As part of the Wellness & Life Skills initiative, FLO Chennai held a focused roundtable discussion and industry-connect visit at the RMD Trust Caregiving & Home Healthcare Training Centre on 19 May 2026. The interaction aimed to better understand workforce realities, employability challenges, training structures, and long-term sustainability in the caregiving and allied healthcare sector.
The session brought together healthcare leaders, CSR representatives, academic experts, caregiver trainees undergoing on-the-job training, and FLO Chennai representatives for an open and solution-oriented discussion on workforce preparedness, communication gaps, employability, emotional resilience, and livelihood opportunities in the caregiving ecosystem.
Key discussions focused on the increasing demand for trained caregivers in palliative care, geriatric care, and home healthcare services, alongside challenges relating to workforce retention, emotional burnout, workplace discipline, communication barriers, and unrealistic salary expectations within the sector. The interaction also highlighted the importance of mobilising rural beneficiaries into caregiving and healthcare support roles through structured skilling and placement initiatives.
Representatives from RMD Trust shared insights into their TNSDC-linked and CSR-supported mobilisation model, through which candidates from rural and economically vulnerable backgrounds are identified, counselled, trained, and placed in healthcare support roles.
A significant highlight of the discussion was RMD Trust’s continuous learning framework, where trainees return periodically for evaluation, reassessment, and feedback reviews even after placement. This ongoing monitoring process was recognised as an effective model for maintaining quality standards, identifying skill gaps, and providing refresher support where required.
The round table further reinforced the importance of integrating life skills, communication training, workplace etiquette, confidence building, and emotional resilience into technical caregiving programmes, particularly for patient-facing roles.
FLO Chennai representatives also discussed the concept of a “Beyond Care – Finishing School Initiative” to support caregivers during the transition from training to employment through mentoring, professional grooming, workplace readiness, and continuous learning support. The interaction concluded with discussions on future collaborations and ecosystem-driven impact initiatives within the caregiving and healthcare workforce sector.