Changing lives

Twentytwoyearold Ajay Yadav who stays at a transit camp in Lower Parel never imagined that he would be working as an accountant in a multinational company Till a couple of months ago the son of a mill worker was attending computer classes but was unsure whether that will help him land a job But today the BCom graduate not only has a cushy job but is also brimming with confidence Things changed for Yadav after he enrolled himself in Tamanna a oneofitskind skill development and training programme earlier this year It has been initiated by The Skills Academy an entrepreneurial venture by former Genpact CEO Pramod Bhasin and Pia Singh Director DLF India and Vandana Foundation a Mumbaibased nonprofit organisation founded by former DGP and Police Commissioner AN Roy and his daughter Saumya Extop cop A N Roy with his daughter Saumya at the Vandana Foundation office in Bandra East PAbhinav Kocharekar The initiative aims to impart skills to undereducated as well as educated individuals hailing from poor backgrounds and enable them to be financially independent Tamanna kick started its activities with a sixmonth free training programme last December The programme which concluded in February 2013 was attended by 96 students hailing from Bhandup Nahur Kurla Mankhurd Dharavi Dongri and Bhendi Bazaar All of them are now employed with reputed companies such as Serco Reliance KFC Cafeacute Coffee Day and Pizza Hut The training involved learning English computer skills typing and grooming classes apartfrom workshops on grooming and dining etiquette Chairman Pramod Bhasin The Skills Academy says ldquoThere is a huge need for skill development in India With Tamanna we aim to provide employable skills to youngsters i e impart skills that will equip job aspirants with the right capabilities to be employed In the near future we plan to work across industries and all over the countryrdquo The idea AN Roy says is to tackle two problems at the same time mdash poverty and unemployment ldquoIndia has a huge population of young educated unemployed individuals If we can manage to give a job to even one person then he or she can take care of their entire familyrdquo says Roy Since its inception in 2010 Royrsquos Vandana Foundation has been working closely with slum dwellers and wives of farmers who committed suicide in Yavatamal and Wardha and providing them with lowinterest microlending facilities to make them financially independent After Roy learnt that Bhasin was looking at setting up a skill development programme that assured employment to youngsters he approached him to kick start a pilot project in Mumbai ldquoOften the women would request us to give jobs to their children We thought Tamanna was a good way to make these youngsters independent and also enable us to reach out to minority pockets of the cityrdquo While Vandana Foundation identified and supplied students The Skills Academy trained them Royrsquos daughter Saumya played an active role in organising meetings with slum kids and mobilising them to join Tamanna Though she confesses that the task was replete with challenges she admits the toughest part was to inculcate a sense of discipline in the youngsters ldquoAs most of their families had their own business and were never a part of an organised work environment the youngsters didnrsquot feel the need to attend the course regularly Whenever they didnrsquot come to the class we would visit their homes to investigate the reason Most often it was a lack of commitment and discipline It was very difficult to inculcate a sense of discipline in themrdquo she says In order to make the training programme more interesting talenthunt shows potluck parties and mock interview sessions were held Roy says ldquoThese exercises helped them understand how to work in a teamrdquo Headhunters came to the campus and recruited several youngsters after a series of interviews Enthused by the first run The Skills Academy and Vandana Foundation are organising the second session that will commence from April 15 In the long run the programme will expand all over Maharashtra Quiz Saumya about the lessons she and her coorganisers have learnt and she says ldquoWhen we asked the youngsters what kind of jobs they wanted to do all of them responded in unison lsquowe want an office jobrsquo They didnrsquot know the difference between an office boy and a manager When they got a job some of them couldnrsquot cope with the pressure Now we want to attune the training to their demands and ensure that they become tough and are able to face reallife situationsrdquo u00a0