Between The Covers

Chief Patron: Dr. A. Sakthivel, Chairman AEPC, ATDC & IAM

Honorary ManagingEditor: Sh. Hari Kapoor, Vice-Chairman, ATDC

Chief Editor: Dr. Darlie O. KoshyDG & CEO, ATDC & IAM

Editor: Ms. Aanchal Prabhakar Jagga

Content and Design:IANS Publishing

India’s ambitious skilling targetscan only be met by expanding collaborative partnerships andadopting innovative models — and ATDC shows the way

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l Defying all oddsl Birth of an entrepreneur l Wise choicel Towards foreign shores

stories to tell19

in summary20

l ATDC shines at India International Trade Fair

l ATDC holds SMART State Coordinators’ meet

l’Enable local craftsmen for fashion sustainability’

l Mission Hong Kong for more productivity, efficiency

l ‘Democratisation of fashion key to future’

news flags14-18

l Jobs galore at ATDC-Ludhiana/Ranchi

Unfolding the ATDC-NYKS story: Ms. Nita Chowdhury, IAS, Secretary(Youth Affairs), Ministry of YouthAffairs and Sports, GoI

l New Skill Camp at Kozhikode

l SMART Innovations/ATDC celebrates Ayudha Puja

l Deciphering corporate needs

l Presenting Khadi in SMART avatar

l Catalysing skills in Madhya Pradesh

SMART NewZine is a bi-monthly publication of ATDC. All rights reserved. Content from SMART NewZine may be reproduced with permission.

Feedback/ suggestion/ articles/ advertisements may be sent to: smartnewzine@atdcindia.co.in

Cover Design:Mithun Mukherjee

CONTRIBUTORS:ATDC FIELD AND STATE-LEVEL TEAMS

COLLABORATINGTO GROW

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ATDC booster for MadhyaPradesh, Chhindwara

interview13‘ATDC is doing yeomen service inChhindwara’: Shri Kamal Nath,Hon’ble Union Minister of Urban Development & Parliamentary Affairs

Providing employable skills to youth, who com-prise about 50 percent of the population, hasbeen a primary focus of our Government over the

last decade. It is only by right-skilling a vast number ofpeople that India can take advantage of what is described as its demographic dividend. Turning our de-mographic dividend into a “labour dividend” is the realchallenge.

The Government has focused on creating skill infrastructure to providevocational training in mul-tiple skill-sets to the youthin the country. The need ofthe hour is to re-orient theskill vocational syllabi tosuit the apparel and textilesindustry’s real-time re-quirements.

The main advantage ofATDC is quality training asper the current technologi-cal needs of the apparel andtextiles industry. Once theperson is trained by ATDC,he/she can easily get em-ployment opportunities inthe apparel sector.

ATDC-SMART trainingproject has, in recent years,attracted widespread atten-tion as these courses pro-vide fast-track training toyouth in employable skills.

There is geographicalmismatch, sectoral mis-match and skill mismatchin many of our states andindustries. The youth incertain industrially-back-ward states don’t get em-ployment in their ownstates and have to travellong distances to find jobs.

It is high time that industries like apparel, which is‘footloose’, should de-congest and move to Tier 2/3/4cities/towns to find the right labour and, more impor-tantly, to contribute where the ‘apparel economy’ canmake a difference. The industry needs to reach out andset up units closer to where the trained labour force is.

‘Open’ Dialogue

As we leave behind an year which swung between ‘manyhighs’ and ‘many lows’, let me wish you all a very happy and productive New Year 2013. I am sure the New Year will provide a tipping point for the apparel export sector as wellas the domestic fashion industry with European Union Free Trade Agreement, proposed to be signed early this year helping apparel exports, and FDI’s positive impactcatalysing the domestic sector. The Apparel and Textiles industry will certainly have more ‘sunshine’ days ahead.

With the 12th Five-Year Plan coming into full force, therewill be more thrust on the skill development front by scalingup operations via implementing agencies like ATDC that hasemerged as the largest vocational skill training network forthe apparel sector in the country.

In order to pursue the ambitious target of skilling 48,000people for the pilot period of 2011-12 and 2012-13, ATDC hasentered into multiple collaborative partnerships with Cen-tral/Apex organisations, State Governments and their agen-cies, NGOs, etc. In the case of ATDC, the major thrust hasbeen on creating strong linkages with various stakeholdersfor mobilisation of candidates, and with the apparel industryunits for generating employment for the successful trainees.With the target of skilling 2,50,000 people being set for the12th FYP with substantial funding support from Ministry ofTextiles, Government of India, there is even more pressingneed for expanding collaborations at all levels.

Proactive engagement of the stakeholders, especially the LMC members across the country, as well as ‘Bhagidari’ with State Governments and apparel industryunits, will go a long way towards achieving the objectives ofthe Integrated Skill Development Scheme (ISDS) being implemented by ATDC on behalf of MOT, GOI.

The current NewZine issue in your hands is focused on‘Collaborative Partnerships’ and I am sure that in the progressive journey of ATDC towards ‘skilling India’ and ‘upskilling apparel sector’, you will extend your continuous cooperation and unstinted support.

— Dr. A. Sakthivel, Chairman, AEPC & ATDC & IAM

CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE

‘Open’ Dialogue is an ATDC forum to discuss, debate and disseminate ideasthat we hope willshape the present andfuture of the textileand apparel industry

SHRI KAMAL NATH,HON’BLE UNION MINISTER OF URBANDEVELOPMENT ANDPARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS, GOI

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SMARTPARTNERSHIPS

India’s ambitiousskilling targetscan only be met by expanding collaborativepartnerships and adopting innovative models— and ATDCshows the way

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Hon’ble Prime Minister on importanceof partnerships and private sector inachieving India’s skilling goals

Chairing a meeting this year of the NationalCouncil on Skill Development (NCSD), theapex institution he had set up in 2008,Hon’ble Prime Minister Manmohan Singhmade three important observations.

n It will be impossible for the government alone to deal with the skills requirement of an estimated 260 million people by 2018 and 340 million by 2022 toreap India’s potential demographic dividend.

n There has to be a decentralised mechanismto address the issue of skill development, involving greater partnership with institu-tions outside of the government.

n Focus must be on sectors like textiles, infrastructure, real estate, automobiles,health care, retail and logistics as they offera huge employment potential.

It is for these reasons that in the three-tieradministrative structure for skill developmentin India — the apex NCSD chaired by theprime minister himself, the National Skill Development Coordination Board (NSDCB)chaired by the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, and the National Skill Development Corporation(NSDC) chaired by a person drawn from theprivate sector — the emphasis has been on collaborations. Among them, the NSDCwas specifically set up as a non-profit body topromote and co-opt the private sector actionin this area.

‘Decentralise,collaborate’

The task at hand is humon-gous — and the time available limited.The National Policy on Skill Develop-ment approved by the Government ofIndia under its 2010 National Skill Development Mission has set itself theambitious target of skilling 500 millionpeople — almost half the nation’s current population — by the year 2022.

Naturally, the apparel and textilessector — the second-largest provider ofdirect employment after agriculture —is a key focus area. The Union Ministryof Textiles has given the Apparel Train-ing & Design Centre (ATDC) the man-date to drive the skilling requirementsof apparel sector, as a nodal agency.And in a matter of just over two years,since October 2010, ATDC has enrolledover 45,000 people at its 125 nation-wide hubs and peripatetic centres,called SMART Centres, which expandto ‘Skills for Manufacturing of Apparel

The launch of the ‘ATDC-SMART Students’ Manual’ in three vernaculars —Hindi, Bengali and Oriya — at IITF in New Delhi. Seen in the picture, Mr. RCM Reddy, Chairman, FICCI Skills Development Forum; Mr. DilipChenoy, MD & CEO, NSDC; and Dr. Darlie O. Koshy, DG & CEO, ATDC & IAM.

