UTCs impart training to jobless youth

Srikakulam: Poor, unemployed and unskilled youth are getting employment and achieving financial sustainability through Urban Training Centres (UTCs) in municipal towns across the district. With an aim to provide employment to unskilled youth, officials of Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas (MEPMA) started training centres in six municipal towns Srikakulam, Amudalavalasa, Rajam, Palakonda, Palasa and Itchapuram across the district. Youth aged between 18 and 35 years with SSC qualification and white ration card holders are eligible to join these training centres.

Candidates are being provided training in 15 different courses like solar electrical system, accountancy (Tally), tailoring, fashion designing, computer assistance, beauty therapy, hair cutting, customer relations, sales manamement, computer hardware, office executive, DTP, courier and logistics basing on their options. The government is spending Rs 7,000 on each candidate to provide training in different courses through MEPMA.

MEPMA is running 12 training centres in Srikakulam town, three in Palakonda, two in Rajam, three in Itchapuram, two in Amudalavalasa and another two in Palasa town. In all, 2,488 candidates both male and female are being trained in 15 courses through these 24 centres across the district.

“We are providing loans to trained candidates to run cottage units by recommending bankers and 100 such candidates got Rs 80 lakh as loans during last financial year,” project director of MEPMA S Trinadha Rao said. “I acquired skills in bags making in training centre and started a unit with bank loan which is running successfully,” said P Sarada of Srikakulam town. “I got trained in beautician course and now running a beauty parlour in Srikakulam,” said M Vasantha of Srikakulam town.