Amid all the strides and initiatives for employment among the youth, shadows are still overcast on the youth of rural communities. The artistic rural landscape has plenty to offer in terms of land cover, nature, and cultural norms, yet the persistent sword of unemployment among the youth dangles over these regions. The picturesque beauty is challenged by a myriad of problems that restrict young people from gaining economic freedom.

Delving into the aspects, the primary reason for the unemployment in youth is the limited job opportunities in the rural regions. The primary focus of any rural area in the country is agriculture, dairy, and forestry, hence income sources are mostly limited within these alternatives. With the advent of new technologies, these sectors now also require less manpower leaving the youth with few options of employment.

Another reason can be the quality of education rural areas receive. Though countless debates clarify that education has observed betterment as compared to the past few years, the difference between urban and rural education is plain like a mirror. Remote and inaccessible regions, inadequate infrastructure, and financial restrictions prevent the rural youth from receiving a proper education.  

Moreover, the financial constraints of a family often lead youth to pursue a job rather than complete their education. The burden of responsibilities to be the bread bearer of the family haunts the educational realm of the youth.  As a result, the youth lack the qualifications and adequate skills to step out in the world and compete.

Traditional vs Modern

Employment scarcity in the hometowns often leads youth to migrate toward urban areas. Although rural areas can be developed to generate employment and sources of income, it requires special skills and mindsets to create something productive. 

Traditional practices like agriculture, dairy, and extraction of natural resources have plenty of scope to be transformed into big ventures, but lack of education and technological advancement have led the youth to out-migrate and travel to the nearest urban City or town. 

Though urban cities have plenty to offer in terms of employment and finance, the reality can be intimidating. Individuals with limited education lack the skills to survive and either they work hard to thrive above the crowdedness or just be another strain on the urban resources and infrastructures.  

Entrepreneurship barriers also limit the youth in the rural area. Multiple barriers like lack of decent investment, business training, partial business knowledge, and lack of services in rural areas restrict them from even stepping foot in the world of entrepreneurship. A small venture seldom grows to be a million-dollar business due to inadequate resources and a lack of ideas. 

Gender disparity is still a critical issue rural areas face. Women in still many regions are bound to societal and cultural norms that hinder the female youth from securing employment. In this current progressive world people of these communities still carry the thought of women being only capable of household chores and therefore shutting all the doors of a quality education, the ultimate agenda remains of marrying them off. These outdated mindsets are one of the biggest sources of hindering employment, especially among women.

Realizing the daunting factors of unemployment among the youth, the Hindustan Zinc’s Zinc Kaushal program as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) aims to upskill youth of rural and urban backgrounds, even the school dropouts to gain effective skills of interest consequently leading to employment. 

Five districts of Rajasthan namely, Udaipur, Rajsamand, Chittorgarh, Bhilwara, and Ajmer are selected for this initiative. The training program. Commencing with the journal survey of these regions, the venture aims to identify a youth’s interest and mold him/her accordingly for employment opportunities. 

Through the Zinc Kaushal program, the company focuses on empowering youth by providing them with efficient resources and skills for self-development, personally and professionally. From tactical to technical skills, the training program acquires students of different interests to equip them with skillsets sufficient enough to meet the market demands. 

Impact Created 

Since the inauguration of Hindustan Zinc’s initiative, 5000 youth from rural and urban areas have been given training to develop skillsets following their interests. 4370 youths have either been successfully placed or have successfully begun the never-ending journey of entrepreneurship. 

Ankit Sharma from the rural area of Palka village in the Bassi area always held a dream of becoming a mechanical engineer. As common in the rural regions, Ankit came across many obstacles in his life which almost threatened him to give up on his dreams until he enrolled in the Zinc’s Kaushal program. Through this training, he gained adequate education and a handful of insights to ignite a spark and propel him toward his dream. 

A similar case in Chanderiya village of Chittorgarh district was observed when Lavina Sisodia joined the BFSI training course. Her original background was in financial adversity and being a part of the initiative acted as a light across the tunnel that guided her to transformative progress and set an example for other young girls to pursue their dreams and guide them towards personal and professional liberty.

A True Example

The Hindustan Zinc’s Zinc Kaushal program exemplifies the responsible utilization of corporate social responsibility. Identifying the gaps between ambition and opportunity, the company’s CSR initiative acts as a bridge guiding youth to liberation. 

Youth of the rural community not only lack sufficient resources but also a general idea of multiple education horizons. Rural youth are mostly clueless regarding the way to approach the competing world. If they have an idea then a need arises to provide them with sufficient education and resources for the execution.

A singular path will either lead to the ultimate desire or their doom. Exploring multiple aspects of education and how to approach a certain level of problem is what the initiative aims at. 

The initiative is concentrated on identifying and addressing these issues that hinder the youth’s growth. With considerable investment in their skills and education, the training programs focus on lifting youth from grassroots levels and equip him/her with abundant resources and skills that will eventually lead them to independence.