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through Research and Training’. ATDC is, however, not sitting on its

laurels. In the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-13 to 2016-17) that is now underway,the organisation has set itself a target ofskilling 250,000 people. The question is:How should it go about achieving thishuge target? And the answer: By think-ing out of the box.

WHY COLLABORATE?Collaborate to Grow. That is the mantrathat ATDC has adopted to achieve itsskilling target. It has forged partnershipsacross the public-private and Centre-State spaces so as to cast the net wideenough to bring in its ambit peoplefrom every strata of society, especiallythe underprivileged and marginalised inIndia’s vast rural hinterland. As Dr. A. Sakthivel, AEPC & ATDC

Chairman, puts it: “The Government is,of course, the fountainhead. But weneed beach-heads as well. And the inno-vative collaborations and partnershipswe are forming will bring more andmore people into the skilling mission.They are acting like force multipliers.”ATDC has been actively working on

finding the right partners to achievegreater geographic spread and grow thenumbers it trains. And finding the rightpartner is important, notes Dr. Darlie O.Koshy, CEO of ATDC and the Institute

of Apparel Management (IAM). “Theright partnership is the key as the col-laborating organisation knows the tar-get group and their aspirations andrequirements the best. The partner-ships with NBCFDC, NSFDC, REEMAP,NYKS, KSWDC and similar others haveshown the way in terms of reaching outto youth, women and disadvantaged sec-tions of the society, raising bridge fundsand meeting other post-training require-ments,” he explains.Take, for instance, Central Govern-

ment bodies with their own target fo-cuses such as the Nehru Yuva KendraSanghatan (NYKS), the National Back-ward Classes Finance and Develop-ment Corporation (NBCFDC), theNational Scheduled Castes FinanceDevelopment Corporation (NSFDC),the National Scheduled Tribes FinanceCorporation (NSTFC) and the NationalSafai Karamcharis Finance Develop-ment Corporation (NSKFDC). Or state-level institutions such as the TamilNadu Skill Development Mission, Ker-ala State Women’s Development Corpo-ration (KSWDC) or the Rajiv Educationand Employment Mission in AndhraPradesh (REEMAP). Tie-ups with eachof these bodies helps ATDC reach theirtarget groups in a more effective man-ner. (See box: Major Collaborations)Mr. H.S. Kingra, Chairman and

Managing Director, NSFDC, underlinesthe point. “The advantage of such part-nership is threefold,” he says. “One, thesponsors help the weaker sections — inour case, persons belonging to Sched-uled Castes — to get free training withstipend. Two, industry gets skilledhands, and three, trainees get gainfulemployment and permanent liveli-hood-earning capabilities.” ATDC hasbeen collaborating with NSFDC since

Inclusive growth can only be achieved if various government schemes are complemented with global knowledge that organisations like ATDC bring with them.— Dr. K.C. Reddy, Chairman, REEMAP

ATDC has trained thousands of candidates fallingin ST, SC, OBC and minority categories thattoday, they are working shoulder-to-shoulderwith people from the cities in garment factories. — Mr. A.A. Naqvi, Managing Director, NBCFDC

2000 and has so far trained close to6,000 candidates.Adds REEMAP Chairman

Dr. K.C.Reddy: “Sponsoring ATDC stu-dents belonging to our target grouphas not only helped them enter themainstream and find gainful employ-ment, but has also opened gatewaysfor the communities concerned. Theforay of the disadvantaged sectionsinto garment factories has helped alarge section of our target group getskilled, thus contributing towards theNational Skills Mission.” REEMAP hassanctioned ATDC training under apilot project that is currently being ex-ecuted in Hyderabad and Vizag.

GOING LOCALApart from Central- and State-levelcollaborations, going completely localis another important way of expandingthe skill mission and reaching thedoorsteps of those who really needskilling. “Providing training at the block or

district levels would cover the maxi-mum beneficiaries. The help of munic-ipal corporations and panchayatsshould be taken to identify eligiblecandidates,” points out Lalit Kohli,Managing Director, NSKFDC.It is an idea that finds traction in

places as far apart as West Bengal andKerala. “The very idea of the NationalSkill Mission will be defeated if centresdo not come up in far-flung areas tocover very large sections of society. Theinvolvement of municipalities andpanchayats is a must to make the pro-gramme a success,” notes Syed SamsulAlam, Vice Chancellor of the Kolkata-based Aliah University, which has beensponsoring ATDC trainees for the lastthree years.

“Grassroot-level planning and de-volution of powers are the core pointsof democratic decentralisation. Bring-ing local self-government institutionsinto such a professional arena wouldempower people,” adds Mr. M.K.Muneer, Minister for Social Welfareand Panchayat in Kerala, who believesATDC can help by collaborating withKudumbashree, the women’s empow-erment movement in the state that has37 lakh members.Going local is an idea ATDC is ac-

tively pursuing, says Mr. Hari Kapoor,Vice Chairman, ATDC. “We alreadyhave fruitful collaborations with theState Urban Development Authorities(SUDA) of Chhattisgarh as well as WestBengal. SUDA, West Bengal, has sanc-tioned sponsorship of 3,000 traineesfor the current year and has also facil-itated tripartite MOUs with variousmunicipalities,” says Mr. Kapoor.The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara

Palike (BBMP) has, meanwhile, offeredbuilt-up space at Adugodi, Malleswramand Nagarbhavi in Bengaluru, besidescontributing towards the deficit intraining costs. And similar alliances arebeing forged elsewhere as well.There are also several instances of

Members of Parliament and Membersof Legislative Assemblies using theirLocal Area Development funds tobring ATDC’s training expertise to theyouth of their constituencies.Hon’ble Union Minister of Urban

Development and Parliamentary Af-fairs Shri Kamal Nath is a pioneer inthis area. He has championed the cre-ation of an entire skill hub in his con-stituency of Chhindwara in MadhyaPradesh. Among those he invited wasATDC, which he calls “a perfect fit” forhis constituency. With trained man-

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Candidates Sponsored by Apex Organisations During 2012-13Region No. of Candidates Sponsored

NSFDC NBCFDC NYKS NMDFC TotalNorth 780 1,125 1,680 120 3,705East 770 420 1,200 0 2,390West 1,050 910 720 90 2,770South 450 460 720 0 1,630Total 3,050 2,915 4,320 210 10,495

ATDC Bangalore students, from N-E states, weretrained as part of collaborative partnership underthe DONER scheme. They got employment with com-panies like LT Karle, Silver Spark and SAP Apparels.

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MAJOR COLLABORATIONS1. Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS)The NYKS, Ministry of Youth Affairs, GoI, hasbeen sponsoring ATDC candidates for SMARTcourses for over a year now. The ATDC Pan-Indianetwork has so far trained over 300 candidatessponsored by NYKS and recently, an approval totrain 4,320 candidates has been received.

2. Tamil Nadu Skill Development Mission (TNSDM)

Department of Social Welfare, Tamil Nadu, hasmandated ATDC to up-skill 54,000 uniform tailors and plans to provide them with modernJuki machines post training so as to augmenttheir earning capabilities.

