India – Don Bosco Tech AIDA graduates 64 new trainees in the hospitality, beauty industries

19 April 2018

(ANS – Dimapur) – In Nagaland, located in the northeast of India, Salesian programs are working to help poor youth who have dropped out of school gain the skills needed for employment. Salesian missionaries have been educating poor youth in the region since 1969. In response to rising youth unemployment, they launched Don Bosco Technical Institute in 2012. Students focus on learning specialized skills through vocational training while also taking additional courses in grooming, social skills, computer skills and English.

Today there are four Don Bosco Technical Centers in Nagaland each with a separate focus, including AIDA Don Bosco complex, Working Women Center, Don Bosco Vocational Training Center in Dimapur district and the Don Bosco Youth Center in Wokha district.

Recently, the Don Bosco Tech AIDA graduated 64 trainees who come from 18 different tribes within the northeast region. Graduates received certifications in hospitality, food and beverage service, and assistant beauty therapist.

The officer on special duty to government of Nagaland, national disaster management, Johnny Ruangmei, was a guest of honor at the graduation. According to an article in the Nagaland Post, at the graduation, Ruangmei lauded the initiative taken by Don Bosco Tech to provide skill training to dropouts, particularly in subjects that are much needed in the local economy and abroad.

“It is praiseworthy that these dropouts become employable and are in demand across the world,” said Ruangmei at the graduation according to the article. “Whether you are a matriculate or a doctorate degree holder, it is important to be trained in a specific field. Skill matters today because it will help you to start your own business tomorrow.”

The state coordinator of placement, Anita Kuphu, noted that Don Bosco Tech works for the development and education of the young especially those most at risk through its schools, colleges, universities, technical schools and youth centers, and many more interventions.

In the article, Kuphu further highlighted the unique selling points of Don Bosco Tech such as regular assessment of trainees through weekly tests and monthly assessment, parent meetings, eight-hour training six days a week, training in basic computing, communicative English and soft skills. These additional services run parallel to the training, which includes practical and theoretical lessons along with industrial visits and guest lectures. She noted that 13 recent graduates are already working overseas.

Access to professional training and workforce development services is highly valued by youth in India given the current state of the country’s economy. 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, many secondary school graduates do not have the knowledge and skills to compete in today’s changing job market.

Source: Mission Newswire

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ANS - “Agenzia iNfo Salesiana” is a on-line almost daily publication, the communication agency of the Salesian Congregation enrolled in the Press Register of the Tibunal of Rome as n 153/2007.

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