Govt, UNDP, pvt sector join hands

The union government, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), educational institutions and private entrepreneurs have come together to create centres that would equip people with limited education with skills to repair mechanical and electronic devices.

The Tiruchirappalli Regional Engineering College-Science and Technology Entrepreneurs Park (TREC-STEP) has taken the initiative to open two centres in Chennai to impart training in service and repair of white goods.

The training centres have received financial support from the UNDP, Union government's Department of Science and Technology and private entrepreneurs.

TREC-STEP's executive director, R M P Jawahar, said that the training centres would function on commercial lines. That is, they would be required to become self-sustaining. The centres would be managed by entrepreneurs who have contributed half the start-up capital.

TREC-STEP has joined hands with the white goods industry to prepare a training curriculum. TREC-STEP would also be required to make sure that the quality of training is good.

TREC-STEP has already experimented with this model in Trichy. Jawahar said that the training institute in Trichy has sent more than 400 mechanics into the market. After Chennai, TREC-STEP plans to open centres in Bangalore.

The government's aim in supporting the programme is to make people with limited education employable. Government representatives said that the skill gap in the market made technical training a good bet for young people who have limited education (up to Std 10).

TREC-STEP was started in 1991. In 2000, TREC-STEP joined hands with UNDP to become an implementing agency in programmes that are meant to mitigate problems of semi literates.