3. Rajiv Education and Employment Mission in Andhra Pradesh (REEMAP)

It is coordinating skill training activities inAndhra Pradesh. As a pilot project, REEMAP hassanctioned the sponsorship of candidates forSMART courses in Hyderabad & Vizag.

4. National Scheduled Castes Finance &Development Corporation (NSFDC)

Since 2000, NSFDC has been giving sanctions toATDC for imparting skill training to Scheduled Caste candidates. The ATDC’s pan-India network has so far trained over 6,000 SC candidates sponsored by NSFDC.

5. National Backward Classes Finance &Development Corporation (NBCFDC)

Since 2001, NBCFDC has been giving sanctionsto ATDC for imparting skill training to BackwardClass candidates. ATDC’s pan-India network hasso far trained over 3,000 Backward Class candi-dates sponsored by NBCFDC.

6. National Minorities Development & Finance Corporation (NMDFC)

Since 2006, NMDFC has been giving sanctionsto ATDC for imparting skill training to minoritycandidates. ATDC’s pan-India network has so far trained over 840 minority candidatessponsored by NMDFC.

7. National Safai Karamcharis Finance &Development Corporation (NSKFDC)

Since 2007, NSKFDC has been giving sanctionsto ATDC for imparting skill training to safai

karamcharis. ATDC’s pan-India network has so far trained over 1,000 safai karamcharissponsored by NSKFDC.

8. National Handicapped Finance and Development Corporation (NHFDC)

Since 2004, NHFDC has been giving sanctionsto ATDC for imparting skill training to handi-capped candidates. ATDC’s pan-India network has so far trained over 50 handi-capped candidates sponsored by NSKFDC.

9. RIICOThe Rajasthan State Industrial Developmentand Investment Corporation (RIICO) providesstipendiary and financial support for trainingcandidates at the ATDC-SMART Centres in Rajasthan. It has also provided built-up space for ATDC-SMART Centres at Sitapura,Jodhpur and elsewhere in the state and plansto support setting up ToT Academy in the state.

10. State Urban Development Authority(SUDA)

SUDA Chhattisgarh has sanctioned the sponsorship of 3,000 trainees for the currentyear, while SUDA West Bengal has facilitated tripartite MoUs with various municipalities forsanction of sponsorships of 1,800 trainees.

11. Aliah University, West BengalIt has been sponsoring trainees for ATDC Community College for the past three years.

12. Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP)

BBMP Karnataka has offered built-up space toATDC at Adugodi, Malleswram and Nagarbhaviin Bengaluru under west & south of BBMP

13. Collaborations in Madhya PradeshThe MP Hasta Shilpa Vikas Nigam Ltd. has sanctioned sponsorship for 3,000 trainees thisyear while MP Council for Employment & Train-ing (MAPCET) sponsored 4,000 trainees and MPKhadi and Gramudyog Board 1,200 trainees.

14. Collaborations in Himachal PradeshHimachal Pradesh’s Department of Industrieshas shown interest in starting ATDC-SMART Cen-tres in 12 districts.

To address the need of trainersin the apparel sector in thestate, ATDC, with RIICO’s support, will start a Training of Trainers’ (TOT) Academy in Jodhpur and expand its Gurgaon Academy in Bhiwadi region.

— Mr. Naveen Mahajan, Managing Director, RIICO

The ATDC-SMART training centres provide all facilitiesand infrastructure required bythe courses in the present scenario. The ATDC Centres arewell equipped with all moderntechnology and equipment.

— Mr. Lalit Kohli, Managing Director, NSKFDC

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power available, there are today severalapparel and textiles units in and aroundthe region. “Students trained by ATDCcould thus find employment not veryfar from their domicile,” he told SMARTNewzine in an interview. (Also see ‘OpenDialogue’ and ‘Flashlight’)

FUNDING THE GAPCollaborations fulfil another key func-tion — that of bridging the finance gap.“Government funding can achieve onlyso much, which is why there is a stresson private-public partnerships when itcomes to the National Skill Mission,”says Dr. Darlie Koshy. With budgetsavailable for skilling of their targetgroups, Central and State bodies are ableto sponsor ATDC candidates and helpthem measure up to the requirements ofthe textiles and apparel industry.

There are other advantages as well —some of these institutions also fund theentrepreneurial ambitions of their tar-get groups once they have the requisitetraining and skills. Says Mr. A.K. Punia,Deputy General Manager (Training) atNBCFDC: “Inclusive growth can beachieved if various Governmentschemes are complemented to achievethe desired goal. For instance, NBCFDCloans are available to trained youths toestablish their own production unitsafter successful completion of trainingprogrammes at ATDC.”For public or private sector corpora-

tions with Corporate Social Responsi-bility (CSR) goals, collaborating withATDC means putting their money togood use. One example is the RajasthanIndustrial Development and Invest-ment Corporation (RIICO), which is

mandated to attract investors to thestate and provide them the infrastruc-ture to successfully do business.“Skilled manpower availability has

assumed an important position in thelocation matrix analysis of an investor,”notes RIICO Managing Director Mr.Naveen Mahajan. “One of our objec-tives is to achieve optimal developmentof human capital. In the Rajasthan In-dustrial and Investment PromotionPolicy 2010, textiles and apparel havebeen included as thrust areas. It is im-portant to emphasise skill developmentfor the sustainable growth of these sec-tors in Rajasthan.”RIICO provides financial support for

SMART Centres opened by ATDC in Ra-jasthan. “We are happy to know thatstudents who have acquired traininghere are finding employment in indus-try. We are hopeful that in the yearsahead, Rajasthan will have more gar-ment units,” says Mr. Mahajan.To address the need of trainers in the

textiles and apparel sector in the state,ATDC, with RIICO’s support, will alsostart an ATDC-SMART Training ofTrainers’ (TOT) Academy in the state ofRajasthan and expand its GurgaonAcademy to Bhiwadi region in the nextfinancial year.

Grassroot-level planning and devolutionof powers are the core points of democratic decentralisation. Bringinglocal self-government institutions intosuch arena would empower people.— Shri M.K. Muneer, Minister for Social Welfare and Panchayat in Kerala

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INTERVIEW: Mr. H.S. Kingra, Chairman and Managing Director, NSFDC

What are the specific advantages of collaborations/sponsorships in skilling?Collaborations/sponsorships in imparting skills toyoung people involve commitment of training ex-penditure by the sponsorer to the training institu-tion, which, in turn, can conduct the trainingprofessionally and provide post training placements by collaborating with the industry. The specific advantages in this partner-ship are three fold — (a) the sponsors benefitthe weaker sections of the society such as thepersons belonging to Scheduled Castes to get free training with stipendary benefits, (b) the industry gets supply of skilled hands to ensureproduction and (c) the trainees get gainful employment and permanent livelihood earning capability with good future growthprospects in the line.

Is having a master model like ATDC-SMARTTraining project helpful? Especially in terms of the scale it offers as well as thestandardisation and uniformity of thecurriculum it provides?The ATDC-SMART Project is industry-centric andprovides direct help to the industry to get skilled hands inlarge numbers. Skills are imparted strictly on standard-ised pattern and as per the requirement of the Sectoral Industry. The uniformity in curricula, training resourcesand quality monitoring bringquality and excellence to pro-duce expert skilled workers forvarious operations. This Proj-

ect is specially helpful because the Garment producing Centres in India have a healthy policyof encouraging employable persons from variouscorners of the country.

