VOCATIONAL TRAINING MISSION
Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisations Maharashtra have experimented with a different model of
youth vocational training. Rather than establishing RVTCs, SSSSO Maharashtra tied up with
other organizations that already have well established training programmes. Some of these
are: Don Bosco in Karjat. lata Strive in Airoli, and ICICI Academy in Pune. The ICICI Academy
in Nag pur is a facility to train female candidates.
The Sri Sathya Sai Samitis in various towns and villages identify rural youth that could benefit
from the vocational training courses. Videos of vocational training programmes are used to
acquaint the youth with the content. The Samitis recognized that youth do not have to go
to distant cities for employment. There is a great need for trained and skilled labour in tier 2,
3 and 4 towns which are underserved. Accordingly, some of the job-oriented courses that
youth are sent to after selection are: AC and refrigerator mechanics, electrical, welding,
pump repair, appliances repair, office administration and home health assistants programme.
Rural and tribal youth from the districts of Akola, Sangli, Aurangabad, Nashik, Buldhana,
Satara and Yavatmal have benefited from the vocational training courses.
Once the candidates are selected and sent to the residential training courses, the local
SSSSO Samitis continue to support those who cannot afford the costs with boarding and
lodging. Thus, SSSSO ensures that all arrangements are taken care of during the training periods
that range from three to six months. The host organization that conducts the training
pays for the programme. The agencies training the candidates help with placements as
well. Some of the trainees from ICICI Academy have received pay packages of ~2-2.5 lakhs
per annum. Companies they have been placed in include Kotak Mahindra Bank, Kirloskar,
Godrej, Videocon, and Haier. Welders trained at Don Bosco go on to earn ~8000-1 3,000 per
month depending on their location, while AC Mechanics working as free lancers manage to
earn up to ~20,000 per month.
The rural youth are unused to and unprepared for the regimented training programmes and
the work culture required of professionals. Volunteers from Sri Sathya Sai Samitis ensure that
some hand holding is continued even after the trainees arrive at the training centre, as well
as after they join employment at various companies. Counselling sessions are held to prevent
dropouts and moral support is provided during training and employment. Employed
youth are encouraged to remit at least ~1 ,000 per month to their families. Consequently,
families also convey their happiness at the thought of their boys and girls working as professionals.
Through this collaborative model, SSSSO can contribute by mobilizing youth in rural areas and leverage the strength of already established training academies whose vast networlk of thousands of companies help with successful placements of trainees. About 90% of the trainees go for corporate employment while the remaining are self-employed. So far, 840 youth- both boys and girls-have been selected and sent for training through this model by SSSSO. Access to such resources for rural youth, especially from tribal areas, can be a game changer for their own as well as their families’ futures.
Through this collaborative model, SSSSO can contribute by mobilizing youth in rural areas and leverage the strength of already established training academies whose vast networlk of thousands of companies help with successful placements of trainees. About 90% of the trainees go for corporate employment while the remaining are self-employed. So far, 840 youth- both boys and girls-have been selected and sent for training through this model by SSSSO. Access to such resources for rural youth, especially from tribal areas, can be a game changer for their own as well as their families’ futures.
