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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