17 October, 2019
They say that the wealth of a nation, lies in its people. So with this as our motto, we at Tata Motors are working tirelessly towards our country’s development. Through our Employability (Skill Development) Programme, Kaushalya, we have placed emphasis on training unemployed youth across three segments - auto trades, non-auto trades, agriculture & allied activities. We address school dropouts who have untapped potential and provide them with educational programmes and placements so that they are able to bear the expenses of their families and thus, contribute to the overarching economy.
Through the years, we have systematically planned and collaborated with various partners for projects like:
Dairy Project
We took the two tribal villages of Ambe-Hathvij under our wing to provide them with opportunities that would help them kick-start their dairy business. These villages, located in the Junnar block of Pune district, are home to farmers belonging to a low income group with marginal land holdings. In early 2018, our rural development programme supported 62 households and collectively launched the Dairy Project. For this, we procured 62 indigenous Murha and Jafrabadi buffaloes that are suitable for the climate of this region. We went on to arrange a training in order to increase the capacity of the farmers and also linked them with a local dairy. Every family was allocated jobs like feeding the cattle, milking cows, collecting manure and marketing it to the local dairy to different members of the family. As of April 2018, milk was priced at Rs. 35 per litre which translated to Rs. 12000 to Rs. 13000 per month. This project has enabled the farmers to be confident and self-assured as it allowed them to pay for their own cattle feed, manure or repay their bank loans.
SHG Women
In today’s day and age, you cannot dismiss the role that social media plays in furthering one’s business. Against this backdrop, our team at Lucknow linked the SHGs with Okhai, a handcrafted clothing line, to improve their sales and gain more exposure. Around 40% of the women from the SHGs come from the SC background. For the last two years, they have made considerable strides in the Jute and Chikan industry. It was time that their products met a larger audience and hence, we introduced them to customers who provided them with regular business. Through this project, we connected the products made by these ladies to a larger market through an online platform. The women began using social media platforms like Facebook & Whatsapp to reach their customers. In the last 5 months, their incomes have seen a progressive rise to around Rs. 20000 per month. This is predominantly the work of social media marketing.
Learn Earn and Progress (LEAP)
The automobile industry is considered a male space. But this notion is challenged by the girls trained at Little Flower Institute in Kerala. Together, we trained them to take on heavy duty work to become technicians. Inspired by them, their numbers increased as more women registered for this course. They were part of our programme “Learn Earn and Progress (LEAP)” that teaches and trains women, who are school dropouts, in the automotive space. Here, the women receive theoretical knowledge for three months and then practical knowledge at the hands of an OJT with Tata Motors dealers and Tata Authorised Service Stations (TASS) for the duration of nine months. Their progress is assessed and overlooked by the ASDC (Automotive Skill Development Council). Through our efforts, these women are now financially independent and conjure up an average salary of Rs. 8000/-. We are proud to say that this course gained popularity and added 1500 students to its fold over the course of 4 years.
Driving to success
Through this initiative, we were able to reach out to 125 women, a majority of them from a backward class, to train them and offer driving lessons. Last year, our Pune team partnered with Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) to run an exclusive driver training programme that effectively helped in allowing women to contribute to the household income. Besides this, our team in Mumbai teamed up with Ola Cabs, late in 2017, to train and secure jobs for 167 youth who are now able to earn Rs. 15000 on a monthly basis.
Through our efforts, we are proud to say that at present, placement rates have stabilized and are currently clocked at 50% in selected trades post training. By 2020, we wish to raise this rate to about 75% while simultaneously ensuring the quality of jobs. Of the youth that we trained across the country, 4% of them have set up their own enterprises. While we are satisfied with the progress we have made, we aim to improve the diversity in auto trades and encourage micro-entrepreneurship.
