Federal Bank today launched its Skill Academy in Coimbatore, the second in the country, after Kochi.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the launch, D. Sampath, the Bank Chief General Manager and Head, Network II, said that the academy will initially provide an in-demand CNC machine operator course in milling and turning, certified by Coimbatore-based CoIndia, cluster development project backed by both the centre and state government.

The initiative will facilitate underprivileged students to successfully complete the three-month course that make them employable for opportunities both in India and abroad, Sampath said.

Stating that the initiative was part of the bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), he said that 120 students will be trained in the first batch. Considering the demand, the batch size will be increased in future. The bank, he said, will incur an expense of Rs.1 crore in the first year to create the infrastructure for the project.

Students between the ages of 18 and 25, who have passed Class XII, ITI/polytechnic/Degree or Engineering dropouts, and whose annual family income does not exceed Rs.2 lakhs, can apply for the course, he said.

The Kochi academy has trained 90 persons, who are already placed, and another 90 are undergoing training, Balachandran, Chairman of SB Global Education Centre, the implementing partner for this project, said, adding that the Bank will open an academy in Bihar too.

CoIndia president, Mahendra Ramadass, inaugurated the academy.