Investor: Ministry of Rural Development - DDU-GKY Scheme
Project: Skill Development
Locations: Howrah, Hoogli, Murshidabad, West Bengal
Partnership Duration: 3 years
When your schooling comes to an end in a remote, rural area, the opportunities and pathways available to you are limited. Particularly if you are from a low income background and cannot afford to travel and stay away to study or learn a trade - it casts a bleak shadow over the future.
Because of this, for many years, the team at Sankrail's SEDI had been training local people from within the 28 local villages of Sankrail Block. And whilst things were running smoothly, however there was a desire to make a bigger impact, and help those from the interiors.
It was a similar situation in Farraka, a remote community close to the border of Bangladesh where Ambuja Foundation also runs a SEDI. But how could they help the most marginalised youth of the state, gain skills that would help them forge a livelihood?
To tackle this problem, the team at SEDI set their sights on establishing two residential facilities. With the launch of the new DDU-GKY Scheme, under the Ministry of Rural Development and Utkarsh Bangla (PBSSD, GoWB), the team set about submitting an application.
The DDU-GKY Scheme, an initiative of the Ministry of Rural Development (GOI), aims to skill rural youth from underprivileged backgrounds and was started with an aim to promote rural livelihoods.
In 2017, Ambuja Foundation became one of the first implementing partners under the scheme, with funding allotted to Ambuja Foundation for the establishment of hostel facilities to support rural youth from marginalised communities in the districts of Howrah, Hoogli, Malda and Murshidabad, West Bengal, in accessing skill training.
Additionally, the Ministry provided financial support for 1125 trainees to attend skill training courses - learning trades such as 2/3 Wheeler Automobile, Electrician, Sewing Machine Operator, Smartphone Repair and Welding.
The Government of India has set an ambitious target for providing skill training to 500 million of youth by 2022, which is in line with the estimated demand for skilled manpower over the next decade.
Ambuja Foundation is playing its part, thanks to investment from the Ministry of Rural Development & Utkarsh Bangla (PBSSD, GoWB), in skilling the nation, and today young people from scheduled castes in remote areas of West Bengal are thriving with new found futures, thanks to this value-added program.
IMPACTS:
- 368 Students Trained
- 7 Courses on Offer
- 28 Placement Partners
- 2 New Residential Facilities Operational
- ₹7,500 Average Starting Salary
