Skilling Youth

Investment in human development is a precondition in a developing country. The rapid urbanization and centralization of economic growth in urban areas heavily affect the village economy. The redistribution of productive assets and creating opportunities in rural areas is one of the necessary elements for strengthening the rural economy. Policies in this area enable poor village people to participate in the process of economic growth of the country as producers and investors, rather than as passive beneficiaries in the top-down economic growth process. Promotion of village cottage industries, rural agricultural-based enterprises, small trade-based activities, medium and small-scale industrial training, handicrafts, etc., will definitely achieve the goal.

Context:

Poverty and unemployment continue to be the twin bane of the Indian economy, more so in rural areas. The overdependence on agriculture has led to large-scale unemployment in rural areas. Unemployment and disguised employment in rural areas result in heavy migration of rural poor to urban areas.

Youth mass plays a major role in supplementing the household economy. In rural families, after getting a minimum education, youth mass is engaged in wage-earning activities. Most people do not have sufficient capital to take up self-employment activities at the household level, and a few who are supplementing their household income through self-employment are also unable to upgrade to the next step because of a lack of skill and finance. Though youth has to play a significant role in supplementing the family income, they continue to lead precarious lives due to unemployment. Now, the situation demands skill empowerment to improve the economic condition of families by employing them in various private industries and starting self-employment activities by accessing credit from banks and financial institutions.

The overall objective of skilling youth is to develop entrepreneurial and activity-oriented skills among the rural youth mass from rural and urban households and create a market for them in order to get employment in various industries and start small and micro enterprises at their own level to sustain their household income. The following are some specific objectives of the proposed training program:

• Skill upgradation and capacity building of youth mass on various demand-driven trades.
• Motivate potential entrepreneurs and instill in them confidence to start new business-oriented activities.
• Provide necessary opportunities to interested youth mass for production and marketing of various marketable products on the given trades.
• Facilitate trainees to avail credit facilities from banks and support agencies for setting up new units.
• Service linkage of the skilled/trained youth in various industries.
• Create income opportunities for rural poor families with very low investments.