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Petrofac News 1700X397
26 September 2017

India offices provide support to local STEM initiatives

Petrofac’s social investment strategy is focused on supporting STEM activities (science, technology, engineering and mathematics); something which our Indian offices have fully embraced…

Mumbai

Our Mumbai office has been supporting technical skills development in Pune and Raigad in association with the non-governmental organisation SEEDS.

The initiative aims to train more than 300 youths to become welders, fitters, electricians and machinery technicians to help them find employment.

Colleagues recently visited the IL&FS Institute of Skills in Bhosari, Pune, to meet with students from three of the courses being conducted at the centre: Computer Numerical Control (CNC), Refrigeration and Air Conditioning and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO).

They were delighted to present certificates to the first batch of CNC graduates, with several participants sharing their experiences and the great news that they have already gained a local industry placement.

Delhi

In Delhi, we’re supporting the Bharat Lok Shiksha Parishad’s (BLSP) welfare programme which aims to provide education to children in rural areas of India. We’re sponsoring 200 EKAL (one teacher) schools to help develop and integrate these rural areas.

Even with the challenges of the Himalaya’s hilly terrains, Pawan Kumar, Delhi General Manager, along with two committee members, travelled to some of the remote education centres to hear directly from EKAL staff, teachers, students, parents and villagers about the progress made. Praising the programme, he said “We salute those involved and appreciate the efforts of EKAL in organising community developments in such remote and tough locations.”

The team also had the opportunity to visit the new education centres that we sponsored with the SMILE Foundation in Rajasthan, 350 km from our Delhi office. Thrilled by what he had seen, Pawan said, “There were lots of bright faces full of enthusiasm and enormous energy. The long distance travelled was well worth it, as we got to know the children, many of whom want to become engineers, doctors, teachers, scientists and even prime ministers.”

Chennai

As part of our partnership with the Smiles foundation, our Chennai office has sponsored the Mission Education programme which aims to involve children in a variety of curricular and co-curricular activities, catering to their academic needs, as well as their physical, social and cognitive aspects of development.

Our sponsorship helped to pay for teaching materials such as story books, dictionaries, stationery and geometry boxes. A health camp was also organised which provided the children with a dental consultation and oral health kits.

Around 400 children – from three to 18 years old – are benefitting from the programme and following recent exams, 64% of the children achieved grades A and B which demonstrates the significant progress that has been made.

Find out more about our India engineering centres and how they support local community initiatives