How many times have we walked past a mechanic shop and seen a young boy of 16 or 17 repairing a bike or a car? You see the same thing walking past a tinkering or a welding shop. I am sure you would have wondered how much does he earn? Is it sufficient to feed and clothe him or his family? Does he have a dream that he is chasing? How can he realize his dream?
Unfortunately, we have hundreds and thousands of young adults who lack skill or support to lead a decent life. I was fortunate to be involved in an organization that supports underprivileged youth set up small businesses with money and mentor guidance. The mentors are drawn from corporate sector to provide knowledge and skill. Though some of these young people might have had some basic skill in one aspect of their trade, they may not have many other soft skills that would enhance their employability. This experience gave me an opportunity to understand the gaps in their learning and how as a responsible citizen or corporation we can help these sections of the society progress. Let me share with you some of thoughts that I have as a result of this engagement and also working with number of NGOs doing excellent work.
Many of these youth take up jobs in these workshops or small businesses to merely get a job to start with and then develop skills. If you ask any of them what they want to do in the future or what their dreams are, invariably, you hear them saying ‘I want to set up a workshop of my own’ or ‘I want to set up a factory’ or’ I want to become an entrepreneur’. How do they realize their dream when they have not learnt their skill in a structured fashion in a school, they don’t have a certificate to prove that they have the basic skill of tinkering or welding or family background to approach a bank for a loan or catch up with the developments in their industry /trade?
As a nation we have a large skill gap and need to develop the skills in this section of the society to bring in progress in their lives. It is just not the skills, but a host of other things that small interventions can help develop the youth as a responsible citizen of this country. A 17 year old coming from an underprivileged environment hardly has a role model. The environment at home does not provide the right learning opportunities. By being part of a structured learning environment, these young people not only learn the skill of their trade, but also how to behave in a group, how to communicate, learn to think differently, dress well and learn to express their thoughts.
I have seen young entrepreneurs grow with mentoring from being self-employed to becoming an employment provider. These are journeys that they cannot do on their own. This is where, individuals, corporate, government and NGOs can make a significant difference. Through corporate volunteer programs, we can help organizations that are engaged in skill development to address the skill gaps. These engagements will provide them a role model that they so badly lack, direction and opportunities to grow to ultimately contribute to the nation.
Let’s join hands to change lives, and shape India’s future. It’s time to nurture the future. And, the time to act is now.
This is contributed by Mamtha Sharma, leader for Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs for IBM in India / South Asia
