GROHE JAL Academy wins innovation competition of the German Federal
Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development
Over 400 people effectively trained thanks to Indian aid project
of
GROHE and Don Bosco Mondo e.V.
Helping people to help themselves – this concept has been put
into action by the GROHE JAL Academy. The training workshop at
the Don Bosco Learning Center qualifies young people from
extremely poor backgrounds, many of whom have lived in the
streets, to become professional plumbers. This gives them the
opportunity to start a career as a skilled tradesman and to
earn their own livelihood. The project has now won a first
prize in the “Innovation competition for professional
education projects in developing countries" launched by
Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and
Development.
On November 26, the prizes were handed over to the winners
by Parliamentary State Secretary Gudrun Kopp at the
Berlin Representative Office of Deutsche Gesellschaft für
Internationale Zusammenarbeit. Among the winners were not only
Grohe AG and its partner, Don Bosco Mondo e.V., but also three
projects from the civil society sphere as well as another two
projects from Germany’s economy sector. The prize ceremony was
also attended by the 5-strong jury, which consists of German
theatre and TV actor Dietmar Bär, Walter Scheurle, former
member of the Management Board of Deutsche Post AG, Sabine
Donner, in charge of the Bertelsmann Transformation Index (BTI),
Dr. Stephanie Odenwald, Head of Education and Further Training
of Gewerkschaft Erziehung und Wissenschaft (trade union
for education and science) as well as Dr. Andreas König, Head
of the competence centre for professional education and the
labour market of Deutsche Gesellschaft für
Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). The jury singled out
projects which support professional education in developing
countries in an especially innovative and successful manner
and particularly highlighted the creative model of the
successful development cooperation between the corporate
sector and society in the case of the GROHE JAL Academy of
GROHE and Don Bosco Mondo.
High participant numbers and good exam results
Established at the end of 2009, the GROHE JAL Academy
has already achieved great success: by the end of September,
as many as 418 apprentices had attended the training workshop,
36 of whom are still enrolled in ongoing courses. Another 40
youths are attending the preparatory course for the plumbing
training, with another 100 apprentices about to start their
training before the end of the year. This adds up to a total
number of roughly 550 successful graduates and current
participants.
Says Hans-Jürgen Dörrich, Head of Corporate Cooperation at
Don Bosco Mondo e.V., the church organisation sponsoring the
Don Bosco Learning Center: “We are very pleased with
the achievements of the GROHE JAL Academy. The young
people are really interested in the plumbing training courses
and their ambitions reflect well in the excellent exam
results. Thanks to our direct cooperation with local companies,
nearly all apprentices have found a job after the completion
of their training. Some have even started higher-level
training.”
Project strengthened by positive changes
Training in the field of water installation is a two-stage process,
i.e. it comprises the basic plumbing training and subsequently the
foreman training. According to Indian standards, the qualification
measures take between three and twelve months. The degrees are
private training certificates issued by the Don Bosco Learning
Center. Referring to the GROHE JAL Academy opens up a lot of
opportunities for the young graduates. Since 2012, the exams have
been carried out in cooperation with Godrij Construction, a large
Indian building corporation, which also hires graduates after their
exams. The Learning Center has applied for
official certification of the training course with India’s
national certification authority, which is expected to be granted
in early 2013.
“We are very happy that the GROHE JAL Academy project has met with
such an excellent response,” says Michael Mager, Head of Human
Resources at Grohe AG. “From the very beginning, we found it
important to not just make a one-time donation to an aid
organisation but to be personally involved. The special advantage
of the project is that it not only benefits the young apprentices
but that the growing pool of qualified installers will open up
further growth opportunities for GROHE in India as well.”
Long-term commitment supported by employees
GROHE has equipped the training workshop, installed a sample
bathroom and fitted the classrooms in Mumbai with new faucets.
Regular visits reveal if and where the company can provide
additional support, e.g. in terms of GROHE employees who travel to
India during their vacation to pass on their knowledge to the
apprentices. At present, demand from interested youths still
outstrips the number of available apprenticeships. To change this,
it is planned to optimise the use of the classrooms, the workshop
and the laboratories through more efficient class scheduling and by
working two shifts in the workshop building.
The successful cooperation with GROHE in the field of plumbing
training has had another positive effect, as Mahanajar Gas, a
partner of British Gas in India, now also cooperates with the Don
Bosco Learning Center. The company supports the latter in the
fields of gas installation in private homes as well as special
welding and installation of gas pipelines.
For more information, visit www.don-bosco-mondo.de and
www.grohe.com