INDIA: ZwickRoell Academy offers skills training for youth who are disadvantaged
Youth often first in their families to pursue vocational training
INDIA
(MissionNewswire) ZwickRoell Academy, run by Don Bosco Mondo and ZwickRoell SE, a German supplier of materials testing machines, graduated its 10th class in August. Since the program’s inception in 2016, 90 young women and men have received vocational training at the Don Bosco Tech Campus in Chennai, India. The youth come from disadvantaged backgrounds and have gained prospects for the future through the program.
The Don Bosco Tech Campus is located in one of the largest slums in Chennai. The training academy was established on the grounds of the Salesian vocational training center. ZwickRoell SE leased a hall on campus, renovated it, and equipped it with state-of-the-art materials testing machines.
Youth are studying at ZwickRoell Academy to become ZwickRoell machine operators, specializing in metal and plastics testing. The trainees are often the first in their families to pursue vocational training.
Silvia Cromm, executive director of programs and projects at Don Bosco Mondo, explained, “What makes this partnership special is its long-term perspective. Many international vocational training projects run for three or five years. The ZwickRoell Academy, on the other hand, is designed as a permanent program, supported by a strong commitment in both Germany and India. The ongoing exchange among all participants ensures that the program is continuously developed and improved.”
The sustainably developed tracking system is one such improvement. It tracks how the participants’ career paths unfold. The results demonstrate that the combination of theory, hands-on training, scholarships, visits to companies and clients, field trips, trade show visits, and team-building activities successfully complements the training. Graduates also receive targeted assistance in their job search.
“When I look at the developments over the past 10 years, I am particularly impressed by the success stories of the young people who have gone through the ZwickRoell Academy,” said Dr. Jan Stefan Roell of ZwickRoell SE. “Many of them are the first in their families to complete a qualified vocational training program. Enabling precisely these kinds of opportunities has been our goal from the very beginning.”
Roell added, “The success of the ZwickRoell Academy is based on an extraordinary partnership. Together with Don Bosco Mondo and our colleagues in India, we have succeeded in establishing a training program that goes far beyond the mere transfer of knowledge. It opens up real opportunities for young people to lead self-determined lives.”
In 2017, the project received the German Entrepreneurship Award for Development. In 2025, the ZwickRoell Academy was among the three nominees for the German federal government’s CSR Award in the “Effective Continuing Education” category.
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