Bhubaneswar: A skill development centre aimed to empower youths with suitable training for various jobs was inaugurated in Cuttack on Wednesday.

The training programme will be launched by Fullerton India, a non-banking financial company, in partnership with Edubridge learning Pvt. Ltd and Anirban Rural Welfare Society. Fullerton India initiated Gurukul, a project for imparting formal training to the youth through skill development and capacity building initiatives across various parts of the country.

Shilpa Desai, head of marketing and corporate social responsibility, Fullerton India, said: "We believe that education and formal training is vital for securing good jobs and thereby enhancing livelihoods. However, unfortunately, youth in India, who constitute a major part of the country's population, does not have access to organised, formal skill development training. Recognising this gap, the centre was launched."

"Youngsters, who have recently completed their formal education, can now learn the practical applications that will subsequently assist them in their employment," she said.

Fullerton India already has six such centres across Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, and Gujarat.

In the past, more than 2500 candidates were trained through Gurukul programme, out of which, more than 70 per cent have been employed.

The Gurukul project has multiple pillars which include skill building, social entrepreneurship, and training, weaved into a 12-hour residential programme. The initiative has been conceptualised with the aim to train youth on basic skills for entry level jobs in the banking and finance sector.

The new centre in Cuttack aims to support the training of around 200 youths from the region in next six months of operations. The centre will also host the pilot non-residential skill training modules in retail and hospitality. Based on the results of this pilot module, they will explore incorporating the same across its other centres. The new centre in Cuttack will prepare the youth in the region for entry-level jobs and help improve their standard of living in the years to come. The centre will replicate this model in other parts of east India.