ATDC’s collaborative tie-ups are helpingbuild the educational & training modulesrepository at various levels. Can you suggest more such steps to complement

the Government schemesfor achieving inclusivegrowth?Collaborative tie-up of ATDCwith the apparel industry is nodoubt helping in standardisa-tion of training modules, butthere is need to supplementthis with foreign institutionaland brand tie-up to upgradethe skills as per the needs ofmarkets abroad, and it will en-

‘ATDC-SMART Project is industry-centric’

THE ATDC ADVANTAGEFor partners and collaborators, the ad-vantages of forging an alliance withATDC are self-evident. ATDC’s SMARTis a kind of “master model”. It boasts ofstate-of-the-art facilities and highly de-veloped infrastructure. “It can easily beadapted to the different, and sometimesspecific, requirements of the partner or-ganisations or agencies,” says Dr. Koshy. The spread of the SMART network

across the country also means that it iseasily accessible. As Mr. Kingra of NSFDCputs it: “ATDC has a presence in almostevery state in India. This makes it easierfor us to help provide job-oriented train-ing to students belonging to ScheduledCaste in any part of the country.”

ATDC’s standardised training mod-ules and curricula, moreover, make iteasier for trainees to get jobs anywherein the apparel sector. “The standardised approach is very

appealing,” says Mr. A.A. Naqvi, Man-aging Director of NBCFDC, adding:“Trainees get accustomed to the de-mands of the apparel industry, likeyardsticks of quality, export demand,latest technology in cutting, sewing,pattern-making and finishing. The uni-formity of the training modules hashelped our target group understand thenuances of manufacturing apparel thatmatch global standards.”Its close links with industry as well

its association with the Apparel Export

Promotion Council (AEPC), its parentbody, gives ATDC access to latest globaltrends and technologies in the apparelsector. Its association with the ex-porters and industry leaders help thestudents passing out of ATDC get easyplacements. “Our 75 percent placementrecord over the past couple of years istestimony to this fact,” notes ATDC ViceChairman Mr. Kapoor.“Finally, and most importantly, col-

laborating with ATDC makes tremen-dous economic sense. We have two keydrivers — the master model and state-of-the-art facilities in place, and wehave the ability to ensure linkages togainful employment. So there is noneed for these organisations/agenciesto re-invent the wheel and set up train-ing facilities of their own,” Dr. Koshypoints out.Little wonder, there are unending

examples of successful collaborationswhich ATDC has forged, nurtured andexpanded over the years and is now inthe process of adding new dimensionsto — and these partnerships are attract-ing others like a magnet.

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sure to full exploitation of the export marketsall around the globe. This could be achieved byencouraging formation of exclusive Self-HelpGroups (SHGs) of women beneficiaries and link-ing them with exporters to produce foreignmarket specific goods on a large scale.

There is often a mis-match between theneed for skilled manpower in a particularregion and its availability. How can thisbe corrected? Can inter-state alliancesplay a role in this – and how?Inter-state alliances could play an active role inthis task. To quote an example, the trainees belonging to Scheduled Castes under theNSFDC-sponsored programmes find gainfulemployment in garment industries of Bengaluru. The industries find the work forcefrom outside to be more hardworking and sincere. Such tie-ups should be encouraged inother states with similar production centres.

ATDC-SMART initiative can usher a new era, anew zeal and a new resurgence of energy ifonly local bodies play an active role in everyother centre set up for the purpose.— Prof. Syed Samsul Alam, VC, Aliah University, W. Bengal

NBCFDC loans are available to trained youths to establish their own production units after successful completion of training programmes at ATDC.— Shri A.K. Punia, Deputy GM (Training), NBCFDC

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First the facts. Madhya Pradesh,fourth in the country in cotton pro-duction, has an textiles/apparel indus-try exporting garments worth over`1,800 crore to foreign shores.

Armed with abundant labour in afriendly business atmosphere, MadhyaPradesh is all set to join the leading ap-parel manufacturing states (See box).

Four years back, having identifiedthe need to prepare a skilled workforceto take on the burgeoning demand,ATDC entered the state in Chhindwaraand slowly began spreading its wingsto various nearby districts.

Today, it has a strong presence inAmarwara, Jabalpur, Bhopal, Dindoriand Narsinghpur districts. Soon, it willexpand to Sausar/Pandhurna,Tamia/Harrai, Pipariya and Seoni

areas, covering a large swathe of thestate where a huge workforce is wait-ing to join the apparel bandwagon.

Pan back to Chhindwara. Under theguidance and spirited leadership ofHon’ble Union Minister of Urban De-velopment and Parliamentary AffairsShri Kamal Nath, the district, which hasa large tribal belt, has grown in statureto rub shoulders with the big textilesand apparel centres in the country.

Located in the south-west region ofthe Satpuda range of mountains, the dis-trict boasts of some big apparel playerstoday. Raymonds is manufacturing 50percent of its total suit production here.M/s. Shahi Export Pvt. Ltd. has started itsshirt manufacturing unit and, soon, witha proposed apparel park in Pandhurna,the stage is set for more big names to jointhe Chhindwara growth story.

“There are over 10 textile and gar-ment units in and around Chhind-

In a short span of four years, the ATDC movement has taken Madhya Pradesh by storm, andChhindwara has become a case study of how the disadvantaged tribals are swiftly beingbrought into the ambit of employment & better livelihood

Textiles scenario in MP� One of the highest cotton producingstates in India – 14.50 lakh bales of production in 2009-10

� 6% of India’s cotton produced in MP� More than 55 textile mills in the state� Textiles exports from Madhya Pradeshworth US$325 million per annum

� Rich tradition of weaving & knitting

ATDC booster for MadhyaPradesh, Chhindwara

The new ATDC-Chhindwara Integrated Campus at Imlikhera. Students at the new ATDC-Chhindwara Integrated Campus.

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wara, all vying for skilled workforce.ATDC, for its expertise and wide arrayof job-oriented courses, was a naturalchoice for us to bring employment-linked education right to thedoorsteps, connecting rural youth tothe mainstream,” says Shri KamalNath, who has been painstakinglyworking for the growth of his con-stituency for over three decades.

The seeds were sown for a bettertomorrow when Shri Kamal Nath in-augurated the ATDC-ChhindwaraCentre in 2008. To begin with, the Cen-tre enrolled 131 youth. Since then, ithas skilled over 6,000 students fromthe weaker sections, especially tribalbelts.

According to District Collector MrMahesh Chand Choudhary, “Duringmy last visit to the Chhindwara cam-pus, I was glad to see the innovativework by the students on khadi. To saythe least, the ATDC-Chhindwara Cen-tre, like a ‘Light House’, is developingthe skills, providing job opportunitiesand also helping in poverty eradicationin Chhindwara.”

“For the benefit of the weavers'community and the weaker section ofthe society, the Ministry of Micro,Small and Medium Enterprises(MSME) and departments like HastShilp Vikas Nigam (HSVN), the Khadiand Village Industries Commission(KVIC) are sponsoring youth to beskilled through ATDC-SMART fast-track courses. We now aim to trainmore and more youth fromSC/ST/OBC sections so the purpose ofsetting up ATDC in Chhindwara canbe scaled,” he says.

For LMC member Mr RajendraSingh Rajput, the ATDC-SMART train-ing project is working as a MasterModel for Skill Development in Mad-hya Pradesh. “The model can now beused for skill development in other vo-cational courses. The ATDC-SMARTcourses are among the best in terms ofstandardised and uniform trainingmodules,” adds Mr Rajput.

