The demographic structure of India is such that it is divided into two parts – an elderly population, which will need a significant amount of access to healthcare and a young, working class India, which must be built on the pillars of compulsory primary education and skilling. In order to address the latter, the Government of India has launched the National Skill Development Mission, with a vision to skill and reskill about 400 million by 2020 (Niti Aayog).
Statistics also show that around 70 per cent of young adults face problem in finding a job worth their skills. This is the result of lack of professional guidance at an early stage in their careers (India Skills Report, 2019).
This gap in perhaps wider in the area of waste management – a growing avenue ripe for creation of job opportunities for the skilled youth. In light of the Swachh Bharat Mission and the Solid Waste (Management) Rules, 2016, there is an urgent need to sensitize waste generators about the hazards of improper and unscientific disposal of waste – it is a requirement expected to last in the coming decades. The sheer importance of ensuring compliance amongst waste generators has led to the creation of job opportunities in the sector, which can be addressed through imparting skills, thereby creating a cadre of skilled professionals.
In order to ensure the creation of [such[ jobs, and bridge the gap between the lack of skilled professionals and the need for the same, Green Communities Foundation has come together with Pratham Arora Centre for Education (PACE) to launch a first of its kind skilling program in the area of waste management. The program aims to equip young adults interested in pursuing a career in the area of environment and sustainability, towards getting an entry-level job in the sector.
The students will be given hands-on training and theoretical knowledge about waste management, the concept of zero waste, treatment of waste streams, health and safety norms and practices, among others. At the end of the 2.5 months course, the students will be placed with NGOs and companies working in waste management in the city of Mumbai, Maharashtra.
This program aims to speed up the developments in an otherwise stagnant sector, which has assumed crucial importance in the city due to its increasing inability to manage waste.
The Waste Management Supervisor program was launched on 14th January, 2019 at PACE vocational training centre, in Kurla, Mumbai, Maharashtra.