PNB MetLife India Insurance Company Limited has launched a CSR initiative called “FutureReady – Skilling for Employability” in partnership with AIC GUSEC and Xcelevate Skills Foundation. The program aims to empower underprivileged youth with 21st-century skills and support social-impact startups to create inclusive livelihood opportunities. The initiative has selected 29 beneficiaries from over 750 nominations, with 23 students from Tamil Nadu and the remaining from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, and Chhattisgarh.
The program will provide intensive training and mentorship to the selected youth, preparing them for job placement and income-generation opportunities. This will be a transformative step for these young individuals, as they will be the first in their families to secure skilled professional positions. The initiative also focuses on nurturing early-stage social-impact startups that emphasize training, mentorship, and employment creation, amplifying the reach and sustainability of the program.
According to Sameer Bansal, MD & CEO of PNB MetLife, the FutureReady program is a response to India’s employability challenge, where 83% of the unemployed are youth despite having education. The program aims to foster inclusion and help individuals build sustainable livelihoods, reflecting PNB MetLife’s purpose of helping people build a more confident future.
Srinivasa Rao Sureddi, CEO of AIC GUSEC, emphasized that the FutureReady program is a powerful step towards enabling equitable access to opportunities. The partnership with PNB MetLife and Xcelevate Skills Foundation aims to build pathways for youth to become job-ready and empower social-impact startups that create meaningful livelihood solutions.
Umang Doctor, Founder of Xcelevate Skills Foundation, highlighted that the partnership fuels Xcelevate’s ambition to scale its cause of elevating excellence for the underprivileged through inclusive sourcing, future-ready skilling, and mainstream career placement. The initiative has a 30-year vision to address high unemployment and digital illiteracy amongst vulnerable youth.
Overall, the FutureReady program is a significant step towards addressing India’s employability challenge and creating inclusive livelihood opportunities for underprivileged youth. The partnership between PNB MetLife, AIC GUSEC, and Xcelevate Skills Foundation aims to make a positive impact on the lives of these young individuals and contribute to the country’s socio-economic development.