With more and more garment man-ufacturers taking the apparel route toChhindwara, it is even more challeng-ing for ATDC to train adequate num-bers of people. “We have regularlybeen receiving support from the officeof Hon’ble Minister Shri Kamal Nathhere. ATDC has collaborated with or-

ganisations like the District Urban De-velopment Agency (DUDA), HSVN,Khadi Gramudyog and State Tribal De-velopment Department for regularsponsorship of students,” informsPrincipal, ATDC-Chhindwara Centre.

Finding jobs haven’t been a prob-lem for ATDC-SMART students.

“The students have got employ-ment with Shahi Exports, Bangalore,Unitex Apparel, Bangalore, and Prati-bha Syntex, Indore, among others.Shahi Exports selected 55 students asoperators and checkers at its Chhind-wara unit recently,” says the Principal.

With ATDC making an impact inChhindwara, as well as the rest of thestate, we are looking at a future wherethe poor are no more staying home butearning gainful employment, and evengiving back to their communities.

Most success stories are writtenthis way. Aren’t they?

Spread the word SMART-ly, says Shri Kamal NathWords of encouragement always make a personstrive for better results. A few of such words camefrom Hon’ble Union Minister of Urban Developmentand Parliamentary Affairs Shri Kamal Nath duringhis visit to ATDC-Chhindwara’s new Integrated Campus at Imlikhera on September 25, 2012.

During the interaction with the students, andfaculty members, the minister said he was veryhappy with the fact that many of them have successfully been placed in various garment manufacturing companies in the state, mainlyShahi Exports — one of the largest garment manufacturers and exporters in India. He informed students that more leading manufacturing garment companies are planning to start opera-tions in Chhindwara soon, so there would be plentyof job opportunities in the future. Shri Kamal Nathalso asked the students to spread the word aboutSMART courses in their neighbourhood.

For a decade, you have been focusingon skill development in Chhindwara.How did this vision come about?Creating employment opportunities foryouth in Chhindwara, my constituency since1980, has been a primary concern and anenduring mission. I have focused on creat-ing skill training infrastructure for providingvocational training in multiple skills toyouth while attracting the industry to set-up production facilities to absorb them.Today, the skills development institutes inChhindwara boast of training faculties fromcorporates like Larsen & Toubro, Cisco, Prati-bha Syntex, Shahi Exports and others.

What is the thought behind creating askill hub in the heart of Chhindwara?I have put in sustained efforts to envisionand realise a multi-skill hub that wouldtrain the youth and women with employ-able skills. Since 2007, several companies –from Ambuja Cement to Punj Lloyd andMahindra & Mahindra to Toyota KirloskarMotors, L&T and GMR – are now impartingtraining to youth in Chhindwara.ATDC came next, and it was a perfect fit.Today, there are several apparel and textilesunits in and around the region. Studentstrained by ATDC could thus find employ-ment not very far from their domicile.

Is there a plan to bring employers tothe state so that youth can find employment within the state itself?Of course. Thanks to the availability of pro-fessionally-trained manpower by ATDCSMART, I expect more textile and apparelunits to be set up – making the region atextile-apparel hub. In fact, there is alreadya proposal for setting up an apparel park.

What is your advice to ATDC in thecontext of the brand new campusbeing opened there?I am happy to learn that ATDC has alreadytrained over 6,000 students since its incep-tion in Chhindwara. It is doing yeomen service. The upcoming ATDC-Training ofTrainers' (TOT) Academy, only the third in thecountry, will enhance its all-round qualityand capabilities and place it in the national context of the growing apparel industry.

‘ATDC is doing yeomen service in Chhindwara’

INTERVIEW: Shri Kamal Nath

As one of the largest vocationalskill provider for apparel sector inIndia, ATDC participated in the

32nd edition of the India InternationalTrade Fair (IITF), held at Pragati Maidanin New Delhi from November 14-27.The theme of this year’s IITF was

‘Skilling India’, projecting the perform-ance of the Central government andstate ministries, departments and pri-vate sector in the related fields.The ATDC stall at the fair, which was

part of the theme pavilion set up by the

Ministry of Textiles, Government of India,was spread over an area of 1200 sq. ft. atHall No. 1A and showcased the ATDC-SMART Training Programme for the Ap-parel Sector and the comprehensiveIntegrated Skill Development Scheme ofMoT, GOI, along with ‘live demonstra-tion’ of latest apparel sewing machines.Another ATDC stall was set up at the

Bihar pavilion of IITF. ATDC’s parent or-ganisation, the Apparel Export Promo-tion Council of India (AEPC), set up a stallin the Haryana pavilion showcasing the

Education & Training Initiatives. On theopening day, Mr. Dilip H.M. Chenoy,Managing Director, National Skill Devel-opment Corporation, along with Mr.R.C.M. Reddy, Chairman-FICCI Skill De-velopment Forum, launched the ‘ATDC-SMART Students’ Manual’ in threevernaculars — Hindi, Bengali and Oriya— in the presence of Dr. Darlie O. Koshy,DG & CEO, ATDC & IAM and ATDC team.“Trade fairs and job fairs are wonder-

ful platforms to spread awareness aboutnot only the courses offered by ATDCbut also various scholarships and spon-sorships available for students,” Dr. Dar-lie Koshy, DG & CEO, ATDC & IAM, said.ATDC is looking for collaborative

partnerships with various state govern-ments as well as civil society organisa-tions and industry players to reach outto a larger section of rural and under-privileged students, he added.“While the state governments can

provide funding and space for setting upATDC centres in new areas, civil societyorganisations can help spread aware-ness about the ATDC curricula & teach-ing pedagogy and also providesponsorship to the candidates,” Mr. HariKapoor, Vice Chairman, ATDC, said.A large number of industry players

are also coming forward to sponsor can-didates for ATDC courses besides pro-viding suitable placements to successfulstudents.

Event

ATDC shines at India International Trade Fair

ATDC-PATNA AT IITFProving itself as a leading force for vocational training in the apparel sector inBihar, ATDC-Patna represented the statein the Bihar Pavilion at the 32nd India In-ternational Trade Fair (IITF), held in NewDelhi from November 14-27. Showcasingthe successful implementation of ATDC-SMART Training Project in Bihar, ATDC-Patna was among the nine organisationsselected by the Bihar government to participate in the trade fair. It wasrecognised as one-of-its-kind institution, providing placement-linkedskill development training to the unemployed and economically weakersections of the society in the state through its various centres.

ATDC-Patna’s participation in the fair not only exhibited ATDC’s vision and skill development initiatives but also projected ATDC as a Skill Ambassador on an international platform and provided an unmatched exposure to ATDC students and faculty members.

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In order to discuss strategies for betterimplementation of the SMART Proj-ect, ATDC organised a two-day work-

shop for its SMART State Coordinatorsand key officials at its National Head Of-fice in Gurgaon on October 17-18.The objective of the workshop was to

share and learn from the experiencesgathered on completion of initial six-months of the academic year of theproject. Principals, State Coordinators,General Managers, and other Senior Of-ficials converged at the Paridhan VikasBhawan to chart out clear strategies andaction plan for the next six months and

meet the target of training 34,000 can-didates under ATDC-SMART TrainingProject. The State Coordinators sharedcomprehensive presentations focusingon the performance, achievements andchallenges in their respective states.“It has been an enriching experience

in understanding other states’ strategiesin mobilising resources. Such enrichingPan-India workshops at ATDC are a greatplatform,” said Lopamudra Das Ghosh,ATDC-Principal, who, along with herteam, has achieved 184 percent trainingtargets in Orissa. In Rajasthan, ATDC hasachieved 153 percent training targets.

