Capgemini celebrates the opening of two ‘Digital Academies’ in India, taking the worldwide total to eight

Paris, June 13, 2019 – Capgemini has today announced the opening of two Digital Academies in India, located in Pune and Mumbai. The centers are designed to support excluded populations by using the Group’s collective skills to bridge the digital divide. As a key part of its Global Digital Inclusion^[1] initiative, Capgemini has partnered with Simplon to make its growing network of Digital Academies in India a reality.

 Offering dedicated training programs on how to use digital tools as well as opportunities to learn soft skills that enable digital citizenship, the goal of Capgemini’s Digital Academies is to facilitate the sustainable inclusion of a wide range of people who are currently excluded from society and the digital world. They cater to disadvantaged and excluded youth who are Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET), as well as people who are struggling with long-term unemployment, people with disabilities, and those in transition such as refugees. They also actively seek to engage under-represented or marginalized groups. Through partnering directly with local initiatives, the Digital Academies aim to create 1,400 graduates by 2020.

In less than 2 years, Capgemini has opened Digital Academies and similar digital inclusion initiatives in Morocco, North America, Spain, The Netherlands, and the UK, with the two centers opening most recently in India and a further center coming soon in Germany. In France, Capgemini co-founded La Grande École du Numérique (GEN) with several public and private organizations – including Simplon – to offer digital training to disadvantaged young people.

Thierry Delaporte, Chief Operating Officer for the Capgemini Group, comments “At Capgemini, we are convinced that technology has an inclusive and positive role to play in our societies. The breadth and depth of our skillsets means we are equipped to be architects of positive futures. Our Groupwide focus on digital inclusion will enable us to mobilize our collective passion, connections and expertise to support individuals with the digital skills they need to sustain themselves in the new world shaped by the digital revolution.”

New centers in Pune and Mumbai are the latest to join Capgemini’s Digital Academy network

The all-women residential center in Pune and a non-residential and co-ed center in Mumbai, are initially focused on training 100 unemployed youth in future skills; 50 in each city. The technical courses will include coding and web development, as well as soft skills to ensure the participants are job ready. The length of each training program is around 500 hours. Every successful participant will be awarded a diploma certified by Capgemini and partners.

A key pillar of the Group’s CSR program “Architects of Positive Futures”

With the goal of focusing 80% of its social impact initiatives on promoting digital inclusion and future skills by 2020, Capgemini’s aim is to help excluded populations, notably from disadvantaged or dislocated parts of society, to benefit from the opportunities that come from a digital lifestyle and the everyday use of digital tools. Furthermore, it will ensure Capgemini’s specific global expertise and capabilities are maximized, through work with innovative partners such as global social organizations, as well as other corporations and institutes.

Capgemini’s Digital Inclusion initiative is a key pillar of its Groupwide CSR program “Architects of Positive Futures”. The other two focus areas center on:

• Diversity: to build an inclusive workplace and attract and retain a diverse workforce to enable Capgemini and its employees to thrive.
• Environmental Sustainability: to minimize Capgemini’s own business-related environmental impacts,
  and provide support to its clients with their sustainability challenges.

To find out more about Capgemini’s global CSR program and the new digital inclusion initiative, announced today, go to  https://www.capgemini.com/our-company/our-corporate-social-responsibility-program/digital-inclusion/

 

 

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[1] Digital Inclusion is social inclusion in the 21st century that ensures individuals and disadvantaged groups have access to, and skills to use, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and are therefore able to participate in and benefit from today’s growing knowledge and information society.