Diageo India Signs MoU With SCPwD To Train 300 Students In Food And Beverage Services

Bengaluru, April 2, 2024: Beverage alcohol company Diageo India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Skill Council for People with Disabilities (SCPwD) to train 300 Persons with Disability (PwD) under its ‘Learning for Life’ programme.

The residential training programs will be conducted in SCPwD-affiliated training centres by their certified trainers and assessors across India. The students will be trained for roles in the Business and Hospitality sector to enhance productivity and reduce skill gaps as they enter the workforce.

Hina Nagarajan, MD & CEO, Diageo India said, “Driven by the common objective of creating a vibrant and diverse workforce, we are delighted to expand our partnership with the Skill Council for Persons with Disability. Last year, we began this initiative by extending the scope of our ‘Learning for Life’ programme, to include the PwD community to help them overcome employment barriers. We strengthen our commitment this year to promote sustainable growth by scaling up this programme to provide equal access to the right resources, skills, and employment opportunities across India.”

The event was attended by senior members from NAB (National Association for the Blind) Karnataka and industry members. This initiative is aligned to Diageo India’s commitment to championing Inclusion and Diversity, a key pillar of Diageo’s Society 2030: Spirit of Progress goals.

Ravindra Singh, CEO, Skill Council for Persons with Disability (SCPwD) said, "We are delighted to partner with Diageo India whose commitment to inclusion and diversity is exemplary. Last year, we trained 100 Persons with Disabilities as part of Diageo India’s ‘Learning for Life’ programme. The success of this programme encourages us to expand this specially curated programme which focuses on providing hands-on training in hospitality skills and enhance employment opportunities.”

During the year, the first batch of 100 students will graduate from Diageo India’s ‘Learning for Life’ programme.  The second batch of 300 students will include persons who are Visually Impaired, have Low Vision and are Speech & Hearing impaired. The tailored programme comprises of special learning modules and assisted technologies including sign language instructors to enable learning and skilling.

SCPwD was incepted in October 2015 jointly by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MSJE), National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and Confederation of India Industry (CII) under the aegis of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), to fulfil the mission of mainstreaming ‘Persons with Disability’ (PwD).

Diageo India is among the country’s leading beverage alcohol company and a subsidiary of global leader Diageo Plc. The company manufactures, sells and distributes premium brands such as Johnnie Walker, Black Dog, Black & White, VAT 69, Antiquity, Signature, The Singleton, Royal Challenge, McDowell’s No1, Smirnoff, Ketel One, Tanqueray, Captain Morgan and Godawan, an artisanal single malt whisky from India.