The Salesians of Don Bosco look back on an almost 100 year tradition in vocational training in India. The Don Bosco Tech Campus is located in the middle of one of the poorest districts in southeast Chennai. This is where the ZwickRoell Academy emerged and began providing the youth with the skills needed to start a career and have a chance for a better future. Together with ZwickRoell AG, Don Bosco now trains young adults from the poorest backgrounds to become testing machine operators. The trainees from the academy's first year are true pioneers in their families. Many of them are the first to have ever completed vocational training of any kind.
Together, the nine young men and three young women are learning how to operate highly complex testing machines. A 17 year old from the farthest outskirts of Chennai, who is an orphan like two other trainees, moved to Chennai just to participate in the training program. Since his family has no money, ZwickRoell AG has assumed his school and training fees.
Training for up to 12 young adults every year India is one of the most economically interesting and thriving countries. It promises huge career opportunities and a growing industrial labor market, but there are very few opportunities for vocational training. Although there is a national chartered right to an education, social factors such as cast and place of residence still dictate a young person's access to an education. One third of young Indians are unemployed and get by doing odd jobs.
By partnering with Don Bosco, ZwickRoell AG combines its traditional social commitment with its strength of training highly qualified workers. ZwickRoell rented a building on the Don Bosco campus, renovated it, and equipped it with state-of-the-art materials testing machines, now known as the ZwickRoell Academy. Every year two trainers assist up to twelve young people to qualify as ZwickRoell testing machine operators, thereby giving them the opportunity to build for themselves a life away from poverty.
In addition to being used as a training facility for the ZwickRoell Academy, in the future it will be used as the first ZwickRoell laboratory in India for customer demonstrations and trainings.
"Our Chennai project was created to help youth with hardly any access to skilled training learn a useful skill and based on this, take charge of their own lives. India is a fascinating country. We benefit from our Indian customers and would like to use this project as a way to give back to the country and improve education in India."Dr. Jan Stefan Roell, CEO of ZwickRoell AG
"By working together, non-profit organizations and companies can achieve a great deal for the future of our youth. We are proud to partner with ZwickRoell AG, who is truly committed to our cooperation. Don Bosco Mondo works with companies of all sizes and from various industries that are interested in establishing vocational training opportunities abroad. We provide support through advisement and project management throughout the entire process - from the initial idea until its implementation and evaluation. This way we keep the needs of the companies and of the youth in mind. Our local programs are implemented together with the Salesians of Don Bosco, creating a win-win situation for everyone." Christian Osterhaus, Managing Director of Don Bosco Mondo e.V.
