TACKLING UNEMPLOYMENT

In the present scenario, unemployment has become one of the biggest issues our country is facing. The unemployment rate in the urban and rural areas of Bihar is much higher than the national average. To counter this problem, we need people trained in skills which are based on occupation and employment. According to the Census of India, the working-age group will constitute up to 64% of India’s population by 2021. This increase is likely to be in the age group of 20-35 years, enabling India to be the youngest working population. On the other hand, much of the youth in India, especially in rural areas, are denied or have limited access to vocational opportunities leaving their potential untapped. The unemployment rate among women especially in rural areas of Bihar is among the highest in the whole country. Without any income of their own, they need to depend on men for anything and everything.

Investing in education and skills for women and youth to help economies achieve dynamic growth with quality jobs is a pressing priority throughout the globe. Vocational education plays a vital role in meeting the challenges posed due to this. Vocational education prepares people for specific trades, crafts, and careers at various levels irrespective of academic background. People trained with vocational skills are better at a job than those who only receive an academic education. Hence vocational education is a need of the hour to face the challenges of unemployment, especially in rural areas.

In this regard, Kusum Foundation Trust is playing a big role in catering to the needs of the people from different sections of the society who are not able to get an education because of the financial conditions of their family. Kusum Foundation is an NGO working since 2008 to bring sunshine into the lives of vulnerable children, women, and youth of rural areas by empowering them through vocational education. With the mission of women and youth empowerment in rural areas, Kusum Foundation took up the initiative in 2008 to help youth enhance their potential by providing vocational education and training in the village of Katesar, Saran Dist., Bihar. The Foundation is providing vocational education/training in the field of Computer Basics, Sewing, Embroidery, and Painting to the unemployed people in the village of Katesar, Bihar, and adjoining areas within a radius of 15 km. So the foundation, through vocational education, is helping the students to choose their career to secure stable employment or generate self-employment.