Youth Empowerment Services || V-Excel Educational Trust

Youth Empowerment Services

The Youth Empowerment Services (YES) unit of V-Excel Educational Trust is based in Mylapore and is a joint undertaking with Dr. Sudhir Krishnamurthi, Senior Managing Director of RockCreek Group. The goal of this unit is to provide vocational training to young adults with special needs with a view to placing them in mainstream jobs. This is done through a focused program involving pragmatic training in printing and documentation solutions, laundry and housekeeping, culinary arts, baking, confectioneries, basic computing skills, and front- and back-office skills. For those trainees who are determined to not be eligible for mainstream placements, the unit has a parent-driven sheltered workshop where orders are executed.

The programs are a collbaorative effort between vocational trainers and coordinators, special educators, counsellors, prospective and existing employers and parents of the trainees. In the last few years, the unit has successfully trained and placed individuals with special needs and cognitive challenges in places like:

• Buhari's Blue Lagoon Resort
• Crowne Plaza Hotel
• Dr. Kamaraj Hospital
• Grundfos India
• Hexaware Technologies
• Hotel Savera
• ibis Hotels
• ITC Grand Chola
• Novotel Hotels
• Sangeetha Baker's Cafe
• Square Networks
• Sriram Educational Trust
• Star Health Insurance
• Super Auto Forge
• Writer's Cafe

The management of V-Excel periodically conducts sensitization and awareness workshops on cognitive disabilities at several workplaces.

As a prelude to the placement process, YES undertakes external orders and involves trainees in executing them so that they gain the requisite exposure to concepts of task completion, targets and deadlines. This sets the stage for them to not only understand the work but also to be a part of real-time projects. YES's clients include Valeo India, Kotak Mahindra, Grundfos, Redington, Kocoatrait, Cognizant, TCS, Screenwrite, AMM Foundation and Chakrath Consultancy among several others. The unit accepts small orders for printing, binding, documentation, corporate gifts, logo printing, screen printing and making notepads.

The vocational programs in the unit have been funded by CSR grants from Hexaware Technologies, VMware Inc., and L&T Construction. Conveniently located on Luz Church Road, YES provides hope and viable placement alternatives to promote financial independence and social inclusion of individuals with cognitive and intellectual challenges.