The National Skill and Development Corporation under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna (PMKVY) sanctioned Ambuja Foundation’s skill training institutes (SEDIs) to training 440 youth in the General Duty Assistant (GDA) course. 11 SEDI centres from Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra have been selected to train 40 students per centre in GDA.

Something radical is happening in Inaj village in Veraval, Gir Somnath District. 15 young girls have become the primary breadwinners of their families, having trained in Electronics at SEDI - securing lucrative jobs as Assembly Operators and transforming ingrained perceptions about what women can do.

Despite the pandemic, the SEDI team celebrated World Youth Skills Day with much enthusiasm at all SEDI locations. With the theme, ‘Reimaging Youth Skills Post-Pandemic’, virtual events were organized at various locations with industry experts and partners sharing insights on skill training.

Under the Gramya Vikas Nidhi – Sanction, Ambuja Foundation was provided grant assistance from NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) for implementing the ‘Employability through Skill Initiative Project

“In the online world, a start-up that has a valuation of more than a billion dollars is referred to as a ‘unicorn’.

Halfway between Jodhpur and Bikaner, on the edge of the Thar Desert, lies the city of Nagaur. Its main industries include spices and tourism, and youth in the area primarily turn to agriculture for jobs and a future.

In an absorbing conversation with Thrive, Ravi Nayse, GM – Skill Development at Ambuja Foundation outlines the work A mbuja Foundation has been doing to enable rural youth to have a prosperous future.

Mobilisation of rural youth for skill training programmes has always been a challenge. Traditional mindsets, youth aspirations, and an unwillingness to migrate to other towns/cities often stand in the way of youth enrolment.

On 29th April, 2017,Mangi Budruk village was declared a Smart Village and awarded a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh by the Govt of Maharashtra. Yet a little over a decade ago, barely 10 of its 234 households even had a toilet.

Throughout the world, people want the same things - access to clean air and water; economic opportunities; a safe and healthy place to raise their kids; shelter and a say in the decisions that affect their lives.

"Whenever we have enabled communities to chart their own progress, they have reached far greater heights," points out Pearl Tiwari - CEO of Ambuja Foundation in this riveting interview with Thrive.

Anita Nayak from Jaitaran belongs to a low income group with her father being the only breadwinner of the family. A challenge to make ends meet on a daily basis, farmers in eastern Rajasthan are known to have difficult lives due to the lack of water availability which affects their crop production. But while Anita worked hard in her studies and completed her graduation, she still couldn't secure a decent job.