Self-Reliant India and Vocal for local are two trending terms used by each one of us. Gone are the days. when people focused on achieving a good percentage in college with the hope of getting placed in good company.
The present generation intends to be job givers rather than job seekers. As more women are entering the task force it is time to encourage women to be self-reliant and convert them into entrepreneurs.
Recently, I visited a place where women were being trained for embroidery, handwork, and patchwork. The training was organized by Nehru Yuva Kendra, Chanadrapur, Ministry of Youth and Sports Affairs, Govt. of India. The course duration is for three months and it is free of cost. The participants are
provided certificates after course completion that can be used by the women to apply for loans and start their small ventures.
I learn from each incident and persons around me. During these three months of course I was invited once a month to interact with the women and help them in improving communication skills. Now some you may be wondering what is the need for communication skills in embroidery training.
Communication skills are needed by everyone. Students, educators, entrepreneurs, homemakers, and everyone on this globe cannot survive without communication skills. These skills boost your success. I have been attending the entrepreneurship development program by Nehru Yuva Kendra for the last few years. I like interacting with women and sharing my knowledge with them. These programs generally train the women on any one skill and along with this they arrange small events for their holistic development. For instance, women are given the responsibility of celebrating a day of national importance.
The women under the guidance of the teacher arrange the function, some of them do the decoration, some will arrange for games and some will handle the stage. They invite renowned persons of the village and the officers of Nehru Yuva Kendra for the function. In the three months duration, each one of them gets a chance to organize a small function. The women develop confidence through these
small initiatives. Therefore when the women finish their course they have the skill and the confidence to face the world.
Many organizations are working to make women self-reliant by giving those skills like tailoring, fashion designing, food processing, and many more. Through this article I want to convey that along with the course we should work on making women more confident. The certificate you give after the completion of the course can help the women in starting a business but the confidence and courage you will impart
through the activities will help them to grow their business. As people have realized the importance of education, the ratio of educated women has increased in the last decade.
But a degree or a certificate is not sometimes sufficient to get a good job. However in the present era, we talk of becoming self-reliant and encouraging people to be job givers, the degree and certificates are not enough. Everyone should give equal importance to soft and hard skills as well. We can get knowledge about these skills in some classes and develop them throughout our life experiences.
I strongly believe that collaboration is the key to development. On this women's day month when we speak about gender equality and woman empowerment, it is my appeal to all the women that rather than giving speeches let us come together and support each other.
Empowerment is not acquiring a degree and earning some money. It is supporting women around us to be self-reliant and financially independent. We should support women in having new employment and entrepreneurship opportunities as this will be a step towards Happy Women’s Day Month to all the women around the World!!!
Dr. Anjum Nazir Qureshi is an educator, trainer, and global speaker, She can be reached at: