By Vama Rajpal | Fundraising Manager
Employability Programme for Youth in Slums
Unemployment is one of the major problems faced by youth in India. Saath noticed that there are many youngsters in Gujarat who have dropped out of schools to earn livelihood. But they don’t have enough skills, so to get the solution for this issue Saath started employability programs, not only in Gujarat but also in Rajasthan.
Objectives of the Programme:
Report Duration: October 2014 – December 2014
Work done
Introduction about Programs:
The sector has been divided into formal and non-formal trainings:
Udaan:
Udaan program provides livelihood training to youth from vulnerable backgrounds and give them an equal opportunity to employability. The courses selected for the programs are also a result of market research and need assessment program from the community itself. The courses that are currently offered in this program are as follows:
All the above mentioned programs are for entry level jobs. Placement assistance is also provided to the trainees.
Nirman:
Nirman program addresses the training needs of people in the informal sector. Practical and theoretical training is provided which moulds their skills and capabilities to get better incomes. The courses that are currently offered in this program are as follows:
We are also running women batches for electrician and masonry course. For informal trainings, SAATH has collaborated with Bosch India Foundation, American India Foundation and Shivia Micro finance as they both are well known for their qualitative and effective work. They use their expertise in providing opportunity to impart training about safety standards.
Success Story:Vinu Amritbhai Parmar
19 year old Vinu comes from the Santra village of Patan, where he had completed his second year of Bachelors in Commerce. When asked about how he came to Ahmedabad, getting a bit emotional he shares, “I used to live with my parents and younger brother in the village. And our source of income was farming through which we used to earn Rs. 70,000-80,000 annually. The college fee for my one semester was Rs. 1,750. It was becoming difficult for my parents to pay for me and my brother’s education. That time I decided to come to Ahmedabad to work and earn my tuition fees. My decision was opposed by my family, but I still decided to come here against their wishes”.
Vinu’s older brother is been living in Ahmedabad for the past 8 years, he is currently working with Torrent Power on a contract basis as an electrical fitter. He earns Rs 7,000-8,000 a month. Vinu’s brother was also not in favour of him moving to Ahmedabad. Talking about his early days in Ahmedabad Vinu says, “I was little scared and lost in the city, as drinking (alcohol) was very common here in the area where I lived, I was surprised to see so many youth are addicted to drinking.” He started working with his brother, but was not earning enough. 3 months later one day, Mr. Pravin the facilitator at Odhav center of Skills to Succeed program met Vinu and explained to him about training course and what the opportunities are thereafter for him. Vinu said: “I joined the course as I was assured job after completion of the training. Initially I found the training difficult and for the first few days I felt very lonely. My English was weak, my communication skills were poor and I was not confident enough. I was also scared to ask questions in the class as I would fear that other candidates will laugh at me. My trainers realised that I am shy and they gave special attention to me. They encouraged me to participate in class. This boosted my confidence. My English has also improved and now I can converse little but in English.”
After completing the training, placement cell connected him to MyRecharge. He started working as an independent retailer with them, where he provides mobile recharge services. Vinu says. “This work needs lot of networking. Now I am confident to talk to people and market myself and grow my work. My supervisor is quite happy with my monthly sales. I earn Rs. 4,000-5,000 per month but I need to earn and save more before I go back to my studies. I dream to become a lawyer one day.
To pursue my dream, I needed some additional income and thought of taking up another job. I went for campus interview organized by Saath, there I gave an interview to Reliance Insurance Company. This was totally a new experience for me. During my interview I was asked to sell a pen, which I did successfully. Interviewers were happy with my selling skills and offered me a job of Customer Service Executive with a salary of 6,000/month. Now I earn around Rs.11,000-12,000/month and pretty soon I will go back to college.
Training and Placement
Profiling of the students was undertaken by the placement cell at each centre. Students were provided counselling during the batch for guidance and placement support to the students. Below mentioned table shows the status for3 months.
October'14 to December' 14 status
Month Enrolled Trained
Male Female Total Male Female Total
July' 14 17 25 42 7 151 158
August' 14 30 99 129 37 94 131
September' 14 21 207 228 19 56 75
Total 68 331 399 63 301 364
Youth Employability Program Status (October'14 to December' 14)
Month Enrolled Trained
Male Female Total Male Female Total
General 68 311 399 63 301 364
Disabled 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 68 311 399 63 301 364
Undergoing in the month of December'14
Male Female Total
Udaan 75 255 330
Total 75 255 330
Batches completed (no. of batches carried out)
Oct.14 Nov.14 Dec.14 Total
Udaan 7 4 4 15
Total 7 4 4 15
Innovations of the program:
Links:
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