Pravaranagar Project
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Phase I
In December 2004, the first batch of 100 students commenced training in Motor Vehicle Engineering; Fabrication, Welding & Pipe work courses in ITI Loni, one of the vocational institutes run by PRES. The training programme was inaugurated with much fanfare and the audience, consisting of eager students and excited parents, was addressed by various dignitaries from the local region. The students successfully completed their assessments & achieved City & Guilds certification in their respective trades within 3-4 months of commencing their training.
Phase II
The success of the programme generated interest of a lot of other institutes and the next batch of training spread into two more institutes and number of trades for training increased from initial two to five with inclusion of subjects like Air-conditioning & Refrigeration, Skills in Beauty Therapy etc. – all relevant to the local industry thus providing sufficient opportunities to the trained youth to seek employment locally. The second batch witnessed successful certification of almost 200 students.
Phase III
The Skills Development Initiative scaled new heights when the famed Saibaba Sansthan Trust at Shirdi, an autonomous body managing the holy shrine of Saibaba, involved in a number of social activities in the region, took upon itself the task of spreading the skills initiative to the entire rural Ahmednagar district. The Government of Maharashtra in August 2006 sanctioned a special grant of about Rs 7.0 Million to provide funding for training of more than 2000 school drop outs.
Involvement of the Saibaba Sansthan has given a new fillip to the entire skills initiative and presently, more than 700 candidates in the first lot are undergoing training in 17 different technical institutes in Ahmednagar District. Training is provided in the following trades:
- Motor Vehicle Repairing,
- Two Wheeler Repairing,
- Plumbing,
- Welding Fabrication,
- Beauty Therapy,
- Garment making,
- Metal Machining,
- Masonry,
- Basic Electronics,
- Electrical Installation etc
Conclusion
Through the CII Skills Development Initiative, the rural youth are getting an opportunity to shed their inhibitions of traditional classroom education and also to acquire practical & work related skills with internationally recognized certification. It has allowed the candidates to acquire skills for employment and growth and enhance levels of performance through internationally benchmarked skills. Above all, it has given an opportunity to the unskilled & unemployed youth to join the mainstream, giving them a sense of social inclusiveness.
