In a collaborative effort to empower youth and foster community welfare, Sodexo India and Adani Skill Development Centre came together for a comprehensive skill development program aimed at addressing talent gaps and providing sustainable livelihood opportunities. Targeting underprivileged youth, particularly in remote areas, the initiative combines Sodexo's training expertise with Adani’s infrastructure support, focusing on critical sectors like Food & Beverage, Cleaning Services, and General Duty Assistance.
In an exclusive interview with TheCSRUniverse, Sambit Sahu, Managing Director of Sodexo India, discusses the strategic alliance's objectives and methodologies. He highlights their commitment to empowering unemployed youth through targeted training, mentorship, and personalized development guidance. With a proven track record of successfully transitioning candidates into corporate roles, Sahu emphasizes the program's role in addressing talent shortages and integrating marginalized communities into the workforce.
The discussion further explores the program's financial and operational sustainability, leveraging partnerships, and utilizing corporate responsibility funds for scalability and long-term impact. He also touches upon the importance of technology in training delivery and assessment, particularly in remote locations, and outlines strategies to address gender barriers and promote inclusivity within the program. Additionally, the interview delves into plans for expansion into other sectors and regions, collaboration with stakeholders, and data metrics for program evaluation and improvement.
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Q. Beyond initial placement, how will you measure the long-term impact of the program on participants' lives and communities? Are there plans to track income changes, health outcomes, or social mobility indicators?
A. The collaboration signifies a strategic alliance between Sodexo and Adani, combining Sodexo's training expertise with Adani Skill Development Centre to deliver sustainable livelihood opportunities. Our primary focus is on empowering unemployed youth, including dropouts and those lacking skills, by providing targeted training and mentorship. Through our partnership with NGOs, we not only impart necessary skills but also offer guidance for personal development, thereby steering individuals towards corporate employment opportunities.
Our track record has proved that most of the trained candidates have successfully transitioned into corporate roles. Since there is a direct correlation with our goal of addressing the talent shortage, we are able to absorb the skilled staff within our framework. By customising our programs and course modules to meet industry demands, we bridge the gap between job requirements and available skills. Our approach directly benefits marginalised communities by equipping them with employable skills and subsequently integrating them into our workforce at our sites. Such programs also support in guiding the youth in the right direction who would otherwise have limited chances at a livelihood.
Q. The pilot targets 150+ youth. How will you ensure the program's financial and operational sustainability to reach the stated goal of 7,000 trained individuals, particularly in remote areas?
A. Our collaboration with Adani represents just one facet of our broader skilling and hiring initiatives. We engage in similar programs to foster first-time recruitment working closely with NGOs to identify and train individuals from underprivileged backgrounds, including victims of domestic violence and unemployed youth. Through an industry-academia model, we provide relevant training in areas such as housekeeping and technical skills, so that we are able to meet our two-fold objectives of creating enough job opportunities and meeting the talent demand in the space which continues to be an industry-wide problem.
We adopt a two-pronged approach to funding these initiatives by leveraging partnerships with like-minded clients and utilizing resources from our organization's corporate responsibility funds. Continuous monitoring ensures the effectiveness and sustainability of these efforts.
Additionally, we collaborate with hotel management institutes and our client across sectors where we implement programs like SheWorks to help women get familiar with the job roles, are excited enough to explore employment opportunities and thus earn sustainable livelihoods.
Given the historically unstable nature of the manpower market in our industry, it is necessary to create opportunities for candidates from the unorganised sector and train and place them. This not only addresses the continuous talent needs of our organisation but also contributes towards the goal of fostering sustainable livelihood for those who do not have avenues of income.
Q. While the program focuses on F&B, cleaning, and GDA, are there plans to expand to other in-demand sectors with skill gaps, potentially in partnership with different training providers?
A. We are beginning with the Adani Skill Development Centre but there are organisations where we work on other relevant topics. So, it depends on the market as well as our requirements. There is always scope for adding more in the future. For example, in the Gujarat region, the medical sector and hospitality are booming, and we see great relevance and fit for people to be suitably trained and eventually placed.
