(MissionNewswire) Don Bosco Tech of Dimapur, the largest city in Nagaland, India, provides technical skills training and workforce development services for poor youth. Don Bosco Tech’s skills training programs serve as a valuable resource for youth who have little access to education. In order to help youth find work most efficiently, the Salesian skills training programs meet the needs of local job markets.

Courses combine classroom education with mentoring, soft skills training and hands-on internships. Salesian teachers also work with students to help them craft résumés and prepare for interviews, all with the goal of ensuring graduates find employment. Through this extra support, students find that they have a smoother transition from the classroom into the workforce.

Ezonthung, a young male student in the program, is the eldest son of parents who are farmers. He was initially a real estate agent but the extensive travel made his work challenging. After learning about Don Bosco Tech, Ezonthung went back to school and took hospitality courses. Through the program, he also did an internship at a local hotel. Now he is working in Bangalore as head of guest relations and earns two and a half times what he was paid as a real estate agent and has potential for further promotions within the company.

Velhukholu Keyho has had a similar experience with Don Bosco Tech. She comes from a small village in Nagaland and is the eldest daughter in her family. When she finished her studies, she started to work in the hotel industry. In 2011, she decided to participate in the first beauty and wellness course offered by Don Bosco Tech. After graduating, she quickly began a fast growing career, with numerous changes of location in different cities.

“Often people ask me where I come from and in what institute of management I was trained,” she says. “Proudly I tell them that I attended a three-month course at the Don Bosco Tech of Dimapur. When I look at my past, I always feel grateful to this institution. If I had not joined the training program, I would have been shut in my little world, with no opportunity to know the real world that is out there. Now I am very happy and my parents are proud of me because I’m helping my brothers and sisters. Thanks to Don Bosco Tech for giving me a great opportunity at the right time.”

Access to professional training and workforce development services is highly valued by youth in India given the current state of the country’s economy. According to the International Labor Organization’s Global Employment Trends 2015 Report, India experienced a sharp slowdown in the economy during 2012 and 2013 when growth dropped below 5 percent. The economy grew slightly faster in 2014 reaching 5.4 percent, reflecting an improvement in the growth rate of the services sector and a better monsoon season than originally anticipated. However, the unemployment rate for youth is remaining flat after having risen 3.6 percent in 2012 and again climbed in 2013 to 3.7 percent.

With more than 1.2 billion people, India has the world’s fourth largest economy and according to UNICEF, is home to one-third of the world’s poor. Close to 217 million of India’s poor are children. Although more than 53 million people escaped poverty between 2005 and 2010, most remain vulnerable to falling back below the poverty line.

India’s youth face a lack of educational opportunities due to issues of caste, class and gender. Almost 44 percent of the workforce is illiterate and less than 10 percent of the working-age population has completed a secondary education. In addition, too many secondary school graduates do not have the knowledge and skills to compete in today’s changing job market.

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Sources:

ANS – India – Success stories from students of Don Bosco Tech, Dimapur

Don Bosco Tech

UNICEF – India Poverty

Salesian Missions