Project Saksham

PROJECT
REPORT
2019
2020
EMPOWERING TOWARDS
A DIGNIFIED LIFE
Saksham
Saksham
Implemented by Implemented at

About AkzoNobel India
AkzoNobel has a passion for paint.The company experts in the proud craft of making paints and coatings, setting the
standard in color and protection since 1792. The company has world-class portfolio of brands – including Dulux,
International, Sikkens and Interpon – is trusted by customers around the globe. The company has operation in 150
countries. AkzoNobel India has been present in India for over 60 years and is a significant player in pain industry. In
India, The AkzoNobel India headquarters located at Delhi. In 2008, the company became a member of AkzoNobel
Group with employee strength of over 1,800. The company has manufacturing sites, offices and a distribution
networkspreadacrossthecountry.
Disclaimer
Project “Saksham” is a CSR initiative of AkzoNobel. The project aims to empower jail inmates through skill
development training in decorative wall painting course. Further, the project has helped in increasing employment
opportunities for the inmates in the real estate sector upon their release. The Project Report summarizes the key
achievementsoftheproject.
GlobalHunt Foundation (GHF) is primarily a CSR research and consulting organization, it has been established as a
section 8 (primarily known as Section 25) not for Profit Company registered under the Indian Companies Act, 1956.
As a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), GHF serves as a knowledge catalyst and engages its
vast corporate clientele with diverse multi-stakeholders to enhance their Corporate Sustainable Responsibility (CSR),
GHF provides key services on research, reporting programme designing, advisory, training and due diligence for its
panIndiaclientscomprisingofleadingcorporate,civilsocietyorganizations,governmentinstitutionsandacademia.
About GlobalHunt Foundation (GHF)
Website:www.globalhuntfoundation.org
Website: www.akzonobel.co.in

THE MORE WE GIVE
IMPORTANCE TO SKILL
DEVELOPMENT, THE
MORE COMPETENT
WILL BE OUR YOUTH
_Narendra Modi
THE MORE WE GIVE
IMPORTANCE TO SKILL
DEVELOPMENT, THE
MORE COMPETENT
WILL BE OUR YOUTH

Contents
Supporting Livelihoods-Skill Development Scenario in India
Livelihood Development- How are Corporates Helping.
AkzoNobel Skill Training Initiative
Why Skill Development Program for Jail inmates
Project Objectives
About Project Beneﬁciaries
Key Aspects
Course Curriculum
Project Impact.
Impact in Numbers
Changing Stories
Placement Details
Conclusion
5.
6.
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8.
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17.
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23.
24.

It is within this context that any effort towards enabling and empowering the youth of India has to be seek, find, and
sustained. Skill building has to be viewed as a device to improve the efficacy and contribution of labour to overall
outputoftheeconomy.
Thus, our efforts should be towards planning and implementing those skill development initiatives that not only
empower the labour force with the skills that are required to do any job but also enhances their social acceptance
evenif80%ofthelabourforceiscomingfrominformaleconomy.
Intense Migration
Lack of Proper Wages
Lack of Skill Training
Stress on Informal Sector
Lack of Opportunities
Urge to Earn
than to be Skilled
There are three main challenges pertaining to the quantity
andqualityofworkinIndia:
A UNFPA study shares that the demographic dividend in
India is available for five decades from 2005-06 to 2055-56,
which is longest in the world. Adding on, India's working-age
population of 15-59 years is 62.5% of the total population
outgrowing the dependent population of children and
elderly people, representing a critical opportunity for
economic growth. Which means that labour force around
the world will decrease by 4% and in India it will increase by
32%. However, to use the labour force optimally we need to
calibrateboththedemandandsupply
1. Lack of employment opportunities: Fewer than 2
million jobs are created annually in the formal
market, whereas 4.75 million join India's workforce
eachyear
2. Informal jobs: Close to 81% of all employed persons
in India make a living by working in the informal
market.The proportion is higher for the younger age
group of 15-24 years and for those without
education or with education only up to secondary
school.
3. Lack of formal skill training: Only around a quarter
of the workforce aged 18-24 years have attained
secondary and higher secondary education, and
only 2.3% of the Indian workforce have acquired
formal training in skills, many among these still lack
job-relatedskills.
04
Workforce problems is India
Supporting Livelihoods
Skill Development Scenario in India

