Odisha: Rural Youth, Including Specially-abled, Find New Pathways Through Skill Training

Bhubaneswar: In a district long associated with migration and limited job opportunities, a skill training centre in Odisha’s Kalahandi is quietly reshaping employment pathways for rural youth — including young people with disabilities who often face deeper barriers to entering the workforce.

The latest batch of trainees from a food and beverage programme in Lanjigarh has seen all participants placed in service-sector jobs, with seven specially-abled candidates securing positions in aviation, hospitality and retail organisations. For many families in the region, steady formal employment represents a first-generation shift away from informal or seasonal work.

The training programme is run by Vedanta Aluminium in partnership with the Odisha Skill Development Authority and National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, and focuses on workplace readiness alongside technical skills. Participants undergo structured modules in communication, customer service, hygiene, and industry protocols — areas often unfamiliar to youth from remote villages.

Several trainees are first-time earners in their households. Families say the income stability is helping cover education costs for siblings, healthcare expenses, and household debt. For specially-abled candidates, employment has also translated into greater social visibility and independence in communities where disability is frequently linked with exclusion.

Local trainers note that employer sensitisation has been a crucial component. Companies recruiting from the programme receive orientation on inclusive workplaces, ensuring candidates are supported beyond the classroom. Industry recruiters increasingly view such centres as reliable talent pipelines from aspirational districts.

Since its inception, the initiative has trained over 900 rural youth, with a large majority finding placements in urban service sectors.

“Migration for work is not new to Kalahandi, but structured skilling is changing its character — from distress-driven movement to planned mobility backed by contracts, wages and career progression,” said Dr Gouranga Charan Rout, a local development activist.