What is Skill Development?
In the threshold of 21st century, skill development has become a buzzword in the developing countries. Following the trend, India being one of the young developing country has put its efforts to increase the percentage of skilled workforce which have been highly fragmented so far. Despite the efforts, there is a huge gap in the Indian job market between the demand and supply of the workforce. A recent study by Economic Survey 2014-15 has quoted that as per the labour Bureau Report 2014, the present skilled workforce in India is only 2 percent, which is much lower when compared to the developed nations. To name a few, the major key issues which have been broadly discussed as driving challenges are – lack of cohesion between formal and vocational education, inadequate training facility and infrastructure, quality of training materials and trainers, etc.
Smile’s Role:
With an aim to address this issue, Smile Foundation launched Smile Twin e- learning Programme (STeP) in the year 2007 which aims at creating a pool of young and independent youth between the age group 18-28 years, who are 10th pass/12th pass/undergraduates, from the marginalized section, through skill enhancement in tandem with market requirements. It is an effort towards bridging the gap between demand and supply of skilled manpower in the fast emerging services and retail sectors of modern India.
Since last year more than 24,000 youth have been trained and 16,000 have been placed through operational STeP centers located in Delhi & NCR, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad and Ahmadabad. Smile caters to more than 500 employers who employ the youth trained under STeP Programme. 55% of the total beneficiaries were women
My Experience:
Smallest of things can make you smile. Making someone happy, helping them earn a living, adding more knowledge to a person’s life is an experience worth cherishing and value forever. When you get to hear the success stories of people you met and worked with, it gives you immense satisfaction and makes you proud of your efforts.
My idea of Skill Development is to raise confidence, boost productivity and provide the right direction to the youth to get entry-level jobs. Development of skills at a young age is very essential to channelize them for proper opportunities.
Nevertheless, every job should be given equal opportunity and emphasis.
To know more about our program STeP, please log into https://www.smilefoundationindia.org/e_learning.html
Or Contact Priyanuja – 9643141586
