Mr. Ken Kang and Dr. Abhilasha Gaur exchanging the MoU in presence of Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar

Samsung today launched its CSR program ‘Samsung Innovation Campus’ in India to upskill youth in future tech domains such as AI, IoT, Big Data and Coding & Programming, reiterating its commitment to being a strong partner of India and working alongside the Government in its mission to empowering the country’s youth and #PoweringDigitalIndia.

A Memorandum of Understanding to train the first batch of 3,000 less-privileged students across India was exchanged between Samsung and the Electronics Sector Skills Council of India (ESSCI) today in the presence of Hon’ble Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship & Electronics and Information Technology Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Hon’ble Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship & Electronics and Information Technology said there is no deficit of talent in the country but an increased demand for talented & skilled Indians across the globe.

“Skilling should not be just about equipping the youth with employable skills but should act as gateways to employability and employment— as their Passports to Prosperity. The more employment-oriented skilling is, the more aspirational it will be for the students and young Indians. It is the vision of Hon’ble PM Narendra Modi ji that Digital Opportunities should be equitably be available to each and every Indian and efforts should be taken up not just with premier educational institutions but also with universities and institutes in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities,” he said.

Welcoming Samsung’s initiative with ESSCI to empower young Indians with skills, he said, “it was a true hallmark of being a good partner to India and the Indians.” He urged Samsung to headquarter their programmes in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities to ensure skilling opportunities for the hundreds of thousands of students from these places.

Also present at the ceremony were Mr. Atul Kumar Tiwari, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Mr. Ved Mani Tiwari, COO (Officiating CEO), National Skill Development Corporation, Mr. Amrit Manwani, Chairman, ESSCI, Mr. Ajai Chowdhry, Founding Chairman, ESSCI and Dr. Abhilasha Gaur, COO (officiating CEO) ESSCI. Samsung was represented by Mr. Ken Kang, President and CEO, Samsung Southwest Asia, Mr. Peter Rhee, Corporate Vice President, Samsung SWA and Mr. Partha Ghosh, Head, CSR, Samsung SWA.

Mr. Ken Kang, President and CEO, Samsung Southwest Asia said, “Samsung has been in India for over 26 years now and is a committed partner in its growth story. We are aligned to the Government’s vision, and through Samsung Innovation Campus, want to empower the youth and create opportunities in future tech domains, giving a further boost to new India’s growth story.”

Mr. Ken Kang, President and CEO, Samsung Southwest Asia,  Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Hon’ble Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship & Electronics and Information TechnologyDr. Abhilasha Gaur, Chief Operating Officer (Officiating CEO), ESSCI (from L-R)

Samsung Innovation Campus aims to upskill youth aged 18-25 years in future technologies and enhance their employability. These are key technology skills for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

ESSCI, which is a National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) approved entity, will execute the program through its nationwide network of approved training and education partners. ESSCI will look at opportunities to provide the courses to beneficiaries in India’s smaller towns, where students do not have easy access to the best of future tech education.

“ESSCI’s focus is on establishing an effective and efficient skilling ecosystem for developing and imparting outcome oriented skills. The Future Tech program under Samsung Innovation Campus will support in strengthening the skills ecosystem and will be an important step forward to make India a Skills capital of the world,” said Dr. Abhilasha Gaur, Chief Operating Officer (Officiating CEO), ESSCI.

With SIC, Samsung has also reiterated its commitment to being a strong partner in India’s growth story, supporting the various initiatives of the Government such as Skill India to create the right opportunities for the youth of the country – the pillars of New India.

During the course of the program, participants will receive instructor-led blended classroom and online training through approved training and education partners of ESSCI across the country.

Youth enrolled for the program will undergo classroom and online training and complete their hands-on capstone project work in their selected technology areas from among Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Big Data and Coding & Programming.

They will also be imparted soft skills training to enhance their employability and provided job placements in relevant organizations. The participants will be mobilized through ESSCI’s training and education partners across India.

Those opting for the AI course will undergo 270 hours of theory training and complete 80 hours of project work while those doing the IoT or the Big Data course will undergo 160 hours of training and complete 80 hours of project work. Participants opting for the Coding & Programming course will do 80 hours of training and be part of a 4-day Hackathon.

With Samsung Innovation Campus, Samsung is expanding its CSR programs that focus on education and skilling of youth in India. Samsung runs two other CSR programs in India, Samsung Smart School and Solve for Tomorrow, through which it is empowering the leaders of tomorrow and equipping them with the tools they will need to realize meaningful change.

Mr Ken Kang, President and CEO, Samsung SWA and Mr. Ved Mani Tiwari, Chief Operating Officer (Officiating CEO), NSDC exchanging the MOU signed between Samsung and NSDC for the Samsung DOST CSR program

Samsung India today announced the launch of ‘Samsung DOST’ (Digital & Offline Skills Training), a CSR initiative that aims to make 50,000 youth job-ready for the electronics retail sector over the next few years. Samsung, India’s largest smartphone and consumer electronics brand, has partnered with India’s premier skill development organization, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), to execute the program through its nationwide skills training centres.

Samsung DOST will be the biggest skills training program in the electronics sector.

Samsung has been India’s committed partner for the last 25 years, leading the consumer electronics and smartphones space with strategic investments in manufacturing, R&D, retail and community development. Samsung has set up the world’s largest mobile factory in Noida and is a key player in the government’s large-scale electronics manufacturing push, which is expected to create significant number of job opportunities for youth in manufacturing as well as the retail sector.

