Truly, some of the best ideas are born only when you dare to think out of the box!
Limited access to low-cost quality education along with a high rate of unemployment leaves first generation learners and school dropouts with limited options of livelihood. The lack of relevant skillsets and knowledge has rendered many young adults from low-income communities to forgo existing job opportunities. This mismatch in skillset demand-supply has created a need for innovative vocational training and skill development programs.
Vocational education is seen as a primary go-to option for employment seekers. However, the state of vocational training in India does not guarantee an employment opportunity for any candidate.
Sayed, a Mumbai-based social entrepreneur, is bridging this gap successfully through an innovative technical training model. Sayed Shoyeb realised that employment or rather the lack of it wasn’t a hiccup – high gestation periods, expensive training costs and uncertainty of employment were the hurdles faced by individuals from low-income communities.
A cumulation of a number of ideas – reducing gestation period, guarantee employment and job security, providing sector-specific skills – led to the founding of Ideaboxx – an initiative that imparts relevant technical training to aspirants from low-income backgrounds, enabling them with a sustained means of livelihood in the Automotive industry.
Reinventing the wheel
Ideaboxx engages with unemployed youth that have either dropped out of the traditional education system or haven’t received any kind of formal education due to financial woes, or aspirants who have completed their formal education but are unable to secure a job in the Automotive industry.
The program has been designed in consultation with industry experts and offers hands-on training. Unlike other methods, the training method at Ideaboxx exploits a commercial atmosphere in lieu of traditional training aggregates. This minimises the training costs thus reducing the financial burden on the candidate.
Not every individual is blessed with confidence for interviews, but this is no indication that their skillset is invalid for the job. Ideaboxx enables candidates to express or showcase their skills through Video CVs. This gives employers a first-hand opportunity to see the skills these candidates bring to the table. It enables aspirants to acquire jobs within the ease of their environment. The course that Ideaboxx offers is a far cry from regular vocational training institutes. Free from exams, the course prepares candidates by exposing them to real work scenarios with the ultimate test of landing a job successfully. 100% of Ideaboxx’s students have been successfully placed, and the demand for their students from the industry continue to increase
The Ripple Effect
In a span of six months, Ideaboxx has trained over 500 job aspirants through its skilling programs. It has successfully been able to enrich the life of its students beyond technical training. So far, there has been a two-fold effect. With the burden of acquiring a job being lifted, these individuals have actively started dedicating time towards their family lives. They are encouraging and empowering their younger siblings to attend school/college by contributing to their educational fees.
Apart from family life, they have begun to participate in societal events and festivals that gives them a true sense of achievement and accomplishment. Sayed began his journey with a simple vision on providing job opportunities. But his simple, yet effective model has transformed and impacted so many more lives. Sayed has been able to achieve an employee retention rate of at least 95% and cumulated technical impressions of at least 5000 aspirants and an academic outreach of 13 educational institutions.
But this is just the start. Sayed’s model is free from language barriers and can be easily implemented across sectors to build a more competent skilled workforce. Sayed Shoeb aims expands and establish his model in another five states in the coming years.
(Article contributed by UnLtd India team. An earlier version of this article was published on http://unltdindia.org/2018/10/26/the-next-wave-of-skill-development/)
