Pune: SOS Children’s Villages of India, India’s largest self-implementing childcare NGO, SOS Children’s Villages of India, has facilitated productive employability for 154 youth (2021), in Pune, through skilling.
Youth, across the country, have been assisted with employability in a wide variety of domains like Digital Marketing, Computer Applications, Financial Accounting, Engineering, Nursing, Nutrition, Hotel Management, Beauty Assistant, Networking Administration, Supply Chain Management, Fashion Designing and Apparel Construction, to name a few.
Skilling, reskilling and upskilling are vital, especially in post pandemic times, owing to loss of jobs; emerging jobs in the market, post the pandemic; and reduction of salaries. Education and Skilling are an important part of the Basket of Care Solutions that SOS Children’s Villages of India has designed in order to deliver customised solutions to the most pressing challenges the country faces. The impetus for the initiative in India stands enhanced, also because of the country’s rich demographic dividend. Under its programme, the NGO has set up Vocational Training Centres to help young people upgrade themselves with necessary skills, and has stepped in with financial support, re-skilling and upskilling opportunities, which have facilitated employment opportunities and better sources of income.
Mr. Sumanta Kar, Secretary General, SOS Children’s Villages of India, said, “In the last two years, we have witnessed a hike in unemployment rate due to the pandemic which has highly impacted vulnerable communities. SOS Children’s Villages of India has been assisting youth across the country by offering necessary skill upgrades through Vocational Training courses under our skilling programme. In Pune, we witnessed an incredible response, with app. 170 youth benefiting from the programme, and over 150 youth securing productive employment in the sectors of their interest. We have received constant support from both, government bodies and corporates to train, and help with employment opportunities, allowing youth to adapt to the changing work environment.”
Somnath Nimhan, a beneficiary, Youth Skilling programme, said: “Both my parents are physically challenged due to which we have faced hardships all our lives. My father sits with a weighing machine to earn a living. Struggling through the years, I somehow managed to pass class XII from a government school. I had to leave my education to support my family, but wanted to secure respectable employment, and a change for myself and my family. Through a friend, I came to know about SOS Children Villages’ s youth skilling programme, through which I was supported. I later opted for a one-year diploma course in Radiology, as a Technician, from VIVO Healthcare Institute, Pune; subsequently, I was placed part time to support my family. I am grateful to SOS Children’s Villages of India for supporting me with the course.”
