Exploring ways to improve her employability and increase her income, 21-year-old Reetu of Gurugram found that higher education was perhaps not the solution she was looking for. In the call center, where she was employed at Rs 6500 per month, several of her co-workers were graduates, pushed into low-paying jobs with no prospects for further development because of lack of options.   The eldest child of a poor, barely literate tailor, earning just Rs 5000-6500 every month, and an uneducated mother, Reetu had been forced to give up her studies to help support the family, and enable her younger siblings to study. Adding to the tension, they had to live with her three uncles and their families due to poverty, a situation which led to constant fights and bickering. And so, Reetu was keenly searching for a skill training that she could undergo alongside her job; the idea was to build skills to enable a job change for future growth.

 

She says, “One day I heard from my friend about SNS Foundation’s skill development programs. Full of hope that this well might change my life, I visited the Centre the very next day to enquire about the courses. I was very surprised and encouraged to see several girls like me studying the two wheeler auto mechanic maintenance course being implemented with technical support from Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India.   Interacting with them strengthened my belief in the quality of the course and filled me with optimism about the possibilities it could open up for me. A number of trained girls had readily found jobs with two wheeler dealers, they said. With a nominal fee and an early morning batch, I couldn’t have asked for more. I promptly joined the program with five other girls.’’

 

Immediately on completion of the course, Reetu was hired by Ganpati Honda, a Honda dealer in Gurgaon, at a monthly salary of Rs 8000, with prospects of a salary hike and career growth. After a few months, Reetu was advised to join a one-month engine repair training course, also being offered by SNS Foundation, with technical support from Federal Mogul. Continuing her job alongside, she completed this course too, and was hired by Sanjay Automobile workshop, a Mahindra Commercial vehicles dealer in Gurgaon. She now has a rewarding job with a monthly salary of Rs 12500.

 

Reetu is very happy now … She has a job of her choice, a good salary, a conducive work environment, and good prospects for future professional growth. And her success has motivated her younger brother to follow in her footsteps to a successful career.