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.

For poor youth who lack access to education and skills training, risk of exploitation in the labor market increases as does their chance of continuing to live in conditions of poverty. The current automobile repair industry in India is characterized by an inadequately skilled workforce and a lack of professional training opportunities for repair and diagnostics. The Toyota training program at the Don Bosco Center for Learning, which was been successfully facilitated in 53 countries, will enhance the technical abilities and employability of its trainees. Youth between the ages of 16 and 18 will have access to this program.

“At present, there is a huge skills gap in the automotive repair industry in India,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “This partnership is meant to address the rise in youth unemployment while providing Toyota a skilled employable workforce. Students will now have access to training and education that will lead directly to long-term stable employment.”

Toyota will train Salesian instructors at the Don Bosco Center for Learning in the latest technologies specific to the Toyota brand and the automotive industry in general. In addition, Toyota has provided high-tech training packages including tools, equipment and Toyota-specific service training manuals and materials. Once students successfully complete the classroom education part of the program, they will have access to hands-on job training in one of Toyota’s dealerships. It is anticipated that upon successful completion of the program, students will easily gain employment with Toyota.

“To further help prepare students for the workforce, Salesian missionaries will offer students in this program resume writing assistance, interview skills training, life skills training and other social development services,” adds Fr. Hyde. “The goal is to help students break the cycle of poverty, gain stable employment and contribute back to their communities.”

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Sources:

ANS – India – Toyota and Don Bosco Centre for Learning join forces

International Labour Organization – World Employment Social Outlook 2015

UNICEF – India

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The new sustainable development center will focus on improvements in energy, transportation, clean water, waste management and agriculture which were identified at the conference as the current most pressing needs in the country.

India has close to 1.2 billion people and is expected to grow by another 300 million within the next couple of decades, according to the United Nations. Cities will generate two-thirds of the country’s economic output and there exists significant migration from rural areas of India to major urban centers as people seek out more stable employment opportunities. As a result, urban infrastructure including water, sewage and power supplies as well as transportation systems, educational centers and medical services will be challenged. Planning for this growth using sustainable practices is critical.

“The International conference provided an opportunity for the community of researchers and students to showcase their research findings from projects and studies completed in the field of technology for sustainable development,” said Father Adolph Furtado, rector of the Don Bosco Center for Learning, during the conference’s closing ceremony. “The new center will provide a mechanism for industry partnership and ongoing research and work for long-term change in this field.”

Don Bosco Institute of Technology is part of the Don Bosco Center for Learning, a Salesian network of educational institutions located on an eco-friendly six-acre campus in Kurla. The Don Bosco Center for Learning’s network encompasses four other educational institutions including St. Joseph’s Industrial Training Institution, Don Bosco Maritime Academy, Don Bosco College for Hospitality Studies, Mass Media and Management Studies and Don Bosco Institute of Management & Research for Masters in Management. In addition, the Center’s campus has a center for social change.

Through its educational institutions, Don Bosco Center for Learning provides vocational, technical and advanced degree education for poor youth in India. The goal is to provide students the employment skills necessary to find and retain stable employment. Hosting the international conference and the creation of the sustainable development center lends additional support to the Center’s growing academic programs and research capacity. International corporations such as GROHE Germany, IBM, Volkswagen, Toyota and Ford, among others have been supporting ongoing educational projects on the campus for many years.

India is home to more than 400 million poor people or one third of the world’s poor, according to UNICEF. Although more than 53 million people escaped poverty between 2005 and 2010, most remain vulnerable to falling back below the poverty line.

There is a lack of educational opportunities in the country often due to issues of caste, class and gender and with 44 percent of the workforce illiterate, there is much work to be done. Less than 10 percent of the working-age population has completed a secondary education and too many secondary graduates do not have the knowledge and skills to compete in today’s changing job market.

Sources

Daijiworld.com – New research centre for sustainable development to be set at Don Bosco

Don Bosco Center for Learning

UNICEF – India

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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.

To address the need for skills training and workforce development for India’s poor youth, Salesian missionaries at the Don Bosco Center for Learning located in Kurla, a suburb just north of Mumbai, have recently inaugurated an Automotive Student Service Educational Training (ASSET) center in collaboration with Ford India at the Center’s St. Joseph’s Industrial Training Institute. This is the fourth ASSET training center Ford India has set up in the country aimed at creating a pool of talented and skilled professionals for the automotive industry.

