In 2008, when Vijay Bhasker Pentareddy was working with a Corporate, he realised that several fresh graduates lacked basic employability skills required for the job. That’s how he began a skill development programme in the city which has helped over 4,500 students from financially underprivileged backgrounds to secure jobs. He has been awarded the REX Karmaveer Chakra Award, coveted by the International Confederation of NGOs and United Nations along with 99 others, who have been selected from various fields of service from across the country.
Presented to proactive voluntary citizens who make a difference, the aim of the award is to recognise unsung heroes. “It was an honour for me to have shared the dais with people from varied walks of life. When I saw the kind of work others were doing, I was overwhelmed to think that my work matched theirs,” says the 47-year-old.
“I observed that most of the training was happening theoretically and the actual technique or skill was not being focussed upon. I learnt this when I checked the ground reality by visiting colleges. I realised that there are a lot of trainers, but not many know what exactly is needed in the industry. It was necessary that someone who understands the requirements did a better job,” he says.
It isn’t easy to quit a well-paying job and change tracks to teach the underprivileged. “It definitely was a big decision to take and it’s not like life has been easy since. There have been several ups and downs and I have gone through a lot. But, the past two years have been great. I have been training since 2009 and have used different platforms to do so. I have dealt with students in B.Tech and MBA to understand what their requirements are. I am passionate about my work. The happiness at the end of the day is the main reason to stay,” he adds.
Elaborating on his passion, Vijay says, “I have done programmes where I train the trainers as well but it’s hard to find equally passionate people who are willing to train. The interest amongst students is amazing,” he explains.
Vijay is a B.Tech graduate from JNTU, Hyderabad, who moved to the US for higher education. He got in touch with K.T. Rama Rao via email, and he got immense support from the Telangana Government who saw his work as something useful for their skill development programme. “The training was imparted at highly subsidised rates and the response was phenomenal. I want to take this as a cue and slowly move to the national platform,” he says.
