Satish, a 23-year-old, hails from a family of weavers. Satish too joined his family in the business of weaving quite early in his life. But, very soon, he realised that weaving did not earn him much. He found himself struggling hard to make both ends meet. Deciding to quit the family profession to start life afresh, he started scouting for employment opportunities. He even tried his hand at a few of them. “But then, nothing worked out,” he says. Very soon, he heard about Unnati and lost no time in joining Unnati.

Satish is not alone. There is Ragini from Bangalore, Rama from Davangere, Ali from Assam, Debashish from Orissa... The list is exhaustive.

They have all come to Unnati with dreams in their eyes and a passion to excel in the profession of their choice.
And, with good reason too. For, Unnati is a vocational training initiative of SGBS Trust. Started in 2003, the organisation is into training unemployed youth from the poorer sections of society for certain professions and getting them placements in the organised sector.

With the motto - ‘Learn, Earn, Stand Tall’ - Unnati aims to train and empower unemployed youth. The doors of Unnati are open to all those unemployed youth aged 18 years and above, and belonging to economically weaker sections of society.

According to Mr Ramesh Swamy, a trustee of Unnati, “The prerequisites for being a part of the Unnati training programme are discipline and commitment.”

The three-month training programme is absolutely free. The Trust pays for all the expenses of its chosen candidates, including bus passes, food and training material. This is not all. If the candidates are from outside Bangalore, the Trust even takes care of their accommodation.

Unnati, at present, imparts training to its candidates in the fields of retail sales, guest house care and tailoring.
However, the three-month training programme is no cake walk. For, selected candidates have to put their heart and soul into their training programme and learn the ropes of the profession they have opted for.

A day in the life of a trainee starts in the morning and ends in the evening. The training capsule comprises vocational skills, life skills, communication, spoken English and basic computer usage. Special emphasis is also laid on inculcating right values in them. The organisation is also very strict when it comes to attendance and discipline.

As Mr Ramesh Swamy says, “This rigorous training is to ensure that the candidates get used to long hours at work. We do not entertain candidates who are not serious about their goals. It’s like ruining the chances of candidates who deserved it better,” says Mr Ramesh Swamy.

The selection process, though simple, takes almost a month. Unnati is also very particular that the candidates who wish to join the training programme are accompanied by their guardians.

“Only those candidates who are interested in taking up jobs after the successful completion of the training programme are selected. Hence, it’s mandatory that we take their guardians’ consent before the admission,” says Mr Ramesh Swamy.

Unnati has trained and placed over 300 students this far. The organisation places its candidates only in the organised sector so that they have stable employment.

Most of their candidates have found placements in reputed places like Foodworld, Fabmall, Levi’s, Pantaloons, ITC, Gokuldas Exports, Cafe Coffee Day and so on.

“The brand equity of Unnati is such that employers themselves approach us. This speaks so much for the efficiency of our candidates,” says Mr Ramesh Swamy.

Do candidates get to choose the profession of their choice? “To a certain extent, yes. Though the candidates are asked to state their preferences, they are made to go through a counselling session to assess their suitability for the profession of their choice,” says Mr Ramesh Swamy.

No wonder, while most women candidates choose to take up tailoring, men prefer guest house care. Ask what drove Satish to guest house care and pat comes the reply, “It’s a happening field. Moreover, it’s nice to wear crisp uniforms and speak English.”

He is quickly joined by candidates from Assam and Orissa. “Candidates from the previous batches of ‘guest house care’ are doing very well now in our home towns,” they say.

Unnati, which is planning to shift to a bigger facility, plans to impart training in voice and data (BPO), security services, carpentry (with power tools), electrical works and plumbing too in the near future.

 Those interested may contact: 25204439.