Since September, the professional skills training centre in Hyderabad has been offering new courses for young women and men. In addition to the already existing courses – for example in textile processing or computer usage – the offer has been expanded by two courses in the medical field.

The demand for medical staff increases significantly due to the corona pandemic. The overburdening of the health system revealed bottlenecks. In response to the high demand for resources in the health sector, young people in Usthi’s professional skills projects can therefore now train to become Health Workers or Medical Lab Technicians.

Before the activities in our professional skills project in Hyderabad were affected by Covid-19, 89% of the participants found stable employment or started their own small businesses after completing a course.

On the one hand, this success can be linked to the fact that the courses are oriented towards the needs of the labour market. On the other hand, the network of the local partner organisation plays a major role in the transfer of course graduates. In addition, the training courses are modular in structure. The courses teach important practical skills that prepare the young men and women well for everyday working situations. For companies, this practical knowledge is of great importance, as the young people can contribute to daily business more quickly.

Recently, 191 young woman and men graduated and are now looking for job opportunities. After the second wave of Covid-19, which hit India particularly hard, the labour market has been slowly recovering since August. Usthi is confident that the new courses will help to ensure the entering of the labour market for young people.