Dr. A. Sakthivel, Chairman, AEPC,urged the State Coordinators to exchangeand share success models and replicatethem in their respective states to max-imise results on the front of skilling andpreparing a large pool of workforce forthe growing apparel and textiles sector.

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‘Enable local craftsmen for fashion sustainability’The crafts form the DNA of a countryand a new idiom of luxury is born whentraditional crafts are combined with cre-ativity.” This valuable insight was pro-vided by Dr. Darlie O. Koshy, DG & CEO,ATDC & IAM, who was invited as aspeaker at the Sri Lanka Design Festi-val’s ‘Sustainable Fashion Symposiumand South Asian Apparel LeadershipForum’, organised in Colombo from No-vember 16-18.

Dr. Koshy was part of knowledge leaders on sustainable fashion whogathered in Sri Lanka to find practicalsolutions for manufacturing, buying,sourcing and sustainability.

“Crafts are important and support

differentiation of countries in terms ofcreativity and design. In that regard, en-abling local craftsmen to take their workforward is imperative for the design in-dustry, both in the local as well as globalcontexts,” Dr. Koshy told the gatheringat the Sustainable Fashion Symposium.

While speaking at the ‘South AsianApparel Leadership Forum’, Dr. DarlieKoshy called for a more innovative approach in order to facilitate export ofhigher value goods from countries likeIndia and Sri Lanka.

In order to explore possible areas ofcollaboration, Dr. Darlie Koshy heldmeetings with Ms. Linda Speldewinde ofAcademy of Design, Sri Lanka.

NYKS TO SPONSOR OVER4,000 STUDENTS TILL MARCH

Giving a further boost to its asso-ciation with ATDC, the Nehru

Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) hasaccorded dovetail support for 4,320candidates under the ATDC-SMARTTraining Project of the ISDS, Ministryof Textiles, GOI, till March 2013.Aiming to replicate the success of

the pilot project in Uttar Pradesh,NYKS and ATDC-SMART have de-cided to start training programmesat select locations across 68 districtsin India. “In total, we aim to sponsor10,000 students this year and 4,320 ofthem will be from ATDC,” said Dr.C.S. Pran, Director, NYKS.

ATDC holds SMART State Coordinators’ meet

VisitsMISSION HONG KONG FOR MOREPRODUCTIVITY, EFFICIENCYIn a bid to further augment ATDC’s as-sociation with the Clothing IndustryTraining Authority (CITA), Dr. Darlie O.Koshy, DG & CEO, ATDC & IAM, vis-ited Hong Kong from October 21-23as part of a delegation headed by Ms.Manisha Sinha, Director, Ministry ofTextiles, GOI. Dr. Koshy recom-mended that CITA trainers in theareas of sewing line management,line balancing, productivity, efficiency and sustainability shouldbe invited to ATDC to train the facultyand industry members. The BOG ofATDC approved the proposal to in-vite CITA to conduct three back-to-back programmes in February 2013.

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In a move to prepare students for thework ethics and culture in the ap-parel sector, ATDC-Ludhiana organ-

ised a day-long seminar titled ‘An Insightinto the Corporate Working of ApparelIndustry’ at its campus on September14. The objective was two-pronged: towiden the horizons of ATDC-Ludhianastudents and help them adapt to thework culture of the readymade garmentindustry once they complete their train-ing programmes at ATDC.While delivering the keynote address,

Mr. Ambrish Kumar, General Manager(HR & IR), M/s. Neva Garments Ltd,Ludhiana, said such seminars wouldhelp reduce the attrition rate prevailingin the garment industry.“Such a situation will definitely be a

win-win for both — the industry as well

as the students,” he added.Students attending the seminar

found the opportunity quite encouraging and got an insight into therequirements and expectations of thegarment industry.

The apparel and textiles sector is es-timated to employ over seven mil-lion workers directly and 25

million indirectly, out of which 50 per-cent is estimated to be from the apparelexport sector.“Under the 12th Five Year Plan, ATDC-

SMART plans to train 35,000 candidatesby 2017 with one SMART TOT Academyand 25 ATDC-SMART Peripatetic Cen-tres/Skill Camps in the state”, Mr. HariKapoor, Vice Chairman, ATDC said. Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Hari

Kapoor said that ATDC-SMART trainingproject is not only contributing towardsthe systematic growth and human andtechnological edge of the apparel indus-try but also providing highly skilled andefficient workforce with the right attitude,soft skills and commitment to work in in-dustrial manufacturing environments.“The ultimate target of the ATDC-

SMART programme is to bring aboutoverall systematic change in the apparelindustry and provide better quality of lifeto the trainees,” he added.“Since inception, ATDC has trained

over 6,800 candidates across Rajasthanand is presently providing training tostudents via 14 ATDC-SMART Hubs,

Peripatetic Centres and Skill Camps inthe state,” said Dr. Darlie O. Koshy, DG &CEO, ATDC & IAM, at the ‘Vastra 2012 In-ternational Textiles Fair’ in Rajasthan onNovember 24.“In the next 10 years, the sector is ex-

pected to generate 17 million jobs intextiles and clothing sector and 9.34million engineers, diploma holders, vo-cationally trained, other graduates etc.in the trade,” informed Dr. Darlie O.Koshy, DG & CEO, ATDC & IAM, whilegiving a presentation titled ‘FashionForward: Trends in ‘Fibre to Fashion’ &

Upskilling Apparel Sector in Rajasthan’at the event. “Other crucial factors like India's eco-

nomic emergence, 64% of population inthe age group of 15-34 years and its 500million youth influencing the globalscene are going to influence fashiontrends in a big way, as the purchasingpower of young India is increasing andthe country is expected to be the fifthlargest consumer market by 2025,” Dr. Darlie Koshy told the audience. Thus democratisation of fashion is the key, hesuggested.

Deciphering corporate needs

‘Democratisation of fashion key to future’

Presenting Khadi in SMART avatar

Khadi, known for its simple and tra-ditional quality, was showcased inan all new avatar by the budding de-signers of ATDC-Imlikhera. A rangeof products, including patchworkand block print cushion covers, bed-sheets with tribal prints, men’s shirtsand kurtas, hand-painted ladies kur-tas, etc., were displayed at the KhadiFabric Products exhibition, organ-ised by ATDC-Chhindwara at thenew ATDC-Chhindwara IntegratedCampus in Imlikhera on October 15.

Mr. Mahesh Chand Choudhary,District Collector, Mr. Om NamahShivay, Deputy Collector, Chouraiand Mr. Brajesh Pandey, AssistantCommissioner, Tribal Welfare Department, inaugurated the exhibition — aimed at creatingawareness about Khadi.

Events

Awareness Programmes

In its endeavour to enhance the em-ployability of unemployed, disadvan-taged and tribal youth in Madhya

Pradesh, ATDC-Chhindwara, in associa-tion with the Madhya Pradesh Council ofEmployment and Training (MAPCET),Tribal Welfare Department, M.P., con-ducted an interaction meet for Sched-uled Tribe candidates at Junnardeo. Thetribal students at Junnardeo (480 stu-dents), Tamia (300 students) and Harrai(700 students) were informed about theFast-Track SMART courses and State-of-the-Art infrastructure & Factory Simu-lated Environment at ATDC. Nearly 200candidates from Junnardeo, 120 fromTamia and 550 from Harrai enrolled forATDC-SMART courses (SSO & SO-B)during the interaction meet.