“Collaborations such as these are essential in order to provide youth the necessary skills training to help them break the cycle of poverty and gain meaningful employment,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, “It’s a win-win for both Ford India and the students. Ford India gains a highly trained workforce and the students become contributing members of their communities.”

Ford India has set up an exclusive technical training area at St. Joseph’s Industrial Training Institute where students will be trained in Ford technology as part of the Institute’s motor mechanic vehicle curriculum. To ensure sustainability of the project, Ford’s technical training collaboration includes exclusive train-the-trainer sessions for the Institute’s lecturers.

The ASSET training facility is a collaborative project involving Ford India, Bhavna Ford, Mumbai (a local Ford dealership) and the Institute. Ford India will provide world-class technical know-how, training materials and trained instructors. The local Ford dealership will provide on-the-job training opportunities for students as well as special training sessions at the Institute by master technician trainers to help improve the student’s hands-on skills.

The goal of the program is to provide multiple learning avenues for students enabling them to correctly service Ford cars and become eligible to work in the Ford service network across the country.

The ASSET training facility was inaugurated by P.K. Umashankar, vice-president of customer service operations at Ford India and the director and executive director of the Don Bosco Center for Learning, Father Adolph Furtado and Father Colbert da Silva, among others.

“After the successful launch in Pune last week, we are delighted to come to Mumbai to provide world class automotive training to students in the state of Maharashtra,” says P.K. Umashankar, in a recent India Education diary article about the inauguration. “We are focused to make Ford ASSET program the primary source of trained pool of technicians for Ford dealers and look to expand to more cities in the coming year. With the launch of the program, we have truly created a real asset that will not only help students with better growth and employment prospects but also the automobile industry with skilled workforce.”

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Sources:

India Education Diary – Ford India Partners with Don Bosco Centre of Learning to Launch Automotive Student Service Educational Training (ASSET)

International Labour Organization – Global Employment Trends 2014 Report

UNICEF – India

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While India has made some progress in the supply of safe water, there remain gross disparities in safe water access across the country. The World Bank estimates that 21 percent of communicable diseases in India are related to unsafe water with diarrhea alone causing more than 1,600 deaths daily. Access to proper sanitation is extremely poor, particularly in rural areas where only 14 percent of the population have access to a latrine. In addition, hand washing is not commonplace and leads to an increase in the spread of disease.

Salesian missionaries across India are dedicated to ensuring that access to safe water is a priority in Salesian-run programs and schools and in the communities in which they operate.

To address both the need for clean, safe water and technical skills training for India’s poor youth, Salesian missionaries at Don Bosco Center for Learning in Kurla, Mumbai, started the Jal (Water) Academy. The academy offers courses in well construction, irrigation, plumbing and hygienic sanitation systems to develop methods for the utilization and analysis of existing systems for the efficient transportation of water.

Started in 2009, the academy was set up and supported by Grohe, a leading German water systems company. Students are trained in a fully-equipped workshop with all of the necessary equipment for training technicians. Since its inception, the academy has trained more than 800 students, some of whom are already working in the water and sanitation industry but returned to school to upgrade their skills and certification. Upon graduation, students receive joint certification through the government center for vocational training and the academy’s corporate partners. The academy also helps its students with job placement.

Recently, a research component was added to the academy’s program with students from the local Salesian engineering college assisting with projects in water management and environmental sustainability. In February 2015, the academy will host an International Conference on Technologies for Sustainable Development bringing together researchers, sustainability sector industry experts and other water, sanitation and energy professionals. In addition, the academy is in the planning stages of development of an integrated research center on campus that will focus on environmental issues.

“Many in India’s communities, most often women and children, are forced to walk for hours to collect drinking water—water that often proves contaminated and seriously sickens those who consume it,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “The academy is working to meet a serious demand for clean, safe water while also providing skilled labor to ensure that water and sanitation access becomes more readily available and projects remain sustainable.”

Salesian missionaries working in Mumbai are also assisting rural communities in Maharashtra and Gujarat where water is often scarce for household consumption as well as for agriculture. Several projects have been established including village watershed development, construction of community irrigation systems and the digging of community ponds and wells. These projects aim to make water available within the community while also building community interest and ownership over the water sources to ensure sustainability of the projects.

“Water is vital for life,” adds Fr. Hyde. “Salesian Missions has made building wells and other projects that supply fresh, clean water a top priority for every community in every country in which Salesian missionaries work.”