(From L-R) Mr. Partha Ghosh, Head, Corporate Citizenship, Samsung India; Peter Rhee, Deputy MD, Samsung SWA; Mr. Ken Kang, President and CEO, Samsung SWA; Mr. Ved Mani Tiwari, Chief Operating Officer (Officiating CEO), NSDC; Mr. Prakash Sharma, Chief Financial Officer, NSDC at the MoU signing event

Considering the potential of employment generation post skill training, Samsung has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with NSDC for the ‘Samsung DOST’ program under which youth will receive 200 hours of blended classroom and online training, followed by five months of on-the-job training (OJT) at Samsung retail stores, along with a monthly stipend at par with industry standards. This will help the youth acquire new competencies and skills needed for jobs in India’s fast growing electronics retail environment.

Mr. Ken Kang, President & CEO, Samsung Southwest Asia said: “Samsung has been India’s committed partner over the last 25 years, and has contributed to people and communities across India through its citizenship programs. The Samsung DOST program is aligned to the Government of India’s Skill India initiative and is an embodiment of our vision of #PoweringDigitalIndia that seeks to empower the next generation of young India. With this new program, we aim to close the skills and employability gap among youth in the country, helping them find jobs in the fast growing electronics retail sector.”

The participants will be trained at various training centres accredited and approved by NSDC. The training will be in accordance to the National Skill Qualification Framework, which is aligned to industry needs, and will include skillsets such as customer engagement, managing sales counter, handling customer queries, product demonstration & selling skills and several other soft skills, including post-Covid etiquettes, preparing them for a career in electronics retail. During the OJT, participants will be made familiar with the functioning of electronics retail stores through live demonstrations, role play techniques and hands-on training.

The participants for the program will be youth who have completed school education and will be mobilized through NSDC’s approved training partners at 120 centres across India. The assessments and certification of the participants will be done by the Telecom Sector Skill Council (TSSC) after the participants complete their OJT.

With ‘Samsung DOST’, Samsung is expanding its skilling programs in India, as part of its CSR initiatives.

Samsung has been running the Samsung Technical School program since 2013 in partnership with the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and Departments of Technical Education in different states. Under this program, youth are provided vocational skills to repair the latest smartphones, televisions, refrigerators, washing machines and other electronics.

Samsung Southwest Asia President & CEO, Mr. Ken Kang

What began with baby steps in the winter of 1995, with the opening of a small office in New Delhi, became a wonderful journey of growing together, with India. Today, Samsung India is the country’s No.1 Consumer Electronics and Mobile Phones brand and India’s Most Trusted Brand, with the love and support of our consumers.

As we turn 25, as young and vibrant as New India, Samsung India is all set for the next giant leap into the future, with a new vision for India: #PoweringDigitalIndia.

This vision, unveiled by Samsung Southwest Asia President & CEO, Mr. Ken Kang, will be driven by an exciting new citizenship program aimed at students across the nation, a refreshed local R&D strategy with special focus on the local startup community and new initiatives in manufacturing.

Here is a message from Mr. Ken Kang to all of Samsung’s consumers, partners and employees across the country, who have walked with Samsung in this journey of 25 successful years, and for whom we will remain the strongest partner in the coming years. Samsung remains committed to #PoweringDigitalIndia.

An all-men team cooked lip-smacking Kadai Paneer, a common Indian Cottage cheese preparation delicately prepared on a wok, to walk away with the first prize in the inaugural Masterchef competition held at Samsung India headquarters in Gurugram. It helped that the four-member team was led by Hotel Management graduate Surya Kanta Dash.

“We delegated activities within the team, which helped us to deliver the way we wanted. We had excellent team coordination,” said Mr. Dash, a General Manager with Samsung India.

Chef Vishal Nigam, who was the chief judge for Samsung India’s Masterchef Competition, said the winning team displayed the qualities needed to cook a delicious recipe.

“Contestants were judged according to taste, presentation and consistency. Dishes cooked here were amazing and fabulous and it was a fantastic competition,” Mr. Nigam said.

Nearly 80 odd employees from Samsung India donned the chef’s hat to showcase their culinary skills for the Masterchef competition. Each team comprised four participants, including family members.

Each team had to choose one dish from a pre-fixed list. 50 minutes were given to prepare the delicacies.

Kavita Bisht’s team cooked Kadhi, a thick gravy dish, and was adjudged joint winners.

“We never thought this could be so big and large. We really enjoyed a lot,” said Ms. Bisht.

“We were under a lot of pressure to cook the right dish but we really enjoyed. It is a great initiative as it brought us all together,” said Sukhvinder Sharma.

The group-based activity not only presented employees with the opportunity to cook and showcase their culinary skills but helped them develop strong bonds with their team members.

“At Samsung, it is our constant endeavour to bring fun and laughter at workplace. The Masterchef event not only increased bonding among employees, but also provided a glimpse of our culture to family members of many of our colleagues,” said Arun Arora, Director, HR at SIEL.

Deepak Sachan, part of the team that was runners-up, said Samsung is a great place to work and events like the Masterchef competition added cool quotient to the work place.

“We are a large family with thousands of colleagues working out of the same building. It’s great fun to be part of such events because we get to know our colleagues from different teams,” Mr. Sachan added.

The audience too had a great time during the Masterchef competition. When not cheering for their favourite team, spectators got the opportunity to taste different cuisines – from Mushroom Matar Masala and Spring Rolls to Manchurian Fry, Chilly Paneer and Veg Salt & Pepper.

Mr. HC Hong, President & CEO, Samsung Southwest Asia met the participants and wished them luck

Mr. Ken Kang, MD & Head, Mobile Business, Samsung India felicitated the winners