With their current demands, corporates have
initiated the skill development agenda by training
their required workforce on their relevant skills.
Under the umbrella of Corporate Social
Responsibility, corporates are training the workforce
to make them knowledgeable and desirable as per
thecurrentdemands.
The biggest challenge that we still face is the high
percentage of workforce from informal sector and
their lack of skills. When we say lack of skills is not
that they are completely devoid of doing a task,
rather we mean the way to perform an action with
the correct knowledge. Now when the economic
landscape is changing and customer demands are
changing we need to have a workforce that
understands the nuances of work and perform it
withmuchmoreefﬁciencyandwithproductivity.
As India is moving towards achieving $1.97 trillion
worth GDP over the upcoming decade the need to
bridge the skill gap is becoming more predominant.
As per a study every year 15 million youngsters enter
the workforce but 65% of them don't even have
knowledge on the basic workforce skills. With such
a high workforce population if enough focus is not
paid on training the workforce with the right skills we
canenterthephaseof“demographicdisaster”.
One such effort is towards the real estate and
automobile sector where AkzoNobel is empowering
the economically deprived youth of the community
by skill training them on wall painting. Through this
initiative they have been able train and inculcate
employability skills among millions of diverse youth
includingfemales.
Livelihood Development
How are Corporates Helping
05

AKZONOBEL SKILL
TRAINING INITIATIVE

This project helps to overcome these challenges and
creates better future. The wall painting training program
helps to develop jail inmates and their skill set to add more
value for their career development. The program trains
them on a skill that requires minimum educational
qualiﬁcation and recognize them as the potential
workforceintheeconomy.
Majority of our trainees had dropped out during or after
upper secondary education due to uncertain situation. An
average family income of the trainees were very low,
ranging from ₹7000 - ₹20,000 per month, indicating a lack
of adequate resources to invest in education or training
thatcouldmakethememployable.
International and national law stipulates that
imprisonment should not be limited to the deprivation
of liberty alone. Rather, it should include opportunities
for prisoners to obtain knowledge and skills that can
assist them in their successful reintegration upon
release, with a view to avoiding future offending. As
imprisonment, in itself, is incapable of addressing
prisoners' social reintegration issues, the International
Covenant for Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) requires
that “the penitentiary system shall comprise treatment
of prisoners the essential aim of which shall be their
reformation and social rehabilitation”. International
Labour Organisation research has revealed that transitions
into the workforce are the smoothest when the demand for
labour is met by individuals equipped with employability
skillsaswellaswhenaccesstoinformationisensured.
Skill development in marginalised populations remains a
challenge due to the low levels of literacy, lack of
awareness regarding one's aspirations and strengths, a
diminished perception of self that leads to low levels of
motivation and conﬁdence, and conditioning through
social circumstances. Jail inmates are one such category
thatrequiresupportinrehabilitationbackinsociety.
Why Skill Development
Program for Jail Inmates
07

To empower jail inmates on wall painting skill
To enhance their livelihood opportunities upon their release
To encourage self-employment
To make them are better human beings with a new focus and determination in life
08
Project Objectives

CLASSROOM TRAINING
Painting practice on Dummy walls
Practice of acoustic paint, alkyd
paint, one-coat paint,
resin paint, drip less paint, latex
Understanding of Painters' Job
profile and its importance
Understanding of Safety guideline
Primers paint, rubber base paint,
textured paint
Practice to use painting tools with
different colours
PRACTICAL TRAINING
Importance of colour in human
life, significance of colour
the product,
Identification of colours, shades,
coating, texture, varieties of
Live demo for coating, designs,
colours shades
Painting Demonstration
Course Curriculum
The course curriculum includes both classroom and practical training to give 360 degree knowledge to trainees
on wall painting.
09

