VOCATIONAL TRAINING MISSION
RVTC at Thirukurungudi (Tirune!veti District, Tamil Nadu)
Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisations Tamil Nadu have been successful in running RVTCs focused
on plumbing. electrical and mechanical sldlls by tapping into CSR funds. Sustained corporate
support by TVS Motor Company has been instrumental in setting up two such RVTCs-one in
Thirukurungudi (Tirunelvefi District} that has been running since 2005 and, the second one in
Padovedu {Tiruvonnomoloi District} that was inaugurated in 2018. The CSR support includes
initial establishment costs, operational expenses, trainer costs and materials.
The two Centres also supplement the above core training with computer classes and other
life-skills like Yoga, Spoken English and spiritual classes. Both training facilities ore
well-equipped with leased space (4,000 square feet in Thirukurungudi and 2,000 square feet
in Padavedu), work benches, chairs, tables, writing and display boards, computers, fans,
charts. cut samples of plumbing and electrical materials, and a store of tools.
Botches runs for three months each, with sessions running for four hours every day {Monday
-Friday). Trainees in the age group of 18 to 35, travel to the Centre from villages in a 2Q-35
la’n radius from the Centres. Each batch accommodates between 10 and 25 trainees. The
Thirukurungudi Centre has graduated 380 trainees over 19 batches, while the newer Padavedu
Centre has graduated 50 trainees in two batches. Students are given an electrical and
plumbing tool kit at graduation. The detailed curriculum imports both theory and practical
lessons in equal measure over the course of the training. The practical training includes
on-the-job training at a work site.
Both Centres report impressive placement figures. Nearly 70% of the trainees have secured
jobs while the rest are self-employed in and around their villages. Trainees have joined companies
like TVS, Able Tech, Kirloskar, Wind farm, and CPCL. A few have secured government
jobs. Average salaries reported are about ₹12,000 per month.
Both RVTCs have found that sustained delivery of the programmes, maintaining high quality
and integrity of the training, and achieving maximum employability (whether self-employment
or in companies} are all outcomes that are possible due to the CSR model, where the
entire funding for the training centres is borne by TVS Motors.
