The three-year agreement will bring hands-on training to 15 MSME Technology Centres across India, with Samsung facilitating three months of on-the-job training through its service network and providing a monthly stipend of ₹12,000 to trainees.
Samsung India and the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) have signed a three-year memorandum of understanding to provide vocational training in electronics repair, maintenance and installation. The programme aims to train 1,600 people in its first year through Samsung’s DOST Service corporate social responsibility initiative.
The agreement was exchanged at the Office of the Development Commissioner, MSME, at Kartavya Bhawan in New Delhi. Dr. Rajneesh, Additional Secretary and Development Commissioner, MSME, attended the event along with representatives from Samsung and the ministry.
Practical training and instructor development
Samsung will support classrooms and laboratories at participating centres and supply products and tools for practical training. The curriculum will cover mobile phones, tablets, smartwatches, televisions, air conditioners, washing machines and professional display products. The company will also provide technical training to instructors through its Guru Shiksha programme.
“India’s electronics ecosystem needs skilled service technicians alongside growth in manufacturing capacity. As products become more sophisticated, technicians need practical, regularly updated skills to install, maintain and repair them. Industry can help vocational institutions keep pace through relevant curricula, equipment and workplace exposure. Through this partnership, we are connecting training with service requirements and helping more people build careers in the sector,” said Shubham Mukherjee, Head, CSR & Corporate Communications, Samsung South West Asia.
Stipends and workplace experience
Samsung will facilitate three months of on-the-job training through its service network, with a stipend of ₹12,000 per month. Scholarships will be available to women and trainees with disabilities, while top performers in each batch will receive merit-based rewards.
Planned expansion across states
Samsung said the planned expansion includes locations in Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, along with clusters in other regions.
Launched in 2014, DOST Service provides vocational training through government-run MSME Technology Centres and Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs). According to Samsung, the initiative trained 5,391 students at 12 MSME Technology Centres between 2015 and 2023. Its ITI programme has trained 10,612 students across 22 government institutions in 16 states.
SLSV Analysis and Insights
- Public-Private Skilling Model: 3-year MoU leverages 15 MSME Technology Centres, aligning with global best practice of industry-led curricula, shared infrastructure, and government scale.
- Employability-First Design: 3-month paid on-the-job training at ₹12,000/month via Samsung service network bridges classroom to workplace, reducing the classic TVET placement gap.
- Circular Economy Alignment: Focus on repair, maintenance, and installation supports Right to Repair, EU and India e-waste rules, and extends product life versus replace-only consumption.
- Future-Proof Curriculum Need: Coverage across mobiles, wearables, TVs, ACs, and displays is strong, but future edge lies in AI diagnostics, IoT, EV chargers, and battery repair.
- Inclusion Lever: Scholarships for women and specially-abled trainees plus Guru Shiksha trainer upskilling mirror international equity and quality standards.
- Scale Risk: 1,600 trainees in Year 1 is modest against India’s demand; success hinges on placement tracking, certification portability, and MSME entrepreneurship linkages.
SLSV Recommendation
- Scale With Outcomes: Link funding to placement, retention, and income, not just enrolment, with public dashboards.
- Add Future Modules: Introduce AI-assisted diagnostics, smart-home/IoT, EV charger, and lithium-battery safety and repair.
- Build Repair Entrepreneurs: Pair certification with micro-credit, spare-parts access, and Samsung-authorized micro-service franchise kits.
- Formalise Certification: Align to NSQF and global OEM standards for national and international mobility.
- Deepen Inclusion: Reserve seats, provide assistive tools, and ensure women trainees get safe workplace placement support.
Article Credit: varindia, SLSVoriginal source/SLSV