For 150 Muslim youths, a majority of them women, living in the vicinity of the historical Jama Masjid, the coming year heralds a new chapter in their lives. Currently being trained by the Delhi Police under a skill development programme, they all stand a chance to walk away with a job.
The batch is training in retail sales and computer hardware training at Jama Masjid police station. The training centre has two shifts — morning and afternoon.
All of the students expect to get placed by mid-January as per their respective trades.
Golden opportunity
Students at the training centre said they never dreamed of getting such an opportunity.
Few and restricted opportunities had reduced their job prospects, and one big hurdle was that they had no employable skill set. For women, it was worse as their families were unwilling to send them far from home to acquire any expertise.
Busy learning how to assemble computers or sell a product to a customer, these youth say they had to brave scepticism of families, safety concerns, conservative mindset and patriarchy.
Path-breaking: Areba and Namra Khan say they want to set and an example for parents in their neighbourhood who don't "allow their daughters to go out to study or work".
Family concerns
“My father stopped my education after intermediate. With great reluctance, he agreed to send me for the vocational training classes here. Initially, he used to drop and pick me up everyday. Thanks to my teachers, who counselled him, he is now convinced that I am safe and doing well,” said Farah (name changed), who is doing a course in computer networking.
Tanzila, another student at the centre, shared a similar experience.
“I come from an orthodox background. My family members have a conservative mindset and women are not even allowed to go to the medical centre alone. But things are changing now. My mother not only allowed me to join the training programme but secured permission from my father to allow me to do a job after the course,” said Tanzila, who is enrolled in a retail sales training course.
Most girls said the main concern of their families was whether they would be safe. It was only after the police personnel at the station assured the parents about safety measures that things started to change.
“I allowed my daughter to join the course only because classes are conducted inside the police station. I have been assured of her safety. Otherwise, it is not safe for girls to go out and work,” said Mukhtar Khan, a parent.
Replete with hurdles
Cousins Areba and Namra Khan, who are enrolled in retail sales course, said the path they are treading is replete with hurdles but they want to set an example for parents in their neighbourhood who don't allow their daughters to study or work.
“I plan to start a catering business. It will be easy for me to get a loan from the bank after completing the course,” said Areba.
“Apart from vocational training courses, we also have personality development and English-speaking classes. The girls have done better than boys when it comes to learning new things. The centre has a zero percent dropout rate. We are hopeful that all students will get placed by January,” said N. K. Sharma, training partner (Sri Radha Krishna Infotech Pvt. Ltd) with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).
He added that they will soon hold a counselling session for parents before starting the placement procedure.
The centre is part of the YUVA (Yuva Udyamita Vikas Abhiyan) Yojna, a skill development programme and an initiative by the Delhi Police under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana. The Delhi Police, in coordination with the NSDC, is training people in the age group of 16 to 25 years.
The programme is on at eight police stations in the first phase. After successful placement of candidates enrolled in vocational courses, the project will be implemented in 32 police stations in the next phase.
Empowering the youth
“We are providing infrastructure and also helping in enrolment of candidates. It is an initiative by the police to empower the youth by making them capable of having a dignified life and dreaming of a better future,” said Special Commissioner of Police (Airport, Modernisation and Women Safety) Sanjay Beniwal.
Manish Kumar, Managing Director and CEO of NSDC, said: “If the youth don't have adequate means to utilise their energy, they often engage in anti-social activities. With the support of the Delhi Police, we aim to empower the youth with employable skills and help them earn a better livelihood. This will not only utilise their energies in a positive way but also contribute towards nation building.”
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is providing placement assistance to students getting training in various trades under the programme.
“Skill development is the key to success, and very essential to channelise the energy of young adults to make them productive members of society and to prevent them from moving towards crime and drugs at an early age. The CII has played a key role in driving the skills landscape in the country and we are happy to be a part of the YUVA initiative of the Delhi Police,” said CII Chairman (Delhi State) Rahul Chaudhry.
| YUVA scheme: A skill development programme and an initiative by the Delhi Police under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana |
Top five popular courses:
Data entry, computer operator, hospitality, mobile phone repairing and customer care executive
8 : Total number of police stations identified for creating skill centres by the NSDC in the first phase: (South Rohini, New Usmanpur, Kirti Nagar, Lajpat Nagar, New Ashok Nagar, Jama Masjid, Anand Parbat and Old DCP office GTB Nagar)
36: Total number of training partners
45: Total number of skills identified
2,269: Total number of candidates selected for training
32: Total number of police station premises to be used for the next phase
