Samsung India has launched a new initiative that will create a host of jobs in the Indian market. It is called DOST, which expands to (Digital and Offline Service Training) and also happens to be the Hindi word for friend. It comes in the face of rising unemployment in the country due to lockdown-related restrictions.

Samsung claims that DOST will create up to 50,000 new jobs over the course of a year. Just about anyone who has completed HSC (the equivalent of high school in India) can be a part of Samsung’s DOST program.

Samsung aiming for large-scale job creation in India

There is no word about the exact eligibility criteria just yet, but we should find out more in the coming weeks. It seems that many people have already enrolled themselves in the program across India.

The classes will include over 200 hours of online classes and OJT (on-the-job training), which will prepare employees for the real world. The company has partnered up with the National Skill Development Centre (NDSC) and will use its infrastructure of over 120 centres nationwide to conduct the hands-on part of the training.

They cover all the basic skills one would require for a life in retail stores, such as customer engagement, managing sales counter, handling customer queries, product demonstration and more.

The DOST initiative should help bolster Samsung India’s offline retail store presence by allowing Samsung to open more stores. Brick and mortar retailers still account for a significant number of sales in the Indian market, despite widespread availability on 4G-enabled smartphones and e-commerce platforms.