ABOUT PROJECT
BENEFICIARIES
10
The special part of the project is its beneficiaries that deals with criminals or people with disturbed background. The
project sees these people as the potential workforce that can be trained and skilled into a skill that is considerably
easyandeconomicallywell.
With release, the community continues to segregate them as criminals and they face challenges in rehabilitating back
in society. Thus, a lot of focus inside the prison is made towards educating them on formal education and inculcating
positive values. Moreover, to keep them connected with the economy and work several full time and part time work is
giventothemfromwhichtheycanearnlivelihoodandsupporttheirfamilies.
Some of the beneficiaries even joined the course where they wanted to existing skills of wall painting or where
engaged in interior decorative business. In the case study section inmates stories has been shared to highlight the
positiveimpactoftheprojectonthereleasedinmateslives.
Prisons with the new international and national laws have transformed as correctional homes where inmates are
imparted with new meanings of life. They are trained on life skills to form positive aspects of life. The motive is that
upontheirreleasetheyreinitiatetheirlivesinanewwayandturnouttobebetterhumanbeings.
Under their trial period they learn the wall painting skill and upon their release they take up the wall painting work to
initiate a new lease of life. Most of the beneficiaries covered in the project were unskilled or semi-skilled labourers
workingengagedinsomepettywork.
The need is to see them as the potential workforce and the fresh set of people who can combine their past work
experience with new skills. Hence, to support this greater cause of rehabilitating them back in society and the need to
produceskilledwallpaintersinIndiaAkzoNobeltooktheinitiativetotrainthem.

The key aspects of the project are:
To mobilize the target beneficiaries different
approaches were used. The program awareness
is created through jail radio, barrack-to-barrack
mobilization, program announcement during
community gatherings, and awareness by jail
authoritiesabouttheprojectetc.
The most crucial aspect of the project is to select
the relevant batch of trainees. For the training, it is
important to train those trainees who are under
their trial period and are unskilled or semi-skilled,
mentally stabled, minimum qualified, interested
to pursue wall painting as a career after release.
These parameters helps in filtering the relevant
candidates who upon their release can take up
wall painting as a full time career and can become
economicallystablewiththisoccupation
Initially, the trainer introduces to all inmates and
explain about our project and painter course
benefits. Secondary, the trainer interacts with all
inmates to know their understanding on painting
and interest level with them. Accordingly he
conduct classes to make all inmates to
understand the knowledge on painting in a
comprehensivemanner.
BATCH SELECTION
PROJECT MOBILIZATION
Monitoring visit is conducted by GlobalHunt
Foundation team on monthly bases to map the
project progress, trainee's performance and to
collectbatchwisetrainee'soutcomedetails.
After the course is completed the trainer gives
assessmenttoinmatesto map their knowledge.
The course completion certificate is provided to
all the trainees after the completion of
assessment. This certificate is helpful in further
careerdevelopment.
Post the completion of the course some of the
inmates are placed depending on the
requirement. They are placed as a painter and
contractor jobs. They get daily wage or monthly
incomethroughthisproject.
PLACEMENT
MONITORING VISIT
CERTIFICATE DISTRIBUTION
POST TRAINING ASSESSMENT
TRAINING CLASS
Key Aspects
11

The Human Capital Value
of trainees increased from
25% to 81% with
the project
Enhancing Human Capital
The combination of technical skills and life skills improved the human capital of the inmates. The economical value
of the inmates are improving as from being 'un' to 'semi' skilled they are being transformed to certified skilled
labourers.
This poses a serious need to uplift our community in terms of literacy, health status or skill development.To cater this
need the project deliverables are working for a community which is marginalized and neglected due to life
circumstances. After a time they do become a part of mainstream society but their depressing past continues with
them.
To overcome such life challenges the project promotes improving behavioural aspects as well where they are taught
onbasisofcommunication,management,positiveattitudeandhard-work.
Through the course they are not just learning the technical skill of wall painting but improved behavioural
characteristics. Human capital defined in terms of skills, qualification and behaviour improvement. Skill
development hence becomes a crucial aspect of human capital. India ranks on 115 position among the 157
countriesonHumanCapitalIndex.
The success path of the project is with the post training support for 3 months provided to each trainee to settle with
the new occupation.The program support the trainees with placement and the viability to work with a contractor for a
specific time period. If they feel the need to change their contractor we ensure the transition of the trainees. Also, our
aimistoplacethesetraineeswiththeirnativelocationsothattheystayconnectedwiththeirfamilymembers.
12

