Skill Development Program

In today’s job market, a high school certificate no longer meets the needs and expectations of employers. Advanced training is essential.

Bridge the Gap

After high school, students are eager to learn a trade and equip themselves with the skills needed to compete in a job market transformed by rapid globalization. Unfortunately this dream is beyond reach for most young people in the area. Many parents in this region are uneducated and live below the poverty line. Most families do not have the connections, experience or financial resources to help.

Touch a Life

Scenes of the countryside look idyllic, but life in this rural district is very hard. Years of reduced rainfall have been devastating for an economy dependent on farming. With few employment opportunities, Tiruvannamalai is one of the poorest districts in the state of Tamil Nadu.

Although smart and hardworking, rural students are at a disadvantage when applying for jobs. After high school, very few qualify to study for free at state institutions. Family pressures and lack of opportunity place a heavy burden on students. There are no employment agencies in the area, unemployment rates are high, and job competition is intense.

Invest in the Future

The Shanthimalai Skill Development Program (SSDP) offers opportunities for vocational training or advanced study to students who otherwise could never afford it.

You can make a unique difference in the course of a young person’s life.

For $580/year, you can open the door to a better future for a deserving student. Your annual donation covers the costs of college tuition or vocational training fees, books, food, clothing and transportation.

Higher Education

Academic pursuit is open to very gifted students in engineering, business administration, computer science, education and medicine.

Jobs for Women

SSDP successfully finds good job placements for increasing numbers of women. Cultural conditions have often prevented female high school graduates from working outside the home, regardless of their qualifications. Skill Development scholarships now give women new possibilities for rewarding employment after they complete the program.

Former sponsorship students who have returned to the school to teach after completing college

General Support

If you are unable to sponsor a student, please consider supporting the program with a one-time donation of any amount. Gifts to the Skill Development Program give hardworking students hope and qualify them for meaningful employment.

Sponsor

Support the program. Sponsor a student.
sponsor@arunapartnership.org