintenance of electrical and electronics goods," Mishra said.

Samsung Electronics president & CEO South West Asia, BD Park pointed out that India is a key growth market for global consumer electronics manufacturing which lends itself to enormous employment opportunity.

As an Industry leader, Samsung is committed to working with the Indian Government to tap this potential, he added.

"Our collaboration with the Ministry of MSME to create a pool of skilled workforce through the MSME–Samsung technical school is a step in this direction. We are confident that through the Samsung ARISE-2 Program, students will get hands-on experience that will make them an asset to the Industry."

The ministry's Additional Secretary and Development Commissioner said that industry experience is a critical aspect of "skilling" students of ready employment.

"We are confident that with hands-on training components of the ARISE-2 Program, students of technology centre across the country will be better equipped to enter the job market," he said.