Bharti's Centum targets training, placement to 7,000 grads next yr

Amid talent shortage in the service sector, Centum Learning, a Bharti Group firm, expects to train over 7,000 fresh graduates and placing them in different firms next year.

"We are expecting to train, certify and place more than 7,000 fresh graduates in different companies in the next year," Centum Learning CEO & Executive Director Sanjeev Duggal told PTI.

With rising job prospects in the services sector including BPO, hospitality, retail and financial services, the learning solutions firm is bullish about its plans to arm people with high-order employability skills to help them get lucrative jobs.

"Prospects for job creation in service sector appear optimistic and is expected to surpass all other sectors by 2015 in the Asia Pacific region, including India and China," Duggal said.

Centum along with Bharti Walmart, which is a joint venture between Bharti Enterprises and retail-chain major Walmart, have placed over 1,000 students from diverse backgrounds in various sectors such as retail, BPO, hospitality and financial institutions in past 20 months.

"Bharti Walmart has employed over 200 students for its Best Price Modern Wholesale stores post completion of their training," a Bharti Walmart spokesperson said.
   
To take admission in the learning centers, eligible candidates are required to have cleared their senior secondary examinations and a minimum age of 18 years. The candidates are screened through a written and oral test.
   
The students undergo stringent selection, training and certification process, using an employability model.
   
Centum Learning has set up more than 130 learning centres in 90 cities spread across India, to provide higher order skills and bridge the existing talent gap in the service sector.
    
Besides, Bharti Walmart Training Centre also offers two short-term vocational certification courses that equip people to become either floor and sales assistants, or supervisors through a special curriculum developed by Walmart and Centum Learning Systems, which manages and runs the Centre.
    
"Specialised operations like cash-and-carry and other organized retail formats promise good job prospects. By making courses short-term and practical, the students do not need to undergo extensive further education and instead work through an intensive program to equip themselves with the right job skills," the spokesperson said.