HCLFoundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of HCLTech, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation to deliver digital skills training to 2,500 rural youth over the next three years.

The digital skills training programme targets youth in the Vilathikulam and Pudur blocks of Thoothukudi district, covering 95 village panchayats. It includes setting up micro workspaces at block headquarters to support remote jobs in information technology and IT-enabled services, with a placement tracking system to monitor outcomes.

The initiative falls under TNSDC’s “Vetri Nichayam” scheme, which offers digital skills training and job placement for unemployed people aged 18-35.

“This MoU with HCLFoundation is a proactive step to equip local youth with the digital skills training needed to participate meaningfully in the district’s evolving economic landscape,” Kranthi Kumar Pati, TNSDC managing director, said in a statement.

The digital skills training programme aims to curb rural-to-urban migration by creating local employment and to boost women’s participation in sectors including IT, logistics and finance, officials said.

Thoothukudi is developing as an industrial centre in Tamil Nadu, and the digital skills training addresses educated unemployment in rural areas, said Alok Varma, HCLFoundation project director.

HCLTech is a global technology services firm based in Noida, India.