What can a retail management course do for you? Are you thinking of a bigger pay packet?
For Venkat Narain, the gains from undergoing such a course have been more spiritual than material.
Narain, a 19-year-old, is on the autism spectrum and he would retreat into a shell at the sight of strangers. A retail management course has been at the centre of his transformation into a more extroverted youngster.
Having to interact with people as part of this course, he has managed to shed his inhibitions.
Not only Narain, but a few others with special needs have seen their social skills improve as a result of this course.
They are students of Swabodhini School for Special Children at Valmiki Nagar in Thiruvanmiyur and they are undergoing an 18-month programme on retail management.
As part of the curriculum, the students are given hands-on training at Swayam.
Swayam, a non-profit retail store founded in 2009, with the objective of providing hands-on training to people with special needs came up with Swayam On Wheels, a mobile unit of the store, in October 2016.
In a span of six months, the mobile wing has established a customer base of 200. At present, Swayam On Wheels is patronised by residents of Ranga Reddy Garden in Neelankarai and the apartment complexes — Lotus Manor and The Atrium – in Thiruvanmiyur.
“The aim of starting the mobile shop is to spread awareness about autism. People get to interact with our students and learn about autism and related challenges. The initiative benefits our students as well as they get an opportunity to find out how to interact with others and conduct themselves in public places. With this kind of real-time education, people with special needs could be brought into mainstream society,” says Radha Ganesan, founder-director of the school.
“Swayam On Wheels benefits both residents and students. Most of the residents at our apartment complex are senior citizens. It is of immense relief to us when we are able to buy the monthly groceries and provisions at our doorstep. The mobile shop also saves us the trouble of going out on the traffic-congested roads. Also, we have a satisfaction of supporting and encourage these children,” says S. Raman, secretary, Flat Owners Association, Acchyuthan Lotus Manor, an apartment complex in Thiruvanmiyur.
“The students are first given training at Swayam, the shop which functions from the premises of the school. During the course, the students are taught to identify products and their brands and arrange them in shelves. They also learn about how to carry out billing and check expiry dates.
After this, they are introduced to Swayam On Wheels where they get to meet a large number of customers,” says Anuradha Mahesh, director and trustee, Swabodhini School for Special Children.
“Of the 120 families residing at Ranga Reddy Gardens, around 30 families have become regular customers of Swayam On Wheels. The price at which they sell the products is low when compared to other shops,” says Gomathi Nayakam, an office-bearer of Ranga Reddy Gardens Residents Welfare Association.
“We would like to cover neighbourhoods in Rajiv Gandhi Salai, Mylapore, Mandaveli, Royapettah, Guindy and T. Nagar in the months to come,” adds Anuradha.
Those who want Swayam On Wheels to visit their apartment complex or neighbourhood, may call 9840076322 / 044–2445 2485.