The Social Capital of the
trainees have improved
from 1.5% to 36% with
the project
Improving Social Capital
The social capital improvement of the project focused on the impact created by the project on indirect beneﬁciaries.
The impact chain of the has been expanding where trainees post their training support have improved their economic
valueatagreatpacewherewithin6monthstheythemselveshavebecomecontractors.
With becoming of contractors they have trained and hired their community youth who wanted to earn livelihood for
themselvesandfamilies.
By social capital we understand individual contribution towards society participation and contribution in labour
market. The trainees contribution has been towards society contribution where they are empowering the youth of
theirowncommunitybyprovidingthemworkopportunities.
The chain of social capital is multiplying where trainees efforts in the right direction are engaging more people
towards labour market. With their AkzoNobel program certiﬁcation, the trainees are becoming entrepreneurs
employingmorepeople.
13

A post training support
is ensured for next 3
months upon their
release
Focusing on Eco System
AkzoNobel skill development projects are focused towards scaling up the labour market in real estate and
automobile industry specific to paints. The decorative wall paint program is a Short Term Training program
implemented for the underprivileged youth which requires minimum educational qualification but is economically
decentprofession.
The project prime objective is to provide economic and social rehabilitation of inmates in society. Imparting technical
skill would have definitely helped the inmates for better avenues; but immediate rehabilitation was not guarantee.
Keeping this in mind, AkzoNobel skill development initiatives is designed to provide end-to-end integration of trainees
insociety.
The same kind of support is provided to the inmates post their release where they are provided placements with
contractors nearby their native places and incase they feel the need to change the contractor we move them to the
alternativecontractor.Wefurtherensurethattheinmatesarenegotiatedwithwagesasperindustrystandards.
The post program support is as crucial as the main program where for almost 3 months a support is ensured to the
trainees where whenever in need to change the contractor they are moved with a new contractor. The trainees are
providedthebestpossibleoptionsintheindustrysothattheyarefullyintegratedintheprofession.
14

10 Batches of
training completed
137 Inmates certiﬁed
under training
20% Job
Placement rate
Rs. 20,000-30,000
Average salary income
Social skills
improved
Inmates gained
Self-conﬁdence post
training placement
Within 6 months
Inmates are becoming
contractors
JOB
Impact in Numbers
15 15

Shiv Charan in mid 50 had a unfateful day where due to a family
mishappening he was sentenced to inprisonment for 2 years. Before his
sentencehewasworkingassemi-skilledcontractorinmasonary.
He never thought that one day he will have to leave his work and spend
time in imprisionment. During his imprisionment he was involved in
masonary work within the premises and always encouraged young
imprisoners to join work with him. He felt sad that young boys were not
motivatedtowardsworkandearninglivelihoodforthemselves.
The program came an added advantage for him as already being an
He deployed 12-15 workers under him to complete the work and provided them livelihood opporunities. The project
forShivCharanwasaboutexpandinghorizoninthelabourmarket.
Headdedthesocialcapitalaspecttotheprojectwhereoneiscontributinginthelabourmarketwithsocialcohesion.
masonary he got an opporunity to learn a skill relevant to his sector. Within a month he was a certified wall painter
wherenowhecouldtakeupbusinessinthenewfield.
By the time he was released from imprisonment he was clear to take on his new journey. Siv Charan contacted his old
connections to provide him work and soon he got big contruction projects were the need of painters and mansons
wassimultaneous.
Within one week of their release they were placed with a local contractor near their native place so that they stay with
their families and work. The program gave them a new meaning of life where they want to focus on upbringing of
their children. Both of them want to start their own contractual work where they can further employee youth which is
deviatedandneedsupportinsustainingtheirlives.
For future, they didn't wanted to be remembered as jail inmates but as normal persons. They joined the first batch of
the project were they learned the nuances of wall paitning with their full devoation and commitment. In a matter of 4
monthstheirtrialendedandtheywerefullyconfidenttojointheworkforceofskilledlabourers.
They wanted to do something for not just their families but also for themselves. In the jail they encountered positive
aspects of life and felt motivated to learn something new. They wanted to join similar skill training programs but
being illiterate their couldn't participate in other programs that required minimum educaltional skills. But prior to
their trail end the 'Project Saksham' was initiated; this was something which they hoped to learn a skill that can
ensuretheireconomicsustainabilityposttheirrelease.
were sentenced to 5 years jail by the court. At the time of sentence they
were sole earning members of their family and had small kids. In the past
5 years their families underwent extreme hardship to sustain
themsleves. The only hope that their families waited was the release of
Birpal & Rohtash. Prior to jail sentence they only knew farming and were
indulged in small non-permanent activities to support themselves. They
were depressed to face the world outside after their release and feared
thattheirchildrenwillrememberthemasjustjailinamtes.
BirpalKumar&RohtashKumarwerebrotherswhoduetofamilylandfeud
17
Case Study

