Smile Foundation and Berger Paints bring iTrain project to Vadodara
Painters will be trained free of cost, helping them increase their income
Vadodara; May 9: Leading paint company Berger Paints India Ltd. has partnered with Smile Foundation to train painters across India through the ‘iTrain on Wheels’ programme free of cost. The two partners have brought iTrain mobile vans to Vadodara district to upgrade the skills of household painters and enhance their employability and earning opportunities. Under the programme, painters will be trained in contemporary painting techniques, thereby creating a pool of skilled workforce.
This is the third iTrain project in the state of Gujarat. Similar projects have already been operational in Surat and Rajkot districts. The Vadodara project will train promising and existing household painters in the district and the surrounding area free of cost.
The training, conducted by Smile Foundation, will ensure that painters get an opportunity irrespective of gender to improve their existing skills through upskilling modules. In addition to facilitation of training, Smile Foundation shall also monitor and evaluate the programme and its impact assessment.
The mobile training vans are equipped with audio-visual aids, advance painting tools, and advance paints, while the training is imparted by industry experts. The training module comprises of well-designed, crisp and advanced training modules that are required for advanced painting work, appealing household clients and increasing painters’ income.
Smile Foundation is associated with the iTrain on Wheels Programme of Berger Paints since 2021 and so far has trained 3 lakhs painters across the country, successfully and free of cost. As of now there are 23 mobile iTrain projects operational in 25 Indian states and three union territories, covering over 50,000 locations across 300 districts, including 51 aspirational districts.
Mr. N. I. Joseph, National Head – Sales Excellence & Training at Berger Paints says that when the expertise of an Indian social institution like Smile Foundation meets our robust infrastructure across India, we change lives. He further adds that Smile Foundation has been executing the iTrain on Wheels programme across India, helping Berger Paints achieve its social responsibility well.
The launch event in Vadodara was attended by several key figures, including the Mr. N. I. Joseph, National Head – Sales Excellence & Training at Berger Paints; Mr. Harshal Ahya, Divisional Manager Retail, Berger Paints; Mr. Indrajit Banerjee, Manager (Operations), iTrain at Berger Paints; Ms. Bipasha Patnaik, General Manager, Smile Foundation; Mr. Kaushik Bandopadhyay, Deputy General Manager, Smile Foundation; and Ms. Joieta Rajput, Assistant General Manager, Smile Foundation.