(Directorate General of Employment & Training, Gov.t of India)
The Elayaperumal Committee (1969), while examining the problems of education of Scheduled Castes in the context of the progress achieved, had, inter-alia, recommended that the State Directors of Employment and Training should organise various training courses in typing, stenography, accountancy etc. to make the scheduled caste applicants more acceptable to the employers in the public and private sectors. The Committee had further suggested that the short courses in General Knowledge "How to appear in an interview", confidence building etc. should also be arranged. The scheduled cast candidates undergoing such training should be paid stipend during the training period. Consequent upon these recommendations, the Scheme of Coaching-cum-Guidance Centres was formulated in 1969 in consultation with Ministry of Home Affairs and 4 such centres were set up viz. Delhi, Jabalpur, Kanpur and Madras. At present, there are 22 such centres located at Aizwal, Bangalore, Calcutta, Delhi, Guwahati, Hissar, Hyderabad, Imphal, Jabalpur, Jaipur, Jowai, Kanpur, Mandi, Madras, Nagpur, Ranchi, Bhubneshwar, Surat, Thiruvananthapuram, Jammu, Kohima and Jalandhar.
1. OBJECTIVES
The main objectives of the scheme are:
a) to channelise the available educated SC/ST manpower into appropriate vocations;
b) to increase their employability through coaching/training and;
c) to provide them vocational guidance and career information at the appropriate stages.
2. FUNCTIONS OF COACHING CUM GUIDANCE CENTRES.
In order to achieve the above objectives, the two fold Coaching-cum-Guidance Centres perform their functions as follow:
i) NORMAL COACHING CUM GUIDANCE CENTRES FOR SCs/STs
These Coaching-cum-Guidance Centre for SC/STs, render Educational and Vocational Guidance to educated SC/ST job seekers and also organise Confidence Building Programme and Personality Development Programmes, Provide Vocational Guidance on Group and Individual basis, conduct mock interview sessions and disseminate information about various occupations and job opportunities available. The centres maintain close liaison with the Employment Exchange and Provide linkage with their Institutions as catalyst. The job seekers are also guided and motivated by the centres to take up Self-Employment.
ii) STRENGTHENED COACHING CUM GUIDANCE CENTRES FOR SC/STs
Out of 22 Coaching-cum-Guidance Centre 13 located at Calcutta (Kolkata), Imphal, Jabalpur, Delhi, Kanpur, Madras, Nagpur, Surat, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Ranchi, Bangalore and Thiruvananthapuram have been strengthened to provide training in Typing and Shorthand to SC/ST educated job seekers who are registered with the Employment Exchanges. It has been observed that during the lapsed period (waiting on the Live Registration on the Employment Exchange) the job seekers lose their speed of Typing and Shorthand and a practice is needed to regain the lost speed. During Pre-Recruitment Training the candidates are also imparted refresher training/coaching to sharpen their knowledge in the concerned field and they are also helped in developing self-confidence for facing the interview. This scheme, therefore, has been launched to ensure that SC/ST registrants could regain their lost speed & developed confidence.
