Tata Chemicals (TCL), India's top chemicals enterprise and a leading producer of fertilisers, food products and food additives, announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tata Community Initiatives Trust (TCIT) to explore and develop skill development initiatives in the country through Tata STRIVE.

The MoU was signed by R Mukundan, Managing Director, Tata Chemicals, and Shankar Venkateswaran, Chief-Tata Sustainability Group. Tata Chemicals is the first Tata group Company to sign the MoU with the Tata STRIVE programme, a Tata group initiative that brings together all the group companies to leverage expertise in its respective sectors and introduce skill development opportunities in the group business and skilling eco-systems.

This partnership will reach out to the underprivileged youth of the country and equip them with skills relevant to the industry, thereby, helping them become more employable. As per the MoU, Tata Chemicals along with the Tata Community Initiatives Trust, will set up a Tata STRIVE Skill Development Center at Aligarh that would become a 'showcase center' for the Tata group, and would help promote the growth and development of the surrounding communities by providing skill development courses.   The company will also encourage its stakeholders - employees, suppliers, distributors and consumers- to support the initiative in various capacities.

Speaking on the development, R Mukundan, MD, Tata Chemicals, said, "Tata Chemicals is delighted to join with Tata STRIVE to bridge the skills gap that exists across the industry value chain, and help build a capable work force required by the Industry. We are positive that this initiative will be highly beneficial to the communities at large, and we will continue to undertake similar initiatives in the future."

Shares of the company gained Rs 4.95, or 1.14%, to settle at  Rs 439.75.  The total volume of shares traded  was  21,347 at the BSE (Monday).