Coimbatore-based KPR Mill Limited has been in the news for its pioneering educational initiatives as part of its CSR activities. Over 27,000 women employees working in the group have successfully completed higher education courses in the last 23 years. Going one step further, it has now successfully trained 52 candidates of which 45 students have already been placed in reputed establishments till now. A report
The educational initiatives of KPR Mill date back to 1998. “As you know, women from the villages in the vicinity of our mills form the majority of our workforce. Most of them are usually educated up to Class IX or XII. Their family circumstances are such that they are not able to continue their studies. We started to offer various types of educational programmes for them, including, degree, vocational training and nursing since 1998 onwards,” informs K P Ramasamy, Founder and Chairman, KPR Mill. An exclusive facility has been set up in the company where classes are held in the evening for various such educational programmes. A team of faculties have been exclusively appointed at the facility.
In a day and age when companies are worried about increasing attrition rates, what was the trigger for offering placement to some of their women employees? Replies Ramasamy: “Most of our employees are happily married and settled. However, in recent times, we are witnessing an unfortunate increase in divorce rates. There have been instances where some of the women have come back after divorce to seek employment again. We were pained to see their situation. We felt sad that even after doing so much for them we still could not make a difference in their lives. That was the trigger for the idea of training them and placing them in good positions in reputed companies.”
“As part of the initiative, last year we were successful in placing five candidates. This year 52 candidates are being trained. The training program runs for 45 days. The candidate’s food and accommodation is taken care of by the company. They are also provided free books. Every kind of training is provided to them to make them industry-ready. For example, if communication skills are a problem, they are trained to improve their skills. They are offered training in soft skills. Similarly, they are also provided computer training,” he adds. Ramasamy states the success of this initiative can be gauged from the fact that some of the candidates have found placement even before the completion of their training programme.
“Around eight of them found jobs with a reputed electronics company even before completing the training. They will be provided with free food and accommodation and a salary of Rs 15,000 per month during their probation period for six months after which there will be a hike. This will help make them more confident. The placement has the potential to change their lifestyle,” he further informs. The company has also been getting enquiries from other such corporates. “A top airline has shown interest in employing our candidates. Similarly, an MNC insurance company, a leading IT company and a popular bank have also approached us with their employment offers. We are confident that all the 52 will be placed very soon,” Ramasamy states. “After this batch of 52 students, we have a target of training 100 candidates every month and placing them in reputed companies. We are doing this as a social service. There is no other hidden motive. When our intentions are good, we are sure that it will be a resounding success, just like our earlier education initiatives,” he adds.
Improved Self-Confidence
According to Ramasamy, it is not as if only these 52 candidates are being trained in the mills. “Everyone who joins is put through a detailed induction training program. They get introduced to the culture of the company. Similarly, yoga classes are taken here. Yoga is compulsory for our employees. During the time the employees spend here they are trained in different life skills. Right from the way they greet others, to dining etiquettes, physical fitness, etc., the training helps to instil a sense of discipline and improve their self-confidence. The life skills that they learn here help them to lead a happy life, even after they go out of here,” he elaborates. “Even in the case of these 52 candidates, apart from the soft skills and communication skills, which are being taught for their placement purpose, they are also offered training in other areas just like all the other employees so that they lead a fulfilling and happy life in the future,” he adds.
Honorary Degree
The education-oriented CSR initiatives of the KPR Group have been drawing the attention at a national level. In 2020, Ramasamy received an honorary doctorate, Doctor of Letters (D.Litt), from Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (Deemed University), Bhubaneswar.
“Shri Achuthasamanatha, a Rajya Sabha MP, had come down to see our education initiatives for the girls working in our factories. A very simple person, he was impressed with our initiatives. He was also happy to note that we were also recruiting women from Odisha in our factories. He invited me to accept an honorary doctorate from the Kalinga University,” Ramasamy states.
“It is a very big university. About 60,000 students study there. They do a lot of social service. Usually, doctorates are awarded to several persons at a time in university functions. However, in this case they had especially organised an event to present only me with a doctorate,” he adds. Apart from education, the group is also active with other CSR initiatives too. “Planting tree saplings is something that is very close to our heart. We have already planted around 1.5 lakh trees. Similarly, we are also promoting sports in our mills and college,” Ramasamy informs. The education-oriented initiatives of the group are expected to grow in the near future.
“As mentioned earlier, our initiatives have helped 27,000 girls to complete their higher education. Many of our girls have been gold medallists. We plan to offer 50-100 seats in our college to our employees who score above 95% in their plus-two examinations. We will provide them free education, food and accommodation,” he says. “Whether they want to become a chartered accountant, engineer or aspire to clear the civil services examination, we are there to support them. We will always support bright students. For us, it is our own humble way of giving back to the society. Whenever we happen to see one of our girls working in established concerns in good positions, it makes our chest swell with pride. We will definitely continue to focus on the education programmes in the future too,” he adds.
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Women from the villages in the vicinity of our mills form the majority of our workforce. Most of them are usually educated up to Class IX or XII. Their family circumstances are such that they are not able to continue their studies. We started to offer various types of educational programmes for them, including, degree, vocational training and nursing since 1998 onwards
– K P Ramasamy, Founder and Chairman, KPR Mill