AWARENESS CAMPS AT IMLIKHERAWith ATDC-Chhindwara shifting its baseto Imlikhera in Madhya Pradesh, therehas been a need to spread awarenessabout its courses in the area. Keepingthis in mind, Ms. Banani Singh Bagheland Ms. Shahala Siddiqui, Trainers,ATDC-Chhindwara, are busy conductinginteraction-cum-awareness camps in

different areas. One such camp was heldat the Govt. Hr. Sec. School at Khunajhir,Imlikhera, on August 31. More than 200candidates were given detailed informa-tion about SMART courses, curricula andstate-of-the-art infrastructure availableat the ATDC-Chhindwara campus.

ROJGAR MELAWith an aim to make the rural youthaware about vocational training pro-grammes and job opportunities in theapparel sector, ATDC-Chhindwara par-ticipated in a Rojgar Mela, organised bythe District Panchayat at Amarwara Tah-sil area on September 24. Candidates approaching the ATDC

stall were provided with the details ofATDC-SMART Fast-Track courses as wellas given information on the forthcom-ing training programmes at ATDC-Chhindwara Integrated Campus. Out of

the 500 students registered by the Dis-trict Panchayat for the Rojgar Mela, over60 students have registered with ATDC-Chhindwara and ATDC Amarwara.

HANDS-ON TRAINING In order to provide practical exposure inOrganic Knitwear garment manufactur-ing to its students, ATDC-Chhindwaraorganised an industrial visit on October29 and 30. Twenty-five AMT/FDT (Ap-parel Manufacturing & Fashion DesignTechnology) students visited M/s. Prati-bha Syntex Pvt. Ltd. in Indore to gainfirst-hand knowledge at their verticallyintegrated organic knitwear apparelmanufacturing unit. The students, led by faculty members

Mr. Suresh Raidas and Mrs. PoojaAgrawal, were exposed to the technicalaspects of spinning section, knitting section, dying house, printing plant, etc.

Catalysing skills inMadhya Pradesh

Placements

Jobs galore at ATDC-Ludhiana, Ranchi

Aperfect ceremony this! Studentswho successfully completed the

SMART Operator-Advance and SMARTMachine Technician courses fromATDC-Ludhiana were not only awardedcertificates but also offered jobs asSewing Machine Operators by Mr.Varun Mehra, LMC Member and MD,M/s. Nagesh Knitwears Ltd., Ludhiana. While giving away the certificates to

the students on September 7, Mr.Mehra also ensured a safe and secureworking environment for the students.Others present at the event includedMr. P.S.N. Murthy, Assistant Director,

Apparel Export Promotion Council(AEPC), Ludhiana, and Mr. AbhinavMehra, Director, M/s. Nagesh KnitwearLtd.

PLACEMENTS AT ATDC-RANCHIATDC-SMART’s efforts in generatinggainful job opportunities for the weakersections of the society have proved fruit-ful in the state of Jharkhand as well.Out of the 397 candidates placed this

year from ATDC-Ranchi, 350 have beenrecruited by Arvind Mills Pvt. Ltd, Ban-galore, through campus interviews.Thirty-seven students, trained as

shirt-making experts, have been placedwith Craftage, a production unit ofJharCraft, which is a Government ofJharkhand-owned Handloom andHandicraft Corporation. Technopak recruited 10 students as

Senior Trainers and Assistant Trainerson a salary of `10,000 and `8,000 permonth, respectively.

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Collaboration/New Centre

Celebrations

With a mission to impart skillsto the new and existingworkforce in the domestic

and export apparel industry, ATDC ini-tiated yet another SMART PeripateticCentre/Skill Camp in Kerala — thistime at the coastal city of Kozhikode.

Dr. M.K. Muneer, State Minister forSocial Welfare and Panchayats, inaugu-rated the Skill Camp at the KozhikodeCorporation building on November 24,in a function presided over by P. Khulsu,Chairperson, Kerala State Women’s De-velopment Corporation (KSWDC). TheCamp has commenced with 60 candi-dates in Surface Ornamentation Tech-nique, 60 in SMART Quality Checker

and 30 in Sewing Machine Operator(Basic) courses. The candidates aresponsored by the National MinoritiesDevelopment & Finance Corporation(NMDFC) through its state channelis-ing agency KSWDC.

The Department of Social Welfare,Govt of Kerala, will sponsor 500 candi-dates for training programmes everyyear through the KSWDC, Dr. Muneerannounced. Khulsu assured full sup-port to ATDC for Kozhikode PeripateticCentre/Skill Camp. Others present atthe function were Prof. A.K. Premajam,Mayor, Kozhikode Corporation andProf. Abdul Lateef, Deputy Mayor,Kozhikode Corporation, among others.

New Skill Camp at Kozhikode Booster for KancheepuramIn a move to further expand its network, ATDC inaugurated ATDC-SMART Centre in Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu, recently. The Centre commenced with the first batch of 25 students on October 15. Training for thesecond batch began on October 27.

Assam eyes ATDC advantageWith the hope of emulating ATDC suc-cess model, officials from the Assamgovernment paid a visit to ATDC-Kolkataon September 14 and discussed thepossibilities of opening up an ATDC-SMART centre in the state. Mr. P.K.Chowdhury and Ms. Emily Chowdhary,Additional Chief Secretaries, Govern-ment of Assam,were taken on a tour ofATDC-Kolkata. They lauded the infra-structure and facilities and sought a pro-posal for opening up an ATDC-SMARTcentre in Assam.

Skilling mission in BengalATDC-Jalpaiguri and ATDC-Santoshpur launched SMART coursesat their respective centres on September 18. The students undergo-ing training at the two centres havebeen accorded financial support by the Directorate of Textiles, Governmentof West Bengal. At Jalpaiguri, over 146candidates commenced training. AtSantoshpur, the SMART Operator(Basic) and SMART Quality Checkercourses were launched.

initiatives18

nOctober — Kancheepuram (Tamil Nadu),Anekal (Karnataka), Kadod (Gujarat), Al-lahabad (U.P.), Khanpur Devali (Delhi),Geejgarh (Rajasthan), Sasaram (Bihar),Tata Nagar (Jharkhand), Raja Talab-Raipur (Chhattisgarh), Anjaneya Exten-sion (Karnataka)

n November — Palam Vihar (Haryana), Sultanpur (U.P.), Kozhikode (Kerala)

n December — Krishnagiri, Thiruvallur,Gummudipondi Ariyalur (Tamil Nadu)Loni –Ghaziabad, Partapgarh, Narela(UP) Butimore, Simdega,Deogarh(Jharkhand) Bashirhat, Farkka,Dhulegarh (WB), Dhule (Maharsthara)

New Skill Camps

ATDC-Gadag and ATDC-Hubli provided a glimpse of its traditional rootsby celebrating Dussehra in the form of‘Ayudha Puja’. ‘Ayudha Puja’ is an integral part of the Navratri Festival and is also called ‘Astra Puja’.

SMART Innovations

Recognising its social responsibili-ties beyond business, Ludhiana-

based export house M/s. NageshKnitwears Pvt. Ltd. has providednearly 25 kg of knitted fabric andwoven twill tape to ATDC-SMARTLudhiana.

The generous donation will beused towards imparting training toSMART candidates. This gesture goesa long way in helping ATDC-SMARTLudhiana deliver quality training.

