Ola Partners With NSDC To Train 100K Drivers, Commits $14 Mn In The Next 3 Years

Online cab hailing platform Ola has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) of India, that is aimed towards training and skill development of 100,000 driver partners in the next three years.

The MoU was signed by Bhavish Aggarwal, CEO & co-founder, Ola and Manish Kumar, MD and CEO, NSDC in the presence of Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Union Minister of State Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Murli Manohar Joshi, member of Parliament, Kanpur, UP, Ram Naik, Governor, Uttar Pradesh, and Devendra Singh, Member of Parliament, Akbarpur, UP.

Under this strategic partnership, both Ola and NSDC will provide skill development training to drivers to facilitate them in becoming drivers with Ola. To this end, Ola has committed an investment of $14 Mn (INR 100 Cr) towards adding 100,000 drivers to its platform.

Commenting on the development, Bhavish Aggarwal, CEO and co-founder, Ola said, “We believe skilling is critical to create sustainable livelihood in India. The mobility sector in the country is witnessing phenomenal growth and has the potential to empower aspiring individuals from all walks of life to become entrepreneurs. We are extremely excited to partner with NSDC to invest in the training and skilling of drivers as this would help us in realising our larger goal to skill 50 lakh drivers in the next five years while contributing towards our mission of building mobility for a billion Indians.”

As per an official statement, Ola has already partnered with Indian financial institutions and car manufacturers to give the driver partner community easy access to capital, insurance and vehicles at discounted prices. It has also launched India’s first trainingcentrer for drivers in partnership with Rise India and NSDC at Chapra, Bihar.

Manish Kumar, MD and CEO, NSDC said, “We are extremely happy to work alongside Ola, driving this campaign that has the potential to significantly improve livelihoods and contribute to the economic growth of lakhs of Indians. Such initiatives will go a long way in promoting skill development and creating an environment of entrepreneurship for the people of the country.”

In September 2015, Ola signed a MoU with Government of Andhra Pradesh. As per the MoU, Ola will help to bring in technology to support over 50,000 vehicles in the next three years to ensure smart, reliable and safe transportation in the cities of Andhra Pradesh. Prior to that, it’s archrival Uber had also inked a deal with Tamil Nadu Government to create work and entrepreneurship opportunities, foster technical innovation and support development in the state.