- CNH Industrial, in cooperation with Don Bosco Educational Projects, and with the support of its brand Iveco, has launched a professional youth certificate programme in Ennerdale, Johannesburg. Part of the company's global TechPro2 initiative, this programme will provide young people from the local community with an opportunity for professional growth and the development of valuable skills to enter the workforce.

LONDON, April 24, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- CNH Industrial N.V. (NYSE: CNHI / MI: CNHI) has launched the latest instalment of its global TechPro² programme in Johannesburg, South Africa. The inauguration ceremony took place on April 23 at the Don Bosco Educational Projects School in Ennerdale. The ceremony was attended by local representatives as well as employees from CNH Industrial who were directly involved in bringing this project to fruition.

"TechPro² has created a model for innovative relationships between schools and the professional workforce. Students will rediscover a passion for learning and studying and are then able to put it all into practise. They will feel more in charge of their own lives, already having a foot in the door and receiving further encouragement to make the most of their potential," said Daniela Ropolo, Sustainable Development Initiatives Manager for the EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) & APAC (Asia Pacific) regions at CNH Industrial, in her speech at the ceremony.

First launched in 2008 as a collaboration between Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (now Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, sister company to CNH Industrial) and the CNOS-FAP Federation (The National Centre for Salesian Projects - Professional Training), the mission of the TechPro² project is to support local communities by recruiting young people and providing them with highly technical training.

This training will in turn qualify them for professional placements in the automotive and industrial vehicles sectors. Today, TechPro² has established collaborations with more than 50 schools in Argentina, Brazil, China, Ethiopia, India, Italy, Poland, Spain, The Philippines, Uruguay and now South Africa. Over 9,300 students have been trained to date.

CNH Industrial will provide funding and resources to the programme in South Africa, which will train 12 students each year. Upon completion, the graduates will earn a certificate in Professional Commercial Vehicles Mechanics. This certificate will be recognised by the South African government agency MerSETA. Graduates are then provided with internship opportunities within the company's local network to put their newly-learned skills to work, gaining valuable on-the-job experience.

CNH Industrial has built the site's workshop and provided the tools, equipment, engines and a heavy range Stralis truck from its Iveco brand for students to practise on. In addition to supplying the physical workshop and supplies, CNH Industrial's most valuable contribution to the programme is its industry expertise. Professionals from the company are brought in to transfer their knowledge through the delivery of technical training to local instructors in a phase classified as "Train the Trainer".

This is the second TechPro² site to be established by CNH Industrial in Africa together with its key partner: the Salesians of Don Bosco, a Roman Catholic congregation dedicated to carrying out education and missionary work around the world. The first site, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, was inaugurated in December 2013. All of the 22 students who graduated after the site's first cycle found employment following their graduation.

More information on TechPro² can be found at: techpro2.com/en/homepage

CNH Industrial N.V. (NYSE: CNHI /MI: CNHI) is a global leader in the capital goods sector with established industrial experience, a wide range of products and a worldwide presence. Each of the individual brands belonging to the Company is a major international force in its specific industrial sector: Case IH, New Holland Agriculture and Steyr for tractors and agricultural machinery; Case and New Holland Construction for earth moving equipment; Iveco for commercial vehicles; Iveco Bus and Heuliez Bus for buses and coaches; Iveco Astra for quarry and construction vehicles; Magirus for firefighting vehicles; Iveco Defence Vehicles for defence and civil protection; and FPT Industrial for engines and transmissions. More information can be found on the corporate website: www.cnhindustrial.com

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SOURCE CNH Industrial N.V.