Lycamobile representatives saw first-hand how corporate support for skills training is changing the lives of young people and their families surviving in the slums of Chennai, India.

Chris Liveing, Chief Marketing Officer, and Mike Landau, Chief Financial Officer, were in Chennai on 6th September to launch a training centre and computer lab supported by Lycamobile as part of a three-year grant providing skills and training to 1,500 disadvantaged young people.

“It’s all about the difference we can make to kids who have no real hope or prospects for the future,” said Chris Liveing. “We are turning that around and helping them to get on the career ladder.”

Lycamobile recently joined hands with The British Asian Trust and American India Foundation to fund training centres providing life-changing skills and livelihoods. “It’s a fantastic example of how we are working with The British Asian Trust and AIF to reach out to poor, under-educated youth to break the cycle of poverty,” said Chris.

On their visit, Chris and Mike met students gaining skills in the IT, hospitality and automotive industries that will bring them employment to support themselves and their families.

By working together, Lycamobile, The British Asian Trust and American India Foundation (AIF) are increasing their impact. As a partner in the initiative, AIF is matching Lycamobile’s financial contributions and managing the programme delivery.

Subaskaran Allirajah, Chairman of Lycamobile and Lyca’s Gnanam Foundation, said: “We are delighted to work in partnership with The British Asian Trust and America Indian Foundation who share our vision to create sustainable livelihoods for disadvantaged young people. Our grant is breaking new ground in Chennai by supporting two skills training centres that will help over 1,500 young people in the coming years, progressing over 1,200 of them into gainful employment.”

Manoj Badale, Chairman of The British Asian Trust said: “This partnership will enable us to make a real impact at the grassroots level in Chennai through leveraging Lycamobile’s financial support, technical expertise and the skills of their employees.”

Dr. Sanjay Sinho, Chief Executive Officer of the American India Foundation said: “AIF is proud to partner with Lycamobile and The British Asian Trust to take our proven Market Aligned Skills Training (MAST) initiative to Chennai. So far, we have already implemented MAST in 8 states in India and trained nearly 57,000 young people. Support from Lycamobile and The British Asian Trust has enabled us to take this successful initiative to Chennai.”