The Hindu 21.09.2009
Mission for elimination of poverty in municipal areas changes their lives
G.V.R. Subba Rao
| The UCD wing of the VMC is organising the programme in association with the LABS of Dr. Reddy’s Foundation |
— Photo: V. Raju 
Unemployed girls undergo training in Vijayawada.
VIJAYAWADA: It is the word of mouth, more than publicity that seems to have inspired some parents in the city to send their wards for an ongoing training programme for the unemployed youth organised by the AP MEPMA (Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas), also called the IKP Urban. For some others, seeing is believing.
The Urban Community Development wing of the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation , now a part of the MEPMA, has been organising such training programme for the last couple of months in association with the Livelihood Advancement Business School of Dr. Reddy’s Foundation.
Training for the second batch of 118 unemployed youth began a couple of weeks ago in four branches – automobile, customer relations and sales, hospitality (hotel management) and call centre. The first batch of students, who secured jobs in some private companies, became a source of inspiration to their neighbours to join the second batch of training. The trainees are mostly school or +2 dropouts without a job.
Sharing their success stories, first batch trainees Bhavani and Nagamani say that the training was “immensely useful” to them and helped them in securing jobs in call centres . Some others got jobs in supermarket chains and automobile and travel firms . Those who underwent training in hospitality joined hotels and organisations .
The current batch of trainees too appear to be more than satisfied with the programme, saying they never expected that training in spoken English, chosen trade and computer skills would all be available under one roof.
They say that the confidence levels have gone up and they are able to work on computers deftly after attending training in spoken English and computer classes, apart from regular training in the chosen trade.
“I always looked at automobile mechanics as something that commands no respect.
But, after coming here, I understood that there is a tremendous growth in automobile industry.
Now I am confident that I can become a workshop manager too,” says M. Abhishek, an Intermediate dropout, who never believed that automobile mechanics was a promising field.
Training in-charge Y. Narasimha Raju says that the parents in different localities in the city were “very much impressed” with the personality development of the youths in their neighbourhood, who secured jobs after undergoing training under MEPMA. And, hence, they were sending their children for the training. As many as 140 trainees out of the 175 of the first batch, who underwent training for three months, got placements. “We are confident that most of these trainees too would get good placements,” he says.