SMART gesture ATDC-SMART Centre, Raj-

nandgaon, Chhattisgarh, withthe support of State Urban Devel-opment Agency (SUDA) and theDistrict Urban DevelopmentAgency (DUDA) recently startedtransportation facility for itsSMART students. The move isaimed at helping SMART students,especially women, from remoteareas to commute easily to theCentre.

Students on the move

ATDC-Faridabad

God helps those who help them-selves. This saying aptly appliesto Bhanu, a 28-year-old differ-

ently-abled woman, who achieved anidentity of her own, thanks to hermother-in-law who introduced her toATDC. Bhanu got a new lease of lifewhen she got married to a man with asimilar condition. It was her mother-in-law who turned out to be a key sourceof inspiration for Bhanu.

Determined to make her daughter-in-law self-dependent, she visited theApparel Training & Design Centre-Farid-abad and got Bhanu enrolled in theSMART Sewing Operator (Basic) course.

After successfully completing thecourse, Bhanu got placed in M/s PeeEmpro Exports in Faridabad, where herwork is being appreciated by the management. Bhanu is a true ATDCsuccess story, setting an example forother specially-abled students.

ATDC-Jalpaiguri

Blessed with an enterprising spiritand an unstoppable urge to achieve

her goals, Anamika Mondal couldn'twait for long to start her own venture.

Thanks to a sponsorship by the Na-tional Scheduled Castes Finance andDevelopment Corporation (NSFDC),Anamika enrolled herself in the Gar-ments Construction Techniques (GCT)course at ATDC-Jalpaiguri, West Bengal.

After successfully completing thecourse and equipping herself with therequisite skills, Anamika procured fiveindustrial sewing machines and startedher own manufacturing unit. Baggingorders from local markets for ladieswear, home furnishings, mosquito nets,etc., Anamika was now on the road tobecoming a successful entrepreneur.

Although her business has done wellenough to provide her with a comfort-able life, Anamika is not content. Withthe help of the facilities provided by

Handloom and Textiles ClusterSchemes, she now wants to expand herbusiness and employ more people inher manufacturing unit.

ATDC has surely given birth to ayoung and passionate entrepreneur!

Birth of an entrepreneur

Defying all odds

Towards foreign shores

Vastra 2012 fair turned out to bemuch more than an internationalapparel and textiles fair for

ATDC-Jaipur. Held in the Pink City ofRajasthan from November 22-25, the international fair acted as an excellent ground for introducing ATDC students to a number of foreignbuyers/exporters who visited the ATDC stall.

Sandra Michael and Tripti Varma,students of Apparel ManufacturingTechnology (AMT) and Fashion Designing course at ATDC-Jaipur were recruited by Happy Heart CollectionPvt Ltd., a foreign export unit based inPushkar, Rajasthan, on a salary of `25,000 per month, besides freeboarding, lodging and meals.

“We thank ATDC-Jaipur for helpingus in selecting such efficient staffmembers. We are sure that both Sandra and Tripti will prove to be greatassets for our company,” said GuyPelegrin and Trudi Kleefeld, owners ofHappy Heart Collection Pvt. Ltd.

ATDC-Jaipur

Wise choice

Despair started looming over the livesof these young men who wanted to

make it big in the apparel industry butdidn't get the right opportunity. That'swhen ATDC knocked at their doors.

Naresh Kumar, Param Veer andDeepak came across an ATDC adver-tisement in a newspaper and enrolledthemselves in the Sewing MachineTechnician course at ATDC-Rohini.Their lives were not the same after that.

The three successfully completedthe course and were recruited byrenowned companies. While Nareshand Param got jobs in Modelama Export Pvt. Ltd., Gurgaon, as Machine Mechanics with a starting salary of `7,000, Deepak was recruited as aService Engineer by Magnum Resources Pvt. Ltd., Noida, at a salaryof `10,000 per month.

ATDC has surely cast aside all thedark clouds from the lives of thesethree students who are now experts intheir field.

ATDC-Rohini

stories to tell 19

In an exclusive interview,Ms. Nita Chowdhury talksabout how the Nehru YuvaKendra Sangathan (NYKS)and ATDC’s collaborativepartnership for the Appareland Textiles sector can actas a model for equippingIndia’s youth towards gainful employment

Ms. NITA CHOWDHURY,

IAS, Secretary (Youth

Affairs), Ministry of

Youth Affairs and

Sports, Govt. of India

Unfolding the ATDC-NYKS storyIN SUMMARY

Contact:Apparel Training & DesignCentre, National Head OfficeParidhan Vikas Bhawan, Plot-No. 50, InstitutionalArea, Sector-44, Gurgaon-122003Phone: 0124-4659500/01 Website: www.atdcindia.co.in

31 x

What is the vision of the Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) with a special focus on ‘skill development activities’ in the apparel industry?

The priority of the Government is to create morejob-oriented Skill Development Training Courses forunemployed youth of the country. The National SkillDevelopment Mission, headed by Hon’ble Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, has been entrustedwith the responsibility of skilling 500 million youthby 2020.

Providing skill training to youth in the apparel industry is NYKS’ top priority. NYKS intends to givea special focus to the apparel sector, keeping inview the scope as well as the increasing demand inthe industry.

In your view, how is the NYKS–ATDC collaboration for skill development helping the rural youth find gainful employment in the apparel sector?

The pilot project initiated by NYKS, in collaborationwith ATDC, in Uttar Pradesh has been successful interms of providing gainful employment to ruralyouth. Following such positive results, NYKS has proposed to expand the project in other statesas well.

With a strong presence in different districts of thecountry, NYKS is confident that it will be able to create awareness among rural youth to come forward and acquire employable skills to join the apparel industry as wage-employed or self-employed.

So far, what has been the experience of the pilotNYKS–ATDC project in Uttar Pradesh?

Recently, NYKS, in collaboration with ATDC, starteda pilot project on Skill Training in Apparel Trade for180 candidates in two districts of Uttar Pradesh —Unnao and Barabanki. Post-training, nearly 60trainees joined local apparel export and domesticindustries in Kanpur, Unnao and Barabanki.

Following the positive results in Unnao and Barabanki, the project was expanded to another sixdistricts. Under the ongoing initiative, 720 youthare being trained in different courses. After thecompletion of the training, it is expected that most of the youth would benefit and avail of gainful wage-employment facilitated by ATDC or start theirown ventures.

The NYKS-ATDC tie-up for the Apparel and Textilessector in Uttar Pradesh and the proposed projectsin other states will act as an important model forequipping the youth for gainful employment. Whatis the future road-map of the NYKS–ATDC tie-up tocomplement and support government schemes forachieving inclusive growth on a pan–India basis?

The present NYKS-ATDC pilot collaborative tie-uphas been expanded in the current financial year. Itnow covers 68 districts in the states of Delhi,Haryana, Punjab, Maharashtra, Orissa, Jharkhand,Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Karnataka, Rajasthan,Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

The aim is to provide skills training to an additional3,600 youth through ATDC. These youth will certainly be able to get gainful employment, as envisaged. NYKS has proposed to replicate this modelon pan-India basis through its network of 623 centresacross the country, with a special focus on womenand the disadvantaged sections of the society.

THE PILOT PROJECT INITI-ATED BY NYKS, IN COLLAB-ORATION WITH ATDC, INUTTAR PRADESH HAS BEENSUCCESSFUL IN TERMS OFPROVIDING GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT TO RURALYOUTH. FOLLOWING SUCHPOSITIVE RESULTS, NYKS HAS PROPOSED TO EXPANDIT IN OTHER STATES