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Skilling, Entrepreneurship and Livelihoods
Organization : Pratham Education Foundation
Location : Pan India
Project Description
India has one of the youngest populations in the world, with an average age of 29 years and 13 million people entering the workforce each year. However, as the ASER survey has shown, learning outcomes of students completing primary or even secondary schooling are extremely low, closing pathways to senior secondary or higher education. While vocational skills could be a short-term solution, only 2 percent of the workforce in India is currently formally skilled, leaving the vast majority of youth without the skills, knowhow or networks to enter the workforce. This leads to large scale unemployment or under-employment, even as industries are unable to fill their job vacancies.
In 2005, as a response to these skill and knowledge gaps in the labour force, Pratham launched its vocational training or skilling unit. The objective was to train youth from economically disadvantaged backgrounds (age 18 to 25 years) and provide them with employable skills, coupled with access to employment and entrepreneurship opportunities. Today, these programs across the country enable youth to access entry-level positions and placements in 10 major vocations. Approximately 30,000 young people were reached in 2020-21 and the youth were trained and subsequently placed in entry level jobs or were supported to start their own businesses.
Project Type : Donor funded
Special Features of Project
Pratham conducts short-term, often residential courses of 2 to 3 months in duration, focusing on young men and women from rural areas and urban slums. The model is based on strong industry linkages and youth counselling and focuses on hands-on skills training. Courses taught include construction (including electrical, plumbing, masonry and welding), hospitality (housekeeping, food and beverage service and food production), automotive mechanic, healthcare nursing and beauty and wellness services. In addition to industry specific skills, students also learn basic English, computer literacy and life skills. Pratham has a four-step approach to its vocational training programs:
- Mobilization
- Training
- Placement
- Post-placement support
For youth who are interested in setting up their own enterprises near their homes and to support creation of new jobs, Pratham provides mentoring support to set up micro-enterprises. Up until now, we have supported over 1,500 such youth (primarily women) to set up successful enterprises in the fields of beauty, electrical service and construction.
A unique aspect of Pratham’s vocational training model is the focus on post-placement tracking and support, coupled with financial sustainability. Youth placed in wage employment or supported to set up micro-enterprises are tracked and mentored for a one-year period to encourage them to continue their current jobs, upgrade to new placements and acquire additional skills. Students are further supported to overcome problems of migration through the Pratham Alumni (PAL) Network, which provides support in the form of accommodation and mess facilities, counselling, social networks, mediation with employers, support in accessing health services, etc. This suite of post-placement services has been instrumental in increasing the retention of students in their first jobs.
Pratham has also initiated innovative models to impact the skilling ecosystem. These include an ‘Employment Awareness’ model targeted at adolescent girls and young women, which is implemented in association with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Maharashtra Government to tackle the low-exposure and lack of information prevalent particularly among rural youth.
Pratham’s affiliations include National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and government sector skill councils. Pratham also has knowledge partnerships with Larsen & Toubro, Tata Motors, and Godrej, among others. Pratham’s vocational program has won awards from the state governments of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, as well as the NSDC.
