Bringing livelihood to 1200 poor rural youth

Youth are unaware of the opportunities in the field of vocational skill and fail to realize that without a proper educational grade they'll be more likely to head down a path that leads to lower-paying jobs, poorer health, and the possible continuation of a cycle of poverty that creates immense challenges for their families and communities.

The passport to success is vocational skill and technical training expertise. Vocational training programs in rural areas appear most successful in terms of enhancing employability and contributing to the human development.

SPPD has helped poor and less educated youth to become skilled in the field of hospitality, of which 92% of this number are placed in a job with a decent livelihood. A highly effective means of motivating young students into the field of skill development is offering free meals, travelling allowance and the required educational materials. This has resulted in the following changes.

Increase in enrolment from 14% students in the year 2012-13 to 85% in 2016-17 in the field of skill training.  Free lunch for five days a week keeps the students more energetic and balances their nutritional diet. Educational material and travelling cost is kept light for the   students, which as a net result marks the attendance level on a high scale.  92% of students are successfully placed resulting in reduction of poverty, enhanced productivity and promoted environmentally sustainable development.

On-the-job trainings helps the students to gain practical knowledge and the stipend received helps the student to meet a part of his educational needs as well as financially supplement his family.

K.Ramamoorthy from a small hamlet in Musiri, Tamil Nadu – pursuing culinary skill,  has an elder brother and sister.  Father and mother has been working as daily wage construction labours.  The elder brother is employed as a police and sister is married and has moved away to her husband’s native town. 

Ramamoorthy was longing for higher education, but discontinued his schooling in 9^th standard as the condition of the family was such, and was forced to take up a job as a painter for financial support of the family.  He was paid Rs.150/- per day and he will be having work for 15 days a month. Days passed by as he was in his painting job, he happened to meet one of his sister’s class mate and heard about the skill training provided for less educated and dropout students by offering free meals, travelling allowance and the required educational materials made him to think of skill training , made him to join the course. He also hoped that this will not be a burden to the family.

During his initial period of the training he had difficulties in writing and reading. With continuous training and of more practical learning he gained confidence. During the training course period he was placed in Hotel Nalla , Namakkal with stipend of Rs.4,000/- per month. Where he gained handful experience in the real industry. The stipend earned in his training period has supported his family economically. 

He appeared for his final exams in June 2016 and successfully passed out. He is now working at the same hotel handling south Indian cuisine and earning Rs.7,500/- per month.