The skill level and educational attainment of any workforce determines the productivity as well as the ability to adapt to the changing industrial environment. A majority of the Indian workforce does not possess marketable skills, which is an impediment in getting decent employment and improving one’s economic condition. While India has a large young population, only 5% of the Indian labour force in the age group of 20-24 years has obtained vocational skills through formal means, whereas the percentage in industrialised countries varies between 60 and 96%. About 63% of the school students drop out at different stages before reaching Class X. Also, only about 2.5 million vocational training seats are available in the country, whereas about 12.8 million persons enter the labour market every year. Even out of these training places, very few are available for early school dropouts. These statistics signify that a large number of school dropouts do not have access to skill development for improving their employability. The educational entry requirements and long duration of courses in the formal training system are some of the impediments for a person of low educational attainment to acquire skills for his livelihood. Further, the largest share of new jobs in India is likely to come from the unorganised sector that employs up to 93% of the national workforce, but most of the training programmes cater to the needs of the organised sector.

The Hon’ble Minister of Finance, during the budget speech 2005-06, made the following announcement:

To meet the demand for specific skills of a high order, a Public Private Partnership between Government and Industry is proposed to promote a skills development programme under the name ‘Skill Development Initiative’.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Labour and Employment undertook the development of a new strategic framework for skill development for early school drop outs and existing workers. The main objective of the scheme is to provide employable skills to school leavers, existing workers, ITI graduates, etc. Existing skills of the workforce are also tested and certified under this scheme. Priority is given to those above the age of 14 years, who are now working as child labour, to enable them to learn employable skills and get gainful employment. (Source: http://www.dget.nic.in)

The TARA Livelihood Academy (TLA) is proud to announce its registration as a Vocational Training Provider (VTP) under the Ministry of Labour and Employment to impart skill-based training programmes which lead to a NCVT (National Council for Vocational Training) certificate to the participants. TLA is eligible to conduct training programmes in six modules including Hospitality, Information & Communication Technology (ICT), Retail, Construction, Garment Making, and Food Processing & Preservation. The time taken to gain qualifications will vary according to the pathway taken and is made flexible for people with different backgrounds and experience. Duration has been prescribed in hours in the curriculum of individual module, which are based on the content and requirements of a MES Module.

The DGE&T has appointed assessing bodies to evaluate the competencies of the trained persons. The assessing bodies are independent agencies, not involved in conducting the training programmes. This, in turn, will ensure quality of training and credibility of the scheme.

Training - An Approach to Build the Capacity of Village Groups

Capacity building is the process of developing and strengthening the skills, instincts, abilities, processes and resources that communities need to survive, adapt and thrive in the fast-changing world.

Under the SDC - Sustainable Civil Society Initiatives to address Global Environmental Challenges, project capacity building through training is one of the ways to enhance the ability of affected people to organise themselves and secure the necessary support and resources that help them to adopt practices that reduce vulnerability as well as carbon footprints.

Training and capacity building programmes are being organised for three specific set of actors, viz., groups whose skills and practices are sought to be improved (farmers, women’s groups and artisans) and those groups whose support will be crucial in enabling the target groups to improve their practices on a large scale (Panchayati Raj Institutions, District officials, Government departments, community based organisations, etc.). To enhance the impact of the efforts, different group models at the village level are formed, such as SHGs (Self Help Groups) and CIGs (Common Interest Groups).

Methodology and Approach

• Understanding the present capacities of the target groups
• Understanding the problems faced by these groups
• Understanding the specific intervention points to enhance the capacities of the target groups
• Knowing the possible capacity building methods to enhance the capacities

Artisan Cluster (Masons’ Group)

The construction sector is among the few sectors that provide livelihood opportunities in Bundelkhand region. It is increasingly becoming a major source of GHG emissions from the region. Masons form a highly vulnerable segment in terms of livelihood security and, thus, to support this group with skills, technological options and stakeholder linkages are really required. It is necessary to enhance the livelihood security of the artisans by institution strengthening, skill building on construction of eco-buildings and influencing local and national policies to promote sustainable practices in rural construction.

To build the masons’ capacity, their need assessment was done by following different mechanisms, like Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), detailed survey questionnaires, and personal interviews of a few masons. The major findings regarding their training needs are given below.

The training team found that the first and foremost thing that a mason needed was to be brought into a group. A model was then prepared and first training was conducted on ‘Group Development & Management’ for 45 masons, and a training session on Rat Trap techniques for 12 masons.

Farmers’ Cluster

The Bundelkhand region’s economy is predominantly based on agriculture. Failure in agriculture has become a cyclical phenomenon here. Though the major sources of irrigation in the region are wells, the water in the wells depends on rains. Landless households and the large tribal population of Sahariyas depend on daily wage unskilled labour work in agricultural fields and stone quarries for their livelihoods.

To make the farmers aware about efficient agricultural practices is one of the important ways to ensure livelihood security.

The major identified areas for training and capacity building of farmers’ groups are:

• Improved irrigation methods
• Cropping systems
• Agro forestry
• Improved farming practices
• Vegetable production and management
• Animal husbandry

Finally, 44 farmers from 11 villages in Jhansi district are being targeted under this project. As these 44 farmers are into mainstream project activities and the indirect target is to work with 100 farmers, it was necessary to place these farmers into groups. The concept of Common Interest Groups (CIG) was shared with them and they agreed to work on it. A two-day training on Group Development and Management was conducted initially to make the farmers visualise the project objectives and the way they would be working with each other to achieve those objectives. A three-day training programme was also organised on Package of Practices (POP) for mustard and wheat.

Women’s Energy Cluster

In the case of women, it is necessary to enhance their stake in the management of natural resources and value addition by engaging them as key players in the process of triggering income generation, value addition and resource management, based on renewable energy. With a successful pilot already operational, the project seeks to package this initiative as a replicable model having proper institutional, legal and business aspects in place. Around 40 women are part of this project from the Orchha cluster of Tikamgarh district (Madhya Pradesh). To enhance their capacities so as to achieve the above-mentioned objective, a Training Need Assessment (TNA) was done to understand the key intervention areas for capacity enhancement. The same methodology was adopted (FGDs, survey questionnaires with expert facilitation and individual interviews) to understand the gap.

The major findings of TNA exercise were:
• Women’s literacy status requires attention
• SHGs and their functionality need proper attention
• Micro enterprise development and management
• Accounting and book keeping is vital
• Livestock management needs to be managed better
• Marketing/selling and negotiation skill to be developed
All 40 women who undertook the Adult Literacy programme for more than a month learned to read and write a little. At least now they are very confident and are using a pen to sign, and not pressing their thumbs.
• Most of the women (around 50) were part of SHGs but had never realised its importance due to various reasons. After having completed the training programme, they gained the confidence to strive for income-generation activities
• There is a sense of strong self motivation towards natural resource management and enterprise development on a smaller level

Within a three-year timeframe, it is proposed to develop and demonstrate certain practical methods by which rural communities and local institutions in Bundelkhand are able to maximise value addition to local resources, thereby creating greater livelihood security and minimising their carbon footprint. To do the same, a different mechanism is being followed that includes exposure visits, training programmes, liaison and networking with different stakeholders, etc., in order to achieve the expected outcome of the projects.

On every training programme, a pre- and post-participant’s knowledge assessment is also being carried out to understand their levels of learning and the various issues which help in re-designing/defining the strategies. q

Madhuban Pandey
mpandey@devalt.org