White Collar Jobs from an Unlikely Place
White Collar Careers! Young Professionals from an Unexpected Place
THE STORY OF KOSHISH INDIA SCHOOL
(pronounced ko-she-sh)
https://www.koshishindia.org/home.php
Youthful journeys in upward mobility
Koshish India School is in a forgotten corner of New Delhi, approached through the wilderness of seven feet tall bushes, located on the edge of an informal settlement with muddy alleyways and an open sewer running alongside.
Its services to the children of migrant workers are designed with intention— including
mainstream education all the way up to 12th grade
daily fresh- prepared midday meals
routine health screens
personal mentoring
access to information about the white-collar world by inviting guests who speak about career options
field trips outside Delhi
exposure to the creative challenges and heady satisfaction of competing and (very often winning) in extra-curricular meets against other schools-- in theatre, music, and sports.
Their most crucial success is in keeping the kids in school until they graduate 12th grade—while school teachers work with the young adults and their families to take the most significant next step in their lives: Opting into the school’s fully-financed placements in professional education tracks.
This may seem like a no-brainer choice—
but the settlement’s young people carry extraordinary burdens on their shoulders. Young men are under pressure to provide for the family at first opportunity (instead of waiting to complete a relatively time-consuming course and deferring the question of earning— however meagre and fluctuating. Young women are expected to marry and raise a family— perhaps venture into unskilled or semi-skilled jobs on a part-time basis at most.
So far, the school’s track record is tremendous:
One hundred percent (100%) of those who completed professional training have secured white collar jobs (see numbers below). Koshish school’s work with a job placement agency has paid off for the young professionals.
This has meant dignity and financial freedom for the young adults, and economic security for their families.
Younger children look up to them as role models of those who were able—in one generation— to move out of the informal settlement and the choking constraints of “fate”.
Koshish India School flourishes against the odds.
DEEPAK’S STORY
This is Deepak Yadav- IT Support Team Lead, Regional Passport Office, New Delhi.
Year on year, Koshish turns out young adults much like Deepak.
The name “Deepak” means “the light of a lamp”. That is what he is to his family and the community.
He joined Koshish when he was seven years old—his migrant worker parents could not earn a living even after moving to New Delhi.
The school became Deepak’s home away from home.
He was assured of a mainstream accredited education, and personal care all the way from elementary school to graduating from 12th grade.
He was assured of robust supports in the all-important transition to post-graduate training.
And he could count on Koshish to work with him as he took his shot at a white-collar job and the life he desired.
The drop-out rate at Koshish school from elementary to grade 12 is zero (0).
Koshish works to secure full scholarships for its students from individual donors and benefactor organizations— one of these scholarships financed Dipak through a Diploma program in Computer Hardware and Networking. With his natural drive, Deepak secured his first job and did not look back. Today, he heads the IT support team at the Regional Passport Office in New Delhi.
His children have joined Koshish because he wants them to have the same care and opportunities that Koshish gave him.
Entry into white collar jobs
With degrees and/or diplomas in a range of fields like accounting, teaching, hospital-patient relationship management, cyber security, computer hardware, cloud computing, public relations, and radiology— Koshish alumni are successful and out in the world.
You can find them in the Indian Army, in the Department of Tourism, Department of Post and Telegraph, IT firms like HCL Technologies, Cognizant Tech and Wipro Tech, Apollo Hospital, Escorts Hospital, Zee News Channel and many other companies; as well as public and private schools in Delhi and cities like Lucknow and Gorakhpur.
You can also find them abroad— Jitendra, an alumnus, is posted in Jakarta (Indonesia) in a managerial position with HCL-Tech, while Amit Kumar is posted in Istanbul (Turkey) as part of a joint venture with India’s GMR airport management team.
Koshish does not give up on its students –and although the need for job creation for young people has become a very pressing issue, there are still good jobs that are available for those who persist through the entire school cycle, are guided in identifying the right openings in the job market, and supported through the skills training they need to secure those jobs.
Take a look at some numbers:
In 2015, 20% of alumni opted for and completed professional training-- all of them secured white collar jobs. By 2018, 90-100% of alumni were opting for training and all landed white collar jobs. In 2023 (that is, only two years after the pandemic), 100% of alumni opted for and went onto complete professional training--all of them landed white collar jobs.
Some alumni drop out halfway through the training. For boys, the primary reason is family disturbance in the village which necessitates their return to look after family assets there. Fewer girls than boys tend to undertake professional training as their parents insist on marriage at the age of 18-20 years. The trend is changing; however, the pace of change is slow.
LESSONS LEARNT
1. The employment preferences of young adults can and do change. The school/facilitating NGO has to listen closely to students— to take their specific inclinations and talents, and align them with the appropriate training institute and industry. Identifying needs correctly is vital once the alumni are ready for their professional training.
2. These young people face multiple family challenges. NGOs need to invest time in counseling both the parents and children to prevent dropouts. When the parents are strongly supportive of the process, faster and better results are achieved.
3. Winning larger community support is important, and not always easy. This process must flow parallel to the education of students. Including residents of the settlement for festivities at school, and supporting them through public crises such as COVID, are instances of public service that are meaningful and create goodwill in the community.
4. School faculty are key facilitators. The higher the teachers’ sense of pride and achievement, the better the training and placement of students.
5. Keeping donors informed through the process helps to reinforce donor commitment—this is crucial to keeping essential services going.
