The vocational training programme offered by the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) aimed at promoting self-employment opportunities has been receiving an encouraging response from women, especially those who come from the lower economic strata of the society. As per official statistics sourced from MBMC’s women and child welfare department, more than 2,759 beneficiaries have either completed or are being trained in various courses being offered in eleven disciplines in eight months between June 2023 to January 2024.
The short-term professionally oriented courses range from motor training (two and four wheelers), tailoring, sewing cloth bags, fashion designing, beautician, web designing, mehendi and nail art to yoga, computer-related training for MS-CIT, DTP, e-taxation and also specially designed paramedical skill development and hospitality.
“Our aim is to provide skill training to needy women so that they can set up gainful self-employment ventures or secure salaried employment. Comprehensive and continuous evaluation of the trainers is also on to ensure a qualitative standard of training. We look forward to launching extensive awareness campaigns and also widening the scope of the programme by helping women in tapping avenues of self-employment after completion of their courses,” said municipal commissioner Sanjay Katkar.
The MBMC has hired privately run professional agencies to impart training to eligible beneficiaries at venues including municipal schools which are conveniently accessible to the trainees. Out of the budgetary allocations amounting Rs 60 lakh for the skill development project, Rs 34.60 lakh has been spent so far to pay the training agencies.
In order to secure admissions for the courses, the applicant should be aged between 18 and 45 years while needing submission of documents like Aadhar card/ration card/property agreements to prove five that they are residents of the twin-city for last five years, SSC marksheets (for technical courses) and recommendation letter from the local corporator. Officials from the women and child welfare wing scrutinise the documents and verify the financial status of the applicants before giving a nod for enrolments.
