Assam's school dropouts get handicraft training to enhance skills

In an endeavor to impart skills to uneducated youth, mainly school drop outs to help them become self-reliant, a bamboo handicraft workshop was recently organized in Assam's Jorhat district.

The week-long training programme was organised by the Institution for Culture and Rural Development (I-CARD) at the Rain Forest Research Institute in Sootea.

Twenty 20 people, belonging to extremely poor families participated in the skill development workshop, where they were taught to make different bamboo products.

"I dropped my studies and was staying at home. My brother brought me to I-Card. After coming here, I got to learn to make many bamboo products. They are providing us very good training. This is good for us, as otherwise I would have been staying at home," said Nani, a trainee.

I-CARD has been consistently taking initiatives to impart vocational training to unemployed youth in the region.

The Institute works with the Rights Foundation under the National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT).The institute also plans to create a data base of unemployed youth and jobs available in various sectors.

"These young boys and girls can get engaged in the handicraft sector and can earn a minimum of Rs.3000 to 4000 per month by making this sort of articles. This will be an additional income for the family," Dr. PC Bhuyan, HOD, Forestry Extension Division, RFRI.

The institute lays emphasis on developing the right skills among the youth so that they can start their own business ventures and become self-sufficient. And, they can even provide employment to others.