CASE STUDY

AKZONOBEL PAINT ACADEMY

 SECTION D: CASE STUDY - LIVELIHOOD PROJECT

A. Details of the project

In synergy with Govt. of India’s flagship programme ‘Skill India’, AkzoNobel India initiated skill training in
painting to promote employability amongst youth. In order to reach the objective, the Company set up 8
AkzoNobel Paint Academy centres in 7 cities of India namely Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Lucknow, Gorakhpur,
Bengaluru and Navi Mumbai. These centres offer skill training in Decorative Paints and Vehicle Refinish. In the
last three years, over 5,500 youth and in 2019-20, around 2,805 youth and painters have been trained in the
Academy and employed with leading automobile companies and paint contractors. The training includes
modules focussing on modern painting techniques, knowledge of paint surfaces and use of safety tools and PPE
(Personal Protective Equipment). The Academy also focusses majorly on developing soft skill qualities of the
painters to ensure better customer satisfaction and better client relationship. The short-term skill training in
Vehicle Refinish is one of the first of its kind training in the country which is helping hundreds of youth get
skilled employment in the automobile sector. Apart from providing fresh skill training, AkzoNobel Paint
Academy also initiated providing upskill training to existing painters. As majority of the workforce in the painting
profession is untrained and less educated, they often neglect safety and lack technical and grievance redressal
skills. The upskill training specifically addresses these gaps while providing short duration training programme to
the existing painters.

B. Objectives of the Project:

The thematic area was chosen as there is wide skill gap in the painting industry and painters are in the bottom of
the pyramid. AkzoNobel decided to address the issue as painters are very important stakeholders of the Company
and it was its moral responsibility to improve their socio-economic conditions. It also realized the huge
opportunity the trade offers for addressing the issue of unemployment or underemployment in India. Apart when
AkzoNobel wanted to create its CSR strategy it realized that through this project it can use its inherit knowledge of
paints and experience of over 150 years spread across 70 countries of the world.

The project tries to address the issue of unemployment and underemployment for communities at bottom of
the pyramid and people belonging to disadvantaged section of society. Apart it addresses the below problems:

• Lack of employment opportunities for youth with lesser education

• Lack of availability of skilled workforce in blue collared jobs specially in the painting industry
• Lack for formal trainings available in painting sector (for fresh skilling and of upskilling)
• No representation of women in the painting industry
• No opportunities for rehabilitation for disadvantages communities and groups (prison inmates,
transgenders, juveniles with conflict with law)

• Highly unorganized structure of the workforce in the painting industry

• Low or zero level of Health and Safety practices followed by the workforce of the painting industry leading
to high level of accidents and precious life loss

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C. Process of implementation (stakeholders, dialogue mechanism, etc.)
AkzoNobel followed multiple levels of engagements in implementing the project. In the first phase, it
conducted need assessment to understand the employment scenario in the paints sector specially in context to
construction and automobile sector. In this stage it consulted with various stakeholders like Govt. officials
(National Skill Development Corporation), NGO’s/training agencies, industry representatives/employers,
current painters and youth. The consultations involved having individual meetings, community meetings,
meetings at workplace, etc. Once the problem was identified and understood, a project was designed to
address it. While designing the project, stakeholder’s views were incorporated to ensure effective
implementation and sustainability. In order to ensure that the project’s progress is tracked and it attends its
true objectives and KPI’s, Monitoring and Evaluation framework was designed. After the project was initiated, it
was ensured the activities are on track as per timelines and stakeholder’s feedback is regularly taken. As per
plan, regular review meetings and monthly reports and MIS were generated to quantify the outcomes of the
project and rectify steps whenever required. This helped us to remain focused on our project objectives. The
regular reviews and feedback also helped us to make corrections in the project design, course content, etc., as
and when required. As the project involved working closely with painters and industry employers, consultations
are regularly organized with them. In order to ensure effective participation of stakeholders, a stakeholder
committee has been made which is also responsible to keep track of the project and mentoring the project.

D. Impact of the project

The project within a short span of time has created large and quantifiable impact in the community. The most
prominent amongst them is that it has given painting identity of a skilled profession rather than an unskilled job.
Second, it has created a huge attractive employment opportunity to underprivileged youth with less
qualification. Third, for the first time, it has helped females to become professional painters, which is a first.
Lastly, it has helped existing painters to sharpen their skill, understand the importance of health & safety which
has led to a steep increase in their wages.

