Women Empowerment has been the prime focus of Empower Pragati since its inception. Army personnel sacrifice their lives for safeguarding the nation against various security threats. They leave behind their loved ones for the sake of the safety of civilians like us. We all feel responsible towards giving back to their families in some way or the other. Empower Pragati is providing skill training to war widows, Army wives, and other women at Army Skill Training Centers (ASTC) at various locations across India since April 2017.
The Army Skill Training Centers (ASTC) project from Empower Pragati
The ASTC project is going to meet the needs of Army personnel wives on one hand and it will also contribute towards the skilling objective of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) on the other side. Training and courses at ASTC are executed under PMKVY scheme, which aims to make India the “skill capital” of the world.
With 8 training centers operational across Bhathinda, Pune (Kirkee and Protsahan), Jodhpur, Mamun (Pathankot) and Jaipur, we have enrolled 1256 and certified 824 women to date.
Most recently, Empower Pragati has signed a MoU with Hyderabad and Meerut to train Army women. Training is provided to these women under different job roles such as Assistant Beauty Therapist (B&WSSC), Self Employed Tailor (Apparel), Sewing Machine Operator (Apparel) and Domestic Data Entry Operator (IT & ITES) to name a few. These training centers provide opportunities to Army spouses, wards and widows to learn new skills, which would yield them newer employment or entrepreneurship options. These skill development programs enhance their employability, pre-recruitment training and also spread awareness about various initiatives which are undertaken to empower this section of the society.
In order to enhance the quality and output of the training, we also arrange regular guest lectures, industrial visits, and placement assistance. The guest lectures conducted at the training centers help the trainees to get expose to real-world life experiences from the position of someone who has been there. Candidates get to see the insight and perspective of the guest lecturer’s particular field. The industrial visits on the other hand industrial visits bridge the gap between theoretical learning real-life environment learning.We organize various extra-curricular activities ranging from Henna competitions, yoga sessions, cultural events and interpersonal skill classes to keep the enthusiasm alive among the trainees. This is to help them bond with each other and enjoy while they hone skills to make a living.
This article is contributed by Dhiresh Kumar, Marketing Manager, Empower Pragati.
