Jojobera - Employability Training Program

Online, March 8, 2010 (Newswire.com) - They all hailed from similar backgrounds....daily struggle, non-existent indulgence and uncertain future. They wanted to provide succor to their toiling parents and bring about some cheer to their gloomy lives. But didn't know how to do it. Finding a job was difficult in the absence of proper education and skill sets required by most corporate. Despondency was their daily companion.

This is common plight for many youngsters across the length and breadth of our country. Unemployment, because of dearth of appropriate opportunities or due to lack of skill sets within them, has been a big challenge faced by the youths. The situation was no different in the villages in and around the Lafarge India's plant at Jojobera. Many of the village youths never went to school and those who did early on, dropped out mid-way. Attending school was a privilege for them, when their families struggled to make both ends meet. Priti Mayee Gochhayat, Raju Kumar Singh, Benjamin Mukhi, Brajabandhu are faces of this fight for existence.

But like they say that every dark cloud has a silver lining, these youths today have a different story to tell. Gone are the days when getting two square meals a day was a challenge. Instead, every morning now they head out for yet another day at office! They have found a reason for survival and a motto for living. All this made possible because of the employability-training program launched by Lafarge India's Jojobera Cement Plant.

As a part of the company's Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, Lafarge India had recently launched an employability-training program covering the villages in the vicinity of their Jojobera Cement Plant. The "Ek Mouka" program aims to develop skills of rural unemployed and underprivileged youths and link them to employment opportunities in areas close to Jamshedpur.

Post the three month course today youngsters like Priti, Raju, Benjamin have all been absorbed in various capacities by different organizations. They are now proud of their decision and are contributing to the upliftment of their families.

The first module of the course was initiated by Lafarge on 6th July 2009 and completed on 31st October the same year. A total of 106 students got them enrolled for the inaugural session of which 102 are now working with companies like Ginger Hotels, Hotel Boulevard, Vishkarma Electronics, Regional Public School Sarjamda, Care Nursing Home, Mahabir Shopping City and others.

"I can't express my happiness in words about what I feel when I go for my on job training at Big Bazaar. I had never thought I would be able to live my dreams and earn a livelihood. Now I can support my family and do whatever I always wanted to," says an elated Priti Mayee having found a new way of life.

The 3 months course module imparts training to the candidates on subjects like Spoken English, Basic Computer Knowledge, Hospitality, White Goods Services, Automobile Engineering and Customer Relations & Sales. For the first batch while 23 students opted for White Goods Services, 26 opted for automobile engineering, 30 for customer relations & sales and 27 for hospitality. Post placement, Lafarge has been undertaking regular follow-ups and random visits to the organizations where the students have been placed.

"I hail from a small agricultural family. My father is a farmer and all he earns in a month is Rs. 1000. I didn't have any clue of what my future would be and how I could help my family tide over the difficulties. When I came across the 'Ek Mouka' roadshow, I though this can help me gain financial stability. I decide to join the course and as fate would have it, am today working for Ginger Hotels. I can now support my family," said a proud Raju Kumar Singh.

Speaking about the initiative Mr. Sunil Mahajan, VP JCP said, "Unemployment is a problem in the villages in the vicinity of our plant. Lot of youngsters have the potential, but can't do justice due to their circumstances. They lack the requisite education or skill sets to look out for income generation options. Hence we decided to introduce the employability-training program to help these youths become financially independent and take care of their families. Our endeavor is to help candidates develop the required skills and also help them find appropriate placements. We hope this will mark the beginning of a new phase in their lives."