Some of the numbers and facts to be considered to understand the impact of the program are:

1) The project within three years has provided employment to more than 5,500 youth across seven cities
of India
2) Cutting-edge technology: First Company to use painting simulators for imparting skill training in Vehicle
Refinish
3) Breaking gender stereotypes: Trained around 70 girls/ female painters in Decorative Paints (DP) field
and provided a fresh avenue for employment for them
4) Rehabilitation of Prison Inmates: Provided skill training to 125 prison inmates of Faridabad District Jail
and later linked 25 of them with employment once they completed their prison terms
5) Initiated skill training programme for transgenders and helped them to start a career as decorative
painters which is a first in the country
6) Short Term Vocational skill training imparted in Vehicle Refinish (VR) field which is first of its kind in
India

7) Developed industry requirement-based curriculum for Decorative Paints and Vehicle Refinish which has
been appreciated by Sector Skill Council
8) The training has significantly reduced injuries in the trade through improved Health and Safety
standards followed by the painting professionals

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E. Challenges of the Project:
The paint academy provided us ample amount of learnings in the last five years. While we could achieve many
successes in these years, but we also faced and continue to face a lot of challenges in implementing the Project.

Some of them are listed below:

1. Unorganized Sector: The biggest challenge of them is India has one of the most unorganized blue collared
work forces. Despite the large amount of changes witnessed by the industry in the last decade the working
conditions and jobs are far from satisfactory and therefore it’s not an attractive sector for the youth to join
as a professional. For all these reasons there is low aspiration among youth to join the trade which make
the mobilization process very difficult for the training.

2. Low or no requirement of skill at entry level resulting into low wages- Almost 95% of the people working
as painters have no formal training whatsoever. Most of the people joins as helpers of the painters with
low or no painting skills. Its only over the years they learn and acquire the skills and becomes skilled
painter. Therefore, at the entry level the paint contractors pay them basic wages of an unskilled worker
and not of a skilled one.

3. Low or zero level of Health& safety practices resulting into fatalities and serious injuries- Though in the last
two decades things have improved in HSE practices of the construction industry but still its far from ideal.
Very little PPE (Personal Protective Equipment’s) tools are currently used by the painters during their work
which often results into fatalities or injuries. The reason behind this as most of the painters are not
sensitised enough to understand the importance of PPE and neither the employer insists on its usage as it
often leads to extra costs for him.

4. Availability of many similar trainings: In India post the launch of Skill India campaign there are lot of Govt.
sponsored trainings available for the youth of the country. Unfortunately, most of these trainings are not
job oriented and focuses only on numbers rather than the end goal of providing a job to the trainee. These
trainings in order to attract youth often provides many goodies including giving money for taking the
training. In presence of such trainings its difficult to motivate a youth to join trainings which wont pay
them diring the training .

5. Non commitment nature of the students: Most of the youth from the metro cities who takes the training
often doesn’t join a job when provided so. The reasons are apprehension to do hard work specially when
easy money can be earned by working as delivery boys for E-tailers/food delivery apps. What they don’t
realize is by doing so they are not learning any skills and the high salaries are also not sustainable (like
what happened to drivers earning high money initially at Ola/Uber).

6. Placement Challenge: Due to the unorganized nature of the industry its always a challenge to provide
good job placement opportunity to the trained youth specially in Decorative Paints Trade. The
employment provided also is often seasonal in nature and not always steady. There are only a few big
contractors who keep painters in their regular pay roll. While the situation in the trade of Vehicle
Refinish is better but even here in most of the cases the students are hired not directly by automobile
body shops but by third party workforce provider. Such agencies often pay lower salaries and doesn’t
provide social security measures.

7. Gender Stereotyping: Painting is a male dominated profession and therefore it’s not easy to place girls in
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 the profession. The challenges include the reluctance of contractors to employ girls specially keeping in
mind their safety issues, long working hours and providing sanitation facilities

8. Availability of good training agencies: Though currently in India due to push of ‘Skill India’s campaign there
are hundreds of skill training agencies providing training in vocational skills. However, there are a very few
qualitative training agencies who has got good experience at the ground level specially in the blue collared
trades.

9. Tracking of Students: Its very important to support and counsel students regularly for atleast first 3
months to ensure they continue in their job and trade. However, this become difficult as they often
change their contact numbers. In absence of tracking we have often experienced high level of dropouts
even after job placements.

F. Questions:
1) How to attract more youth in the sector and the training given the existing challenges?

2) How to provide better placement, improved wages, work environment to painters working in the sector?

3) How to break gender stereotyping and ensure more participation of girls in the sector?

4) How to facilitate in making the sector more organized?

5) What can be the components of the training programme/project that can further enrich it or provide value
addition?

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