Innovative Models in Skill Development

Kerala Experience

Sarada Muraleedharan

Executive Director, Kudumbashree, Kerala

The Kerala Context

On the demand side• Urban agglomeration type settlement

pattern• High levels of disposable income

– Demand for varied goods and services

• Outsourcing of services– Home and institutional services– High levels of trust in branded, group-based

service providers

The Kerala Context

On the supply side

• Relatively higher educational levels

• High levels of exposure to various options

• Strong preferences for specific types of employment– Government jobs, Middle-east jobs etc.

• Increasing preference for skilled employment

4

Santwanam

Experiences - Santwanam

• Door-step delivery of laboratory services – (Home based health screening)– Trained women– Equipment for basic tests– Standardised operational processes

• 400 women across Kerala

• Monthly income between Rs.4,000 to Rs.20,000

• Started off as a partnership between State Bank of India, Kudumbashree and Health Action by People (HAP)– HAP - NGO working on public health issues

• Started in 200*

Santwanam - Genesis

• HAP– Technical training and certification– Technical manual– Equipment support on cost basis

• Laboratory equipment, • Uniform, carry bag, mobile phone

– Regular supply of consummables at cost basis– Free maintenance of equipment– Free telephonic consultation with HAP physicians

Santwanam - Responsibilities

• Franchisee– Monthly franchisee fee of Rs.500 to HAP– Adherence to protocol provided– Test charged for as per rates fixed by HAP

• Kudumbashree Mission– Identification of trainees– Micro-enterprise financial assistance (loan & subsidy)– General training and support mechanisms– Liaison with HAP on policy issues

Santwanam - Responsibilities

Special Livelihood Project - SLP

• Based on concept of Local Economic Development (LED)– Enable local production of goods and services to

meet local consumption demand

• Bring together local businesses and urban poor– Local market opportunities matched with employment

needs

• Led by Urban Local Governments• Anchored, mobilized and facilitated by

Kudumbashree CDS

Experiences - SLP

• Pilot SLP in Malappuram & Perinthalmanna Municipalities– Initiated in 2008– Community survey to understand livelihood

needs– Market survey to identify opportunities– Stakeholder consultations to clarify

requirements, terms & conditions etc.

Malappuram SLP

• Service sector opportunities- – Home and Institutional house-keeping– Home Nurse care

• Production sector– Food processing – pickles, masala, flour– Centralized packaging facility

• High-value vegetable production through green houses

Malappuram SLP

• Job opportunities for 140 persons• Production sector units operational

– “Ernad” brand– Technical support provided by an established local

company– Marketing arrangements with existing producers

• Green house operational• Service sector enterprises

– Institutional house-keeping– Santwanam

Perinthalmanna SLP

• Perinthalmanna is a hospital town• Service sector

– Tie up with super-specialty hospitals for services• House-keeping, By-standers, interpreters

– Home Nursing services– Mobile catering

• Production sector– Milk, Mushroom, Meat production– Ornamental fishery

• Collective farming of vegetables

Perinthalmanna SLP

• Job opportunities for 472 persons

• Production enterprises operational– Nature Fresh milk unit– Vegetable production

• Service sector– House-keeping services in hospitals

Other SLP

• SLP in Kanhangad Municipality– Tie up with local businesses– Opportunities for 384 persons– Service sector and production sector

opportunities

• More municipalities currently preparing SLP projects

Other Experiences

• Kochi– Tie up with Dr. Reddy’s Foundation– 54 persons trained and placed– 25 in Hospitality, 29 in BPO– Minimum salary – Rs.4500 per month

• Thiruvananthapuram– House-keeping services for Regional Cancer

Centre

Market studies

• City-specific market studies coordinated by BSUP PIU– Kochi & Thiruvananthapuram– Collaboration with local business schools

• State-level Scoping Study for Urban Livelihoods– Conducted by Margadarshak, Lucknow– Five Cities covered in first phase

• Developing local resource pool to conduct market assessments in all urban areas

Opportunities that exist

• Three distinct types of demand– Demand for personnel without skills but based

on specific profile– Demand for personnel with specific skill

training– Demand not for personnel, but for services

provided by an institution

• Different approaches needed to cater to each of these segments

Issues and challenges

• Inadequate information among beneficiary communities– Mismatch between expectations and reality

• Absence of capable institutional mechanism to mobilize, facilitate and regulate

• Policies of market players leading to exclusion and exploitation– Preference for people from specific areas– Exploitative working conditions in certain sectors

Making use of opportunities

• Strong community level support system– Mobilization of the poor, Awareness building– Strengthening CDS to function as platform for

facilitating interface between community and market

• Sensitizing local government leadership to opportunities

• Ensuring legal and ethical framework for placement-linked employment to operate

STEP UP Kerala Campaign

• Objective– Motivate and facilitate ULGs to undertake

employment generation for urban poor by linking with local production and service businesses

Components

• Market assessment and identification of opportunities– State level exercise covering major ULGs– Develop protocol for others to follow

• SLP by all ULG• Mobilization of the community network• Selection of Skill Training Implementation

Agencies (STIA) and training programmes by them in identified opportunities

• Review and monitoring

STEP UP Kerala Campaign

• State level Steering Committee to guide and monitor the campaign– Principal Secretary LSGD – Chairman– Executive Director, Kudumbashree – Convenor– Director, Urban Affairs - Member– Chairman, Chamber of Municipal Chairmen - Member

• Request for Proposal for selection of STIA to be initiated after end of code of conduct period