St. Xavier’s Vocational Institute (XVI), Nevta
St. Xavier’s Vocational Institute, Nevta was started in 2017 and was commenced by Vincent, SJ the present Director and Administrator of the Nevta Campus. These trainings in the institute are largely targeting the nearby villages of the Nevta campus, to encourage employment opportunities to the unemployed youth and mainstreams school drop-outs of the surrounding villages. The upliftment of women is a major focus area of these trainings and offer them a restart phase of their career leading to a better income and employment opportunity. The institute emphasises towards skill-based trainings and envisions to mark a change in the lives of those who want to learn, to be educated and carve themselves for a life they want to live for themselves and their families.
The institute provisions skilling and vocational trainings one of the foremost areas of Jesuit Conference of India namely Jesuitec. XVI is NIOS- Delhi (National institute of Open Schooling, GOI) accredited vocational institute an is also locally affiliated to RMOL (Rajasthan Mission on Livelihood, Govt. of Rajasthan).
Currently, the institute supports two trainings namely beauty culture and cutting and tailoring. Apart from this on the completion of these trainings the institute provides trainees with kits and sewing machines in order to facilitate and persuade them towards employment and self- start-ups. The institute has successfully trained its two batches for the duration of 6 months each and is currently assisting the new admissions for 2019 in the on-going batches. The first batch consisted of 43 trainees and this year the number is of 52.
Balwadi’s – Outreach Programme of St. Xavier’s School
The Xavier’s Campus at Nevta is running an outreach programme in the form of Balwadi’s from 2017, for the children between the age-group of 3 to 5 years for the period of two years, the programme mainstreams the children of nearby villages and the under-privileged sections such as the children of construction site parents. The programme revolves around basic level education for these after the completion of age five then they are ready to cope with the formal education system. The programme has positively impacted up to twenty-five children in a time span of two years, and the further objective is to enrol them in, the formal education system starting from the first class.
The team from the Assistancy Development Office- JCI, visited the Xavier’s Vocational Institute & School, Nevta on 9th August 2019 with the aim to augment the prominence and documentation of both the programmes beholden by the institution. The excellent factor of the visit was to interact with the female trainees who were married and initially they were facing challenges due to the patriarchal system but they fought for their freedom and the rights. The members during the visit, witnessed how hundreds of trainees benefit and are carving their lives selflessly with the assistance from the institute.
The motivation of the teachers and the trainees was really inspiring; it made the program very smooth and easy to learn. The Xavier’s Vocational Institute staff made me feel at ease from day one and the closeness that developed with them is really amazing. However, I think my best experience of the visit was interaction with the trainers and how they have been working really hard to make the program effective at the same time taking care of the trainees and attending their parents.
The visit to Jaipur, was an excellent example of a systematically run in the institution for youth. We witnessed the continuity of the trainers in the institutions and the commitment towards helping those in need by enriching them with employability skills. This visit not only enhanced my overall knowledge about the programme but also gifted me with an opportunity to interact with those in administration and their expertise and enthusiasm towards education while, documentation of both the institutions was an objective, I also achieved a lot in terms of my personal growth.
My recent visit to Jaipur to document XVI was one of the experiences where I witnessed eagerness for education in women and how they are changing the conservative mindset in the family and the society. During the documentation we came across a number of stories and each one expressed the desire to learn , to be educated and to change the mindset of the people there. The vocational courses like Beautician, Fashion designing and stitching offered are very cost effective. The fee structure and well qualified and trained instructors in the institute help the women come out of four walls and pursue their dreams.
An African proverb says “If you educate a man you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman you educate a nation,” This seems to be true when it comes to Jaipur. During our shoot at XVI we met a few alumni’s who were not allowed to go out of their home, but today they earn and support their family and have inspired many in their villages.