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Livelihood Training - Mahindra Pride

To harness the advantage of our demographic dividend, skill development of the youth is essential. Aligning with this national priority, KCMET began a livelihood and skill development programme, Mahindra Pride, to equip youth especially from marginalized sections with employable skills.

The programme runs two different interventions, namely Mahindra Pride Schools (Long term course) and Mahindra Pride Classrooms (Short term course) catering to skill training.

The Mahindra Pride Schools (MPS) offer a unique 90-day livelihood training programme provided majorly in four domains of ITES, Retail, Hospitality, and the Auto sector. Along with domain course, courses on life skills, spoken English and computer skills are compulsory. This programme has a 100% placement track record. Since inception 45,420 youth have been trained through this programme. In the year 2022, Mahindra Pride Schools were conducted through 7 classrooms in 5 States (Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra).

The Mahindra Pride Classrooms (MPC) provide 20-40 hours training modules to final year students studying in Government Colleges, ITIs and Polytechnic Institutes on English speaking, life skills, interview preparedness and digital literacy. Since inception this intervention has trained more than 5.6 Lakh youth. The MPC model also engages a full-time placement coordinator in every state who is entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring that placement goals are met. 'Job Utsavs' i.e., placement drives, are organised annually to bring together the employers and a talent pool of MPC alumni to ensure that placement goals are met. In the year 2022, Mahindra Pride Classroom was conducted in 20 states through 3,681 classrooms.

Mahindra Pride ensures every one of its students the first and sure step towards economic independence. With this step, the students’ family progresses towards a better future and so they Rise for Good too. Our students have some of the most heart-warming RISE stories.

One such RISE story is of Kanmani. Don’t quit, is an adage that many elders tell us when we are tired or dispirited. But this is the motto that Kanmani has followed throughout her life to become a living tale of rags to riches. When she was only 3, her father committed suicide, leaving her mother to fend for herself and their 3 daughters. Her mother would sell flowers on Marina Beach in Chennai, and would return only after 8-10 hours. Life wasn’t kind, so much so that many nights they had to go to bed on an empty stomach. When Kanmani turned 5, her mother enrolled her in the government school, just so that she would get her only meal of the day. She recalls that from the age of 10, she used to return from school and carry a head load of flowers to sell in order to supplement the meagre family income. But life had sunshine in store for her, yet. Since Kanmani got good grades in Std XII, her mother was determined to put her through college, come what may. Kanmani went on to not only complete her B. Com degree, but she also secured a job at a local grocery store where she earned Rs. 5000 per month. This is where she met an MPS alumnus who was working for an MNC and suggested that Kanmani would benefit by enrolling at MPS.

When Kanmani passed the entrance test, she was delighted to find out that the 90 day course was not just free, but that she would be provided a nutritious lunch daily, along with a bus pass. Kanmani fondly recalls the efforts taken by her trainers to instil knowledge, skills and confidence in every student.

She aced her first job interview at an HP BPO and started working with them at a monthly salary of Rs. 17,000. It’s been well over a year that she has been working with HP, but she is yet to come to terms with the dramatic changes in her life, “I still cannot believe that I, who led a life of abject poverty for 17 years, am actually working for a multinational like HP.” She firmly believes in the concept of payback and has inspired over a dozen aspiring youngsters who like her, come from dire circumstances. “Seeing them work in companies like Dell, Cap Gemini and Accenture fills me with joy and pride,” says the 21 year old, who has been commended for her work and now earns Rs. 2.50 lacs annually.

Happy Sharma’s is another RISE story from Mahindra Pride School, Chandigarh. Happy had a particularly tragic beginning when fate snatched away his father in an accident. Happy was just two at the time. His father was a farmer with a small land holding, so his mother had no recourse but to take her 2-year-old child and go to live with her brother. 

Happy’s uncle had his own family to support and hence Happy and his mother had to struggle. Fortunately, his uncle valued education and ensured Happy continued to study till Std XII. Happy’s good grades meant that he could have got admission  in a government run Industrial Training Institute for a three-year diploma but he didn’t want his uncle spending more for his studies and started to look for a job which would give him a working wage.

At this point, fate intervened in the form of a friend - an alumnus of MPS (full form), Chandigarh. He exhorted the 20yearold Happy to enrol at MPS. Though the 90-day course was free and fully funded by the Mahindra Group, Happy knew that he could not even afford the modest bus fare to attend the course for 3 months. Then his friend informed him about the free pick-up and drop which the school provided – and the rest, as they say, is history.

Happy enrolled in the Hospitality course, and also got training in Digital Literacy, spoken English, Life Skills, Social Etiquette and Communication. This completely transformed his personality and gave his confidence a tremendous boost. So much so, that he nailed his first interview at Pizza Hut and was offered the role of a Customer Service Representative with a monthly salary of Rs. 11,000. “My uncle and my mother were so proud of me!” he says, reminiscing about that memorable day.

He then took the momentous step of moving out of his uncle’s house and started staying independently with his mother, “I did not want to continue being a burden on my uncle who had looked after us for 18 years” said Happy.

He worked at Pizza Hut for a little over a year and then on his own, got a better job in the retail giant Lifestyle where his pay package was higher. He continued to return to the Mahindra Pride School and inspire other youngsters like himself to enrol. Little did he know that these visits would pay off handsomely; he came to know about a company in Dubai which was looking to hire students/alumni from MPS. Almost instantly, he had an interview with the Landmark Group, over a Skype call. Within a week, he was told that he had aced the interview and was selected, among others, on a monthly salary of Rs. 40,000 (2200 Dirhams).

He has been working there for almost a year and with regular incentives, his monthly income now averages at Rs. 45000 a month, of which he saves around Rs. 30,000. “The work is hard, but the income makes it worthwhile”, says a beaming Happy. His immediate plan is to get his mother to come and live with him in Dubai since she’s alone in Chandigarh.