Anandhi, an 18-year-old hails from Chennappanayakanpalayam, Gudalur, a hilly region, about 50 km from Ooty, Tamil Nadu. She lives there with her parents who are daily wagers, and two younger brothers studying in Classes VIII and XI.
 

Her parent’s income proved to be insufficient for sustaining the livelihood of the family. The financial constraints surrounding Anandhi’s family, pushed her into a direction that was astray of education. Post completion of studies till Class XII, she started looking for work to financially assist her family. She got to know about the 45-day free training programme implemented by National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) with Indian Texpreneurs Federation (ITF) at the Jayanthi Textile Mills. She enrolled herself for the job role of Autoconer Tenter and received training specific to the job role and also in soft skills and entrepreneurship, safe work practices, team work, self-development, fire safety, emergency handling procedure, first aid, importance of Clean India, Digital India, entrepreneurship guidance, and so on.

The batch was provided with standard Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) training kits and a trainee handbook for the job role, and the trainers patiently taught them both theoretical and practical aspects of the job. She was among the 30 girls from various nearby places who undertook the training. Post completion of the training, they went through an assessment carried out by external auditors.

Successful candidates secured a PMKVY certificate and were showered with employment opportunities pertaining to their job role.

Anandhi secured a job as an Autoconer Tenter at the mill with a monthly salary of Rs 10,000.

She shares, “I’m glad that my friends and I fared well in both the theory and practical exams. All of us were awarded PMKVY certificates validating the successful completion of our training. Immediately after this, I got the regular job of Autoconer Tenter at the mill with a salary of Rs. 10,000 per month.

I feel a sense of accomplishment as I have been trusted with the responsibility of working with a sophisticated machine which has been imported from Japan at a cost of Rs. 1.5 crore. Also, as a result of the training, I have been able to complete my tasks comfortably and effectively and achieve my target production and quality with ease.

My takeaway from this experience is that everyone should acquire a skill in order to acquire gainful employment, which is now easy and free through such PMKVY schemes.”

The scheme has touched the lives of millions. Anandhi is among the 9.09 lakh women trained under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana under the three components; Short Term Training, Recognition of Prior Learning and Special Projects. The skill training has helped millions of families secure a better livelihood and earn respect in the society. From women enrolling for unconventional job roles, workforce refining their skills, industry inviting the skilled trainees, India is paving the way for becoming the ‘Skill Capital of the World’.