In a bid to bridge the gap between demand and supply of skilled manpower in modern retail, Bharti Wal-Mart, a joint venture between Bharti Enterprises and global retail giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc, has opened a training centre in Delhi. Located at the government-run Veer Savarkar Basic Training Centre on Pusa Road, the centre will provide free retail sector-focussed vocational training to candidates.
A memorandum of agreement (MoA) was signed in this regard on July 22 between Bharti Wal-Mart and the Delhi government’s Department of Training and Technical Education.
On the need to open such a training centre, Rajan Bharti Mittal, vice-chairman and MD, Bharti Enterprises, said, “The retail sector is emerging as a future growth engine of our economy, and initiatives like the Bharti Wal-Mart Training Centre will lead the way in creating skilled manpower for the sector, besides supporting job creation.”
Those enrolled for the course will be awarded 100 per cent scholarships. The centre is expected to train approximately 125 candidates each month.
Speaking exclusively to IndiaRetailing, Raj Jain, MD and CEO, Bharti Wal-Mart, said, “Close to 50 per cent of store managers working with Wal-Mart started their careers pushing trolleys in the store. We feel proud to open such training centres to bridge the shortage of skilled manpower.”
The entire training expense will be borne by Bharti Wal-Mart, which will also provide administrative and support services at its own cost.
Signing the MoA, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit assured to open another training centre in Delhi in the future.
On the eligibility criteria, Jain said, “Candidates above 18 years with the ability to understand basic English language are eligible to get enrolled with the centre.”
Stressing that the retail sector offers tremendous employment and growth opportunities to the youth, the Bharti Wal-Mart CEO said, “A major challenge that Bharti Wal-Mart has faced is acquiring candidates with the right customer service mindset and requisite skills.”
Bharti Wal-Mart, Jain said, was planning to open similar training centres in every state.
This is the second training centre of Bharti Wal-Mart. The first was opened in Amritsar in 2008.
— IndiaRetailing Bureau
