TAPPING THE RURAL YOUTH

RURAL MANAGEMENT – TAPPING THE RURAL YOUTH

The divide between India and “Bharat” is not new, yet it is not the one to diminish anytime soon. As much as we want to progress at a speed faster than light (which given the current situation of policy paralysis seems hilarious!) we cannot ignore the fact that there is a bigger population than the urban India waiting to be tapped and harnessed. Addressing this issue is the concept of rural management. Simply defined, rural management refers to the application of management practices in the rural context. 

India is a young country unlike countries like Japan which is facing an acute problem of aging population. Human resource is considered the best driver of growth, but only if it’s honed and groomed. The need of the hour is to harness the productive population in the age group of 18-59 years. While the youth is the urban areas is exposed to opportunities of growth, the rural youth is denied of this opportunity. The main mission of the 12^th five year plan is “Inclusive Growth”. Keeping this in mind the rural youth has to be brought into the mainstream with utmost urgency.

Taking this charge should be corporate requiring a large talent pool particularly the manufacturing sector. They need to understand the importance of engaging talent from rural India. 

There are already many companies that have engaged rural youth in their organisation by first recruiting them and then providing them with the necessary training. While India does not lack in talent, it definitely lacks in employable talent. Therefore, it is necessary for employers, if they are to be successful, to play a more active role in enhancing employability. Overcoming such barriers is Bharat Forge who have created what they call the “Talent Factory”. They have MoU’s with leading national and international universities. Training is imparted to students who are then absorbed within the company itself. Another example is that of Tata Motors who initiated several efforts to enhance employability of youth in addition to the Apprenticeship programmes that are run within the premises of the manufacturing units, as per the Apprenticeship Act 1961. The Company has built public-private partnership with government authorities to upgrade the quality of Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs). In addition, several technical and vocational programmes are run for rural youth from the project areas, including Motor Mechanic Vehicle Trade Course, electrical, welding, a/c refrigeration, computer skills, bee-keeping, etc. Special programmes are also run for women including sewing training, beautician courses, manufacturing food products and utility items and cable harnessing and assembly work. So far, more than 9,000 youth and women have benefited from these programmes across their locations. Many companies under their Corporate Social Responsibility programmes work towards empowering rural youth and women through means of Self Help Groups and various livelihood programmes.

A dedicated workforce that can be tapped in rural India is that of Rural Women. It is more likely that a woman would stick to a job given it is near her residence than a man would. Every day nearly 5000 men leave villages for urban settlement leaving behind their families. Financial independence, security and stability are factors that will be at play when a woman is being employed at workplace. Employing rural women is an area where companies in general have not really ventured into. By doing so, women workforce give the company commitment and thereby reduce attrition. 

One of the most efficient areas where rural employment can be sought is in Rural BPOs, the new kid on the block. It is highly cost saving for the HR to employee a rural employee since the salary expectations are very low in comparison to urban areas and the only cost incurred will be a onetime cost of Computer aid. However the limitation is usually providing Hindi/vernacular language assistance. Overcoming this challenge are many non-governmental organisations that are working towards empowering the rural youth. One such organisation is Centre for Learning Resources based in Pune that has developed an English training programme for youth that has passed school from the vernacular medium. These equip them with basic functioning knowledge of English required these days to be employed nearly in kinds of work. 

Another advantage of employing rural youth would be bringing them under the ambit of the formal sector from the informal and unorganised sector. This would enable them better pay, increased social security benefits and give access to wide range of labour laws which otherwise eluded them. 

The need of the hour is to identify the potential among the large pool of talent and guide them. They need to be given soft skill training along with vocational training. These training can be outsourced to external trainers trained in this domain.

As a Human Resource professional it is of utmost importance to realise the extent of prospective human resource that will be available from these rural centres in the years to come. With the urban professionals migrating to countries abroad, this dormant human resource in rural areas is the answer to our problem of Brain Drain, creating a win-win situation for both the employers and the prospective employees in rural areas.

Contributed by:

Vasundhara Pande and

Prakriti R Singh,

HR, Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies (2013-15)