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Hyderabad Vocational School_
Hyderabad Vocational School
Sound training for future employment in agriculture
Not all young people have the same advantages when starting work. And in some cases, protection from child labor unfortunately also comes too late. Part of the “Learning for Life” concept of Bayer CropScience is to help disadvantaged or underprivileged youngsters in rural areas through solid training for future employment in agriculture. To this end, at the beginning of 2008, the company collaborated with Indian non-governmental organization Vignana Jyothi to establish a special vocational school near Hyderabad, the capital of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, as part of the Bayer CropScience Child Care Program. Preferential status for enrollment is given to young people who have worked as child laborers in the past.
Practical preparation for a professional career
The NGO Vignana Jyothi provides the infrastructure, hires the teaching staff and handles the daily operation of the school. Bayer CropScience supports the facility financially and promotes the further development of the curriculum through its agricultural expertise, for example through guest presentations.
From 2008 to January 2010, two one-year courses were financed by Bayer CropScience to provide 30 young people in each course with practical training for a professional career in agriculture. The training and board for the students are free of charge, and after completing the program they receive assistance in their job search.
The classes aim to provide the students with knowledge and skills that will later enable them to earn a living with a regular job in this sector. Training focuses on seed production techniques and the principles of integrated crop protection. Until the beginning of 2010 the content of the curriculum so far has been taught in three trimesters and includes coverage of basic subjects. For example, an introduction to agriculture is provided, and plant diseases and their appearance in the fields are also tackled. A basic knowledge of business administration including agricultural marketing is also part of the curriculum, as are effective communication and enhanced awareness for teamwork.
Well-trained professionals at the grass roots level
Two and a half year after the project was launched, the results have been consistently positive. The skills taught at the facility are very useful in the rapidly evolving environment of modern agriculture. In rural India is a high demand for well-trained staff at the grass roots level, and the graduates of the Bayer-Ramanaidu Vignana Jyothi School of Agriculture meet the requirements very well. The course in basic knowledge of modern agriculture does not just provide disadvantaged young people with the opportunity to find a means of existence, it also gives many career opportunities. The course is an excellent contribution to Indian agriculture and the seed industry.
Beginning with the 2010 school year, the results of two years of practical experience will be used to further optimize the curriculum: “We have decided to turn the one-year course into a half-year intensive course,” says Dr. D.N. Rao, General Secretary of Vignana Jyothi. “This will enable us to give training opportunities to twice as many young people, namely 60 rather than 30 per year,” adds Dr. Uwe Brekau, who is responsible for Corporate Social Responsibility at Bayer CropScience. “The curriculum will be adopted from the previous one-year course in a streamlined and even more practice-oriented form.”
“This is a tremendous opportunity for me. The course is very practice-oriented and I have already received several job offers,” says Kancharla Kavya, a student from the 2009 class at the Bayer-RVJ School of Agriculture, at the graduation ceremony on February 4, 2010.
Students of the Bayer-RVJ School of Agriculture
Students with dignitaries in 2nd row at the Bayer-RVJ School of Agriculture 5th convocation ceremony held on July 11, 2011 in the school facilities in Tuniki village bei Narsapur im Medak district.
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The training center of the Bayer Ramanaidu Vignana Jyothi School of Agriculture nearby Hyderabad. |
Practical preparation for a professional career
The NGO Vignana Jyothi provides the infrastructure, hires the teaching staff and handles the daily operation of the school. Bayer CropScience supports the facility financially and promotes the further development of the curriculum through its agricultural expertise, for example through guest presentations.
| Working on the success of the Bayer-Ramanaidu Vignana Jyothi School of Agriculture: from left to right: Dr. Arjun Rao, Director of the Bayer-RVJ School of Agriculture; Krishna Narayan, Special Projects; UVL Ananda, Corporate Communications and Media Relations, both Bayer CropScience, India; Suhas R Joshi, Sustainable Business Development Officer Bayer India; Angela Meinecke and Dr. Ulrich Meinecke, Social Counselor of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, India; Dr. D Ramanaidu, President, Vignana Jyothi Executive Committee; Dr. D N Rao, General Secretary, Vignana Jyothi; Dr. Kode Satyanarayan, Chairman of the Advisory Committee of the Bayer-RVJ School of Agriculture and C V Rao, Chief Administrator of Vignana Jyothi. |
The classes aim to provide the students with knowledge and skills that will later enable them to earn a living with a regular job in this sector. Training focuses on seed production techniques and the principles of integrated crop protection. Until the beginning of 2010 the content of the curriculum so far has been taught in three trimesters and includes coverage of basic subjects. For example, an introduction to agriculture is provided, and plant diseases and their appearance in the fields are also tackled. A basic knowledge of business administration including agricultural marketing is also part of the curriculum, as are effective communication and enhanced awareness for teamwork.
Students experimenting in a laboratory |
Two and a half year after the project was launched, the results have been consistently positive. The skills taught at the facility are very useful in the rapidly evolving environment of modern agriculture. In rural India is a high demand for well-trained staff at the grass roots level, and the graduates of the Bayer-Ramanaidu Vignana Jyothi School of Agriculture meet the requirements very well. The course in basic knowledge of modern agriculture does not just provide disadvantaged young people with the opportunity to find a means of existence, it also gives many career opportunities. The course is an excellent contribution to Indian agriculture and the seed industry.
Beginning with the 2010 school year, the results of two years of practical experience will be used to further optimize the curriculum: “We have decided to turn the one-year course into a half-year intensive course,” says Dr. D.N. Rao, General Secretary of Vignana Jyothi. “This will enable us to give training opportunities to twice as many young people, namely 60 rather than 30 per year,” adds Dr. Uwe Brekau, who is responsible for Corporate Social Responsibility at Bayer CropScience. “The curriculum will be adopted from the previous one-year course in a streamlined and even more practice-oriented form.”
“This is a tremendous opportunity for me. The course is very practice-oriented and I have already received several job offers,” says Kancharla Kavya, a student from the 2009 class at the Bayer-RVJ School of Agriculture, at the graduation ceremony on February 4, 2010.
Students of the Bayer-RVJ School of Agriculture
Students with dignitaries in 2nd row at the Bayer-RVJ School of Agriculture 5th convocation ceremony held on July 11, 2011 in the school facilities in Tuniki village bei Narsapur im Medak district.
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