ISS India Charts Ambitious Growth Plans; Aims for Substantial Manpower Increase and Enhanced Education and Skill Development for its Employees in the Coming Years
Mumbai: ISS A/S (ISS Group), a leading global workplace experience and facility management company with more than 350,000 employees globally, is set to bolster its presence and operations in India through its OneISS strategy, as India’s thriving outsourcing market and robust economic growth present unprecedented opportunities for expansion. India stands as a pivotal growth market for ISS, and the company aims to fortify its position within global customers that operate in India as well while also serving unique clients.
The company has also announced a significant new education program, Education for All, that would enable more than 42,000+ of its frontline workers to benefit from official handholding, financial support, and robust educational tie-ups for attaining formal education certifications and degrees to enhance their professional journeys.
Group CEO of ISS A/S Kasper Fangel, who is on his first visit to India shortly after taking up his new role, said, “Today, India is a key growth market for ISS, and with our OneISS strategy, we are poised for significant expansion. By sharpening our focus on workforce development, key business segment growth, technology investments, and a new globally aligned operating model, we are using our global scale to drive superior value for all stakeholders. This strategic approach positions us to become the most respected global leader in integrated facility services.”
Kasper added, “The new education program, Education for All, reinforces our commitment towards making a meaningful impact in India by focusing on innovation, sustainability, and skilling, which are critical to achieving our environmental, social, and governance goals.”
ISS sees India as a key contributor in reaching its cultural ambition of becoming ‘The Company of Belonging’. The company has a chosen objective to play an instrumental part in the lives and careers of its employees and communities that it operates in. Since its inception in India, ISS has kept an unwavering focus on social sustainability responsibilities, creating employment and empowering thousands of men and women to move into the organised and formal sector.
Aksh Rohatgi, CEO and Country Manager, ISS India, added, “ISS began operations in India eighteen years back and made an impact in the integrated facility management business with its sustainability focus, marquee global experience and ability to deliver services to a high standard of customer expectation. ISS India is thrilled to align its growth ambitions with the OneISS strategy. Leveraging our key pillars of innovation, sustainability, and skilling, we are intensely focused on increasing overall revenue and expanding the employee base drastically by 2025. Our optimism arises from India’s great position today as not only one of the World’s most important markets but also a global manufacturing and services hub.
Aksh added, “True to ISS’s values, we are committed to making a substantial positive social impact and ushering in equal opportunities in India by focusing on our people imperatives. The Education for All program would help our frontline staff continue and complete their educational journeys and, in effect, also re-skill them. We envisage our Placemakers at all levels to continuously reach new peaks of professional excellence, get ready for higher responsibilities, and enhance their quality of life.”
The new Education for All policy in India would enable ISS placemakers who have recently entered the formal employment sector to complete their 10th and 12th Boards and Graduation. Another significant arm of the program is the Diploma in Facility Management certification for existing site managers. The program would be facilitated through collaborations with National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), Symbiosis Skills and Professional University and Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU).
Earlier in 2023, ISS undertook a multifaceted approach underscoring the company’s dedication to environmental responsibility, employee welfare, and technological advancement in the workplace. In a significant move towards sustainability and innovation, in March 2023, ISS relocated its India Headquarters to a state-of-the-art office powered entirely by green energy. The new office has a groundbreaking Facility Management Experience Center, boasting over 50 in-house technological innovations set to redefine the way the company works. ISS also forged a collaborative partnership with TATA Power Renewable Energy Limited (TPREL) to jointly champion the cause of achieving net zero Carbon emissions, aligning with their shared vision for a sustainable future.