Catholic vocational training institutes play a major role in empowering young people find employment, says the new official heading Skills for Progress (SKIP), a network of vocational training institutions in India.

Montfort Brother C. A. Thomas says while Right of Education bill ensures school education of every child in the age group of 6-14, the Church run vocational institutions attempt to train every one in the age group of 16-25 for a gainful engagement.

Spread over eight regions, SKIP works to complement government’s educational efforts. It coordinates some 200 Catholic institutions and trains their staff for increased competency. It also provides placement services to the candidates when they finish their training.

How did SKIP begin?

Brother Thomas: SKIP began an association of private vocational training institutes in the country. It was registered as a non-profit society in Bangalore in 1969. It works to propagate vocational and entrepreneurial skills among the youth. It creates sustainable livelihoods for poor groups irrespective of caste, creed and religion.

What exactly is the work of SKIP?

Brother Thomas: We are a resource centre for training and documentation on innovative and vocational and entrepreneurial activities. We act as a coordinating body for providing technical assistance, networking and other services to private charitable institutions.

How many members are associated with SKIP?

Brother Thomas: We have some 200 institutions as our members, of which 190 are full members and 10 are associate members. These institutions train their students, mostly poor village youths, to develop vocational skills. SKIP coordinates with all these institutes to give them technical and financial assistance.

How do you generate funds for your activities?

Brother Thomas: We have our own funding. We have building in Bangalore from where we get around 86 lakhs every year as rent. We also get overseas aid for our activities. We spent the money in training staff.

Do you provide placement services?

Brother Thomas: We also give full placement to those who complete training in our institutions. At central level in Bangalore, we have started an employment portal separately. Institutions can register the candidates and we give them placements.

Annually some 2,000 young people complete training in our institutions and find jobs. We have a liaison officer in Delhi, who acts as an agent between the government and our institutions.

Most of our institutions are based in rural areas and very few are in urban areas. People in cities may not know about us and our institutes because we do not advertise our work.

As new chairman of the network, what are your priorities?

Brother Thomas: My priorities are to empower the staff of the institutions, get in more funds for the training programs and bring in more members under the SKIP umbrella.

What is the major contribution of SKIP?

Brother Thomas: Helping young people, especially the poor, get unemployment has been its major contribution. All the institutions provide free training to economically deprived candidates.

Our target group is underprivileged. Some most of our institutions cannot manage on their own. They need funding. Our core group is underprivileged communities.

How does SKIP help government’s new education policy?

Brother Thomas: Our target group is mainly children in the age group of 16-25. Anyone in this age group, who wants to get vocational training, is welcome. They would not be rejected, let whatever be their academic qualifications.

How does your network function?

Brother Thomas: We are organized into eight regions, each having a regional secretary. North East region has more than 15 institutions, while South East has 49 institutions. Secretaries work as link with the institutions.

Source: Reported by Ritu Sharma

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