Q. How will technology be leveraged for training delivery, assessment, and job placement, especially in remote locations? Can it contribute to personalized learning pathways?
A. The programs’ course modules are supported with online training facilities to train the candidates and train the trainer even in remote locations. Technology is also leveraged for feedback and assessments.
Q. While aiming for 25% women participants, what specific strategies will be implemented to address potential gender barriers to accessing and succeeding in the program?
A. The NGOs we work with actively source candidates from areas lacking job opportunities, with a particular focus on demographics such as domestic workers, victims of domestic violence, burn victims, transgender individuals, and persons with disabilities. Our emphasis on gender diversity underscores the importance of targeting NGOs involved in women's empowerment initiatives. This approach aligns with our commitment to fostering inclusivity and supporting the communities where we serve.
Q. Does the program equip participants with entrepreneurial skills or resources to consider self-employment opportunities in the future, complementing traditional job placement?
A. The focus and structure of each program varies according to its objectives. In this particular initiative, the emphasis lies on providing skills tailored for housekeeping roles, as well as General Duty Assistant (GDA) positions. Conversely, if we were to implement a technical skills training program, the emphasis would be on enhancing expertise in technical fields and preparing candidates for on-call job opportunities. While they may not be offered full-time employment, they gain the flexibility to undertake projects independently, alongside potential assignments from Sodexo.
In the field of technical skills, there are many opportunities for technicians. For instance, our Healthcare Technology Maintenance (HTM) business has a mix of technicians on our payroll and those operating in remote areas. When a service request is flagged in a remote location, a technician from one of our mobile teams visits the site and suitably addresses the issue, completes the job and closes the ticket. This agile approach ensures prompt resolution of service requests, with the nearest technician dispatched to address the issue swiftly.
By imparting entrepreneurial skills, we empower individuals to not only collaborate with us but also pursue independent ventures during their leisure time or adapt the flexible-work model.
Q. How will you involve local communities in the program to ensure its long-term success and social integration of trained youth? Can they contribute to training content or job creation?
A. Through our NGO partners, we hope to identify the right localities from where the beneficiaries need to be chosen. For us, it is therefore very critical to partner with the right NGO, skilling agency or client to suit this requirement and create a winning solution of identifying and training the right candidates and then have them placed.
Q. What data metrics will be collected and analysed to inform program improvements, track progress towards stated goals, and demonstrate impact to stakeholders?
A. The skill development agency employs a structured matrix and framework to evaluate individuals' skills post-training, ensuring their proficiency is acknowledged not only by us but also by the industry at large. Certification from the National Skill Development Corporation of India validates their readiness for employment, equipping them with credentials recognized across various organizations. This enables individuals not only to secure positions within Sodexo, where they received training but also opens doors to employment opportunities in other establishments should they choose to explore alternate career paths.
Q. Are there plans to partner with other companies or organizations to replicate this model in different regions or sectors, creating a broader ecosystem for skilling development?
A. Yes, based on the success of the current skill development project we plan to expand it with other clients and organisations that align with similar interests and CSR goals.
Q. While Adani Skill Development Centre serves as a key partner, how can Sodexo further engage with diverse social sector stakeholders (NGOs, community leaders, etc.) to create a collaborative ecosystem? How could such mechanisms expedite the identification of local needs, optimize resource allocation, and ultimately accelerate the program's reach and impact?
A. As an organisation which has a workforce strength of over 50000, Sodexo is among the top 10 recruiters in the country annually with a target to enable first-time recruitment for 7,000 youth through industry-academia partnerships or with like-minded organisations. There is a huge demand for talent which we need to consistently fill and being an organisation which is working across 450 sites with most of the top brands in the country we have the right kind of access, resources and experience to devise programs to recruit talent, train and hire them and offer the entire quality of life services. So, we plan to leverage this ecosystem along with our supply chain machinery to deliver on our vision of empowerment and creating sustainable livelihoods.
