Education for empowerment, especially for girls, has been universally recognized as a top priority. However, it has been observed that very few girl children progress to secondary education. The Girls Advocacy Alliance (GAA), a global initiative of the Plan International, works in 10 countries and aims to promote equal rights and opportunities for young girls and women. As part of this initiative, Poverty Learning Foundation (PLF) is undertaking a study, on behalf of the Mahita-Plan, to map the vocational training institutes (VTIs) at the district level in Andhra Pradesh (AP) and Telangana State (TS) with a view to disseminating this information among the youth.

The objectives of the study are:

  • To identify all the training institutes - government, private, government-sponsored, corporate and NGO-run - in six districts of AP: Kurnool, Visakhapatnam, Krishna, Prakasam, Ananthapur and Kadapa and seven in TS: Hyderabad, Gadwal, Yadadri, Vikarabad, Sanga Reddy, Warangal, Khammam and Mahabubnagar.
  • To identify the entire process of the training from mobilization to counselling, enrolment, curriculum planning, conducting the course, fee structure, industrial tie-ups, placements, career progression, including post-placement services

The study involved collection of secondary data onVocational Training Institutes (VTI)and Job Oriented Vocational Trainings (JOVT) JOVTs in 15 districts in AP and TS, data mining, data organizing and analysis. From the above analysis a state directory for JOVT was prepared for both states.

The study, which aims to evaluate the impact of vocational and skill training of the female workforce, is an attempt to influence the policy structure governing the provisions of women and child welfare in India with regard to the following aspects:

  • Impact of skill training on the employment capabilities of young women and their role in the larger skill development framework.
  • Need for policy interventions through appropriate programmes and schemes, with sufficient focus on soft skills. This is to ensure that the youth are equipped with the necessary skills that will make them employable in the job market.