Youth Development Score Card: Empowering India’s youth through coaching

Why should coaching be confined to corporate boardrooms? Typically, coaching conversations are aimed at helping the leadership team members to unlock and realize their potential. How about extending the benefits of coaching to the students you are preparing to face the world of work? Wouldn’t it empower the youth in meeting their aspirations? How do we bring Coaching from Boardroom to Classroom? Prompted by these questions, Tata STRIVE has developed Youth Development Score Card (YSDC) – a tool that smartly blends digital technology with the human element.

Learn about Tata STRIVE courses and its initiatives in skill development – https://nationalskillsnetwork.in/tata-strive/

“I used to feel my family background is my weakness. But through coaching sessions at Tata STRIVE I realized that my family background is not my weakness but my strength”, says Amolraj, Tata STRIVE Alumnus.

This is not just his story alone but of thousands of other students who come to pursue skill development courses. Generally, most of these youth are from socially and economically challenging backgrounds and are either college dropouts or graduates who are not employable. And hence, they come with lower self-esteem, self-confidence and self-efficacy.

Often distressed with receiving advice from everyone, these youth are in want of a channel to become self-aware and work towards improving their confidence. And, there aren’t many opportunities for them to get coached or seek guidance for the problems they face on a daily basis.

Tata STRIVE’s coaching tool – Youth Development Score Card (YSDC)

“Using YDSC I learned how to set short-term goals and action plans, which I use even at my workplace”, expresses Amolraj, enthusiastically.

With a holistic approach, the YDSC self-assessment tool focuses on four dimensions of youth development:

1. Behavioural
2. Emotional
3. Cognitive
4. Social

The tool/ app displays 10 statements under each of the four dimensions and the student is required to rate their current score and the score they aspire to achieve. The scorecard helps the students identify their aspirations and problems, set goals, create a plan of action, and monitor progress. It has an action plan template and an option to select a SMART goal.

• “I get adequate sleep (7-9 hours) every night and feel energized when I wake up” – Behavioural
• “I get angry/irritated/upset easily even over things of less importance” – Emotional
• “I find enough time to complete all important activities” – Cognitive
• “I ask questions when I need clarifications” – Social

The above-mentioned points are some of the top goals selected by students at Tata STRIVE through the YDSC tool.

Key highlights of Tata STRIVE’s Youth Development Score Card (YDSC)

• Pioneering coaching in skill development and vocational ecosystem
• First-of-its-kind mobile app to track employability skills
• Real-time tracking available for youth
• Data analysis and insights for the future
• A unique blend of technology and coaching conversations
• Coaching sessions are organized once every 10 days

“Youth at Tata STRIVE experience a coaching session with their coach once every 10 days where through powerful questioning technique a student is nudged to think and come up with their own solutions, ideas and opinions for their challenges/aspirations. Weekly periodic coaching sessions gradually builds habits and makes them feel more confident and develop critical thinking”, says Ms. Bijitha Joyce, Principal Lead – Ecosystem Strengthening, Talent Development and Alumni Experience at Tata STRIVE.

Trainers – The Human element!

How trainers at Tata STRIVE contribute to the coaching conversations

Trainers at Tata STRIVE are trained to deal with students and understand their problem areas to make the whole coaching experience an effective one. They conduct one-to-one sessions every 10 days with each student using the self-assessment coaching tool YDSC.

“The training provided by Tata STRIVE to be a coach has positively impacted my life both personally and professionally. It changed my perspective and approach to problems and issues and taught me how to deal with people”, notes Dr. Pooja Sankhe, Primary School Teacher, Maharashtra.

Learn how Tata STRIVE helps trainers transition from training to coaching –  https://nationalskillsnetwork.in/how-to-make-the-transition-from-training-to-coaching/

In each one-to-one session, the trainer helps the student identify a SMART goal and guides them in achieving it efficiently. Through coaching, trainers do not give away direct solutions to students’ problems. Instead, they ask probing questions, give feedback and enable them to set SMART goals that are sustainable. This makes the student responsible and accountable for achieving their goals.

Together with the YDSC tool and expert facilitation, Tata STRIVE aims to improve students’ self-esteem, self-efficacy and self-confidence. This individualised mapping of the student’s goals and aspirations and regular practice through coaching sessions help a student stay on the job. It aids a student to unlock their full potential both personally and professionally.