The Trust was the first to introduce the concept of skill training for school drop-outs to villages in south Gujarat. Since its inception, over 3600 students, including 1100 girls have graduated from the Anil Naik Technical Training Centre. Most of the students who have graduated from this institute have found gainful employment. The Centre has a placement rate of over 70 per cent. It is affiliated to the National Skill Development Corporation and is widely regarded as a Centre of Excellence.
Even during the nationwide lock-down period, the Centre continued with on-line study material and assessments.
‘Second Chance’ Programme
The ‘Second Chance’ initiative straddles two domains, viz., Skill Building as well as Education. Essentially, it involves giving trainees at the Anil Naik Technical Training Centre a second chance to complete their studies and secure a Class 10 certification through the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), under the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
The subjects offered include English, Gujarati, Mathematics, Science, Data Entry Operations and Painting. The programme boosts the self-confidence of the trainees and greatly enhances their prospects for employment.
The Centre’s faculty comprises active as well as retired professionals drawn from leading industrial organisations. Their long years of experience enable them to impart skills in a manner that is easily assimilated by trainees. They also benefit from a system that encourages continuous training and development of professional skills.
Vocational training is helping bring women into the mainstream of rural society. Skilling counters traditional gender biases and gives women a degree of financial independence. It is widely acknowledged that women who are in a position to earn their livelihood, can function with a far greater sense of responsibility, and social commitment than their male counterparts.
When they enter the Anil Naik Technical Training Centre, the young men and women have very few formal qualifications and virtually no professional prospects. Within months, the very same youths have turned themselves into electricians, mechanics, and technicians or office assistants and tailors. They then find jobs – either as part of the crew of subcontractors to major companies or grow into self-employed professionals, with the means to support themselves and their families.
Skill training has a transformative effect. It gives uneducated and unemployed youth a new sense of self-worth. They now possess the skill to become productive members of society. As many trainees have said, after completing skill training courses, “Now, we feel that we are actually worth something. We can do something for ourselves and our families.”