Tinku had an horrific past which he wanted to overcome it for his child.
During his jail inprisonment he had to leave his small 4 years kid with his
younger brother family and with release he wanted to ensure a bright
futureforhischild.
In imprisonment Tinku was quite unclear with his future and worried
about the ordeals which he might have to face. When he got to know
about the project he thought it to be an opportunity that can ensure
saftety of his future. Post training job was the key of the project for which
hegotenrolledasheneededtoworkassoonasheisreleased.
With his full heart he learned the basics of wall painting and in one month
They had to drop their studies because of imprisonment but their dreams
to be successful haunted them. On paper they sketched drawings of
different interiors which they would like to do for their clients.During their
initialtimeinjailtheyweredepressedandfeltthattheirlifehadnovalue.
Vinay and Arjun for family matterswere imprisoned in jail for a period of 1
year. They are only in their early 20's when they were sentenced. One of
them was studying interior designing and other was doing a course in
buiness administration. Both them had dreams to achieve something in
life;butfatehadstoredsomethingelseforthem.
When they got to know about the project they thought that through some
way they can be connected to their roots. They wanted to bring their creativity into reality hence enrolled themsleves
intheclass.
In the class when they learned about basics of wall painting they enhanced their learning on giving new life to walls
and customer satisfication. Now both of them upon their release want to finish their remaining studies and aspire to
start their own business of interior designing. They take project as the best part of their life where they made new
friends,learnedaboutotherlifechallengesandmechanismstocopeupthechallenegsoflife.
Withthepreviousplacementcasestudiestheyfeelmotivatedforanewlifeaftertheirrelease.
time he was ready to take his new jounrey of life with his son. Upon his release he was placed with a contractor near
hisyoungerbrotherhouseascurrentlythatwashisonlyhouse.
He visioned that very soon he will move to a new house with his son and will get him admission to a good school. He
doesn't want his son to remember the bad period which they both faced. So he will do everything to ensure a better
futureforhisson.
Tinkuisthankfultotheprojectforgivinghimanewleaseoflifeandanopportunitytobeabetterperson.
18
Case Study

CONCLUSION
Jail inmates are one such category of deprived community who due to certain life circumstances are further isolated
from social and economic community. There break from community poses further challenges on their overall value
as humans. After their release they face challenges in involving back in society where they are unable to find suitable
employementduetotheirimprisonmentpast.
The report summarizes the key aspects of the project 'Saksham' being implemented for jail inmates. The skills and
livlihood program is focused on linking the inmates to jobs upon their release. In India macroeconmic scenario there
isahugediversecategoryofunderprivilgedcommunieswhoaredeprivedandlackabilitytomakeittojobmarkets.
To empower and rehabilitate them back in society the project is focused on giving them an employability skill which
further ensures that they proivde job.The skill training is meant for even the most deprived individual who lacks basic
education. In our country, still education is equivalent to job than focusing on an individual capabilities. However, the
skill training program by AkzoNobel covers both the aspects employability and livelihood. It trains the
underprivileged community on decorative wall painting course which is an employable skill which even a person with
minimum or no educational qualification can learn. Post they learn the skill they are provided livelihood opportunities
inthesector.
Through the project and the report, AkzoNobel believe in promoting holistic and long-term approach in the skill
development sector. It is one of their way to build an sustainable ecosystem of skill development where the
underpriviligedcommunityenhancetheirhumanandsocialvalue.
The project with jail inmates has been significant in transforming lives and re-giving job opportunities in a skill which
ishighlyrequired and paid. Withthesupport, theinamtesare connectedto peopleand opportunitiesthatmakesthem
self-independentandself-sustainable.
19

Project Implementation Partner & Report By
Picture Credits @GlobalHunt Foundation

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