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Photo courtesy GROHE

Sources:

Don Bosco International Conference on Technologies for Sustainable Development

Salesian Missions – India

Water.org – India

The post INDIA: Don Bosco Center’s Water Academy Provides Skilled Labor for Water Projects first appeared on MissionNewswire.

An estimated 3.4 million people die each year from water, sanitation and hygiene-related causes. Close to 99 percent of those deaths occur in developing countries with children being most at risk—a child dies from a water-related illness every 21 seconds. Each day worldwide, an estimated 4,100 children under the age of five die from diarrhea and 2,350 more die from malnutrition due to dirty water, inadequate sanitation and hygiene.

Women and children bear the primary responsibility for water collection in the majority of households. For women, particularly those that are head of households, this is time spent away from income-generating jobs and caring for family members. Children in these communities are forced to walk for hours to collect drinking water—water that often proves contaminated and seriously sickens those who consume it. Many of these children are unable to attend school regularly because they must spend time searching for distant wells.

In response to this crisis, Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, has made building wells and supplying fresh, clean water a top priority for every community in every country in which Salesian programs help vulnerable youth and others living in poverty. The charity is appealing for donations to support this important initiative.

“The poorest children have the least access to safe water and adequate sanitation and they pay the highest price,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions. “From helping to ensure our communities have access to clean water for drinking and agriculture to helping build a hydro-electric power station, Salesian missionaries working in 132 countries around the globe are committed to focusing on clean water and sanitation projects to ensure clean water access for those we serve.”

Salesian Missions has a long history of developing special infrastructure projects that help communities in need. In addition to building hospitals, schools and youth centers, Salesians have already helped communities which lack clean water, sanitation and electricity. From new water wells in countries throughout Africa to a hydro-electrical station in Bolivia, Salesian Missions and its partners are bringing hope to many communities.

“This is not new work for Salesian programs around the globe,” adds Fr. Hyde. “We have carried out clean water projects in many countries but this is a renewed commitment to these initiatives because access to clean water is essential for the health of those we serve. It is also important for youth to be in school gaining an education and laying the foundation for a productive life instead of being forced to search for water.”

To give to the Salesian Missions Clean Water Initiative, to to SalesianMissions.org.

Some examples of Salesian Missions clean water projects:

BRAZIL
To address serious water issues resulting from pesticide pollution in a remote area of western Brazil, Salesian Missions worked with members of the Xavante and Bororo Indian communities to obtain clean water from previously inaccessible areas. To do so, they first created wells and designed a mobile drilling truck. To create power, they invented and patented a seesaw pump that would draw water from the depths of the well as children were playing. Now, solar panels are used. The result is reduced risk of disease, access to potable water, improved infrastructure and expanded farming. The endeavor began as an immediate response to a community crisis but has become a well-organized project that ensures the growth of two indigenous groups.

CAMBODIA
Salesians have a long history of working with poor youth in Cambodia. Continuing this work, the Don Bosco Technical School in Kep Province built a new Mary Help of Youth Water Tower as part of a Water System Project at the school that was made possible by donors through Don Bosco Mondo in Bonn, Germany. Its construction will guarantee water for this large educational community for years to come. Most people in the region utilize well water and this tower, constructed by a group of volunteers, will go significantly deeper than the average well and has two reserve tanks to hold additional water. Using green technologies, the water pump is generated by installed solar panels.

ETHIOPIA
A project started in 2011 by Salesians and International Voluntary Service for Development volunteers was responsible for digging five wells in the Gambella area of Ethiopia. The wells are operated by a hand pump and are between 50 and 60 meters deep, guaranteeing water to local villages that will benefit close to 1,200 people. To ensure that the wells last as long as possible, a village committee has been set up to oversee their management and maintenance.

INDIA
Safe drinking water is essential for child survival. In India, progress has been made with 84.5 percent of rural and 95 percent of urban populations having sustainable access to safe drinking water, according to the World Bank. At the Don Bosco Center for Learning in Kurla, a new training facility focuses on job training in developing technologies concerning water, ranging from plumbing and sanitation to developing efficient methods for utilization and analyzing existing systems for efficient transportation of water. The courses are designed to help youth, who had previously left school, enter the workforce.

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PHOTO: UNICEF

Sources:

Salesian Missions

Water.org

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