A four-day Training of Trainers (TOT) was held from May 14-17, 2022 at Don Bosco Skill Mission (DBSM), Bangalore, for the Don Bosco Tech State Teams’. The purpose was to train them on the departmental SOP's such as Finance, Operation, HR, MIS, Placements, and Assessment. And in turn, they would go back to their respective states and train the center-level trainers. On the last day, at Breakthrough, the team members learned; goal setting, overcoming challenges, decision making, leadership roles, and the like through dynamic-group activities in the picturesque beauty of the place. A total of 41 enthusiasts from across the country participated.

The training methodology was interactive as the staff ensured that knowledge was not only disseminated but accurately perceived and understood by the participants. And to ensure this, trainers engaged participants in discussions and kept the forum open for feedback, queries, and suggestions. These discussions and interactive sessions were supported through training material such as pre and post-test, PowerPoint presentations, and handouts on participatory planning.

The first day’s session started at 09:00 am with a Prayer song and words of welcome by Fr. Joseph Elavanal (Director, DBSM) who briefed the purpose of the gathering. He instilled in them bigger plans laid ahead. Fr. Noble George (Asst. Director) as he started the fun-filled session, broke the ice, and introduced the participants and facilitators. It was Fr. George Matthew (Executive Director) who gave a brief presentation on the Salesians and the milestone of the Don Bosco Tech Society thereafter. He drew everyone’s attention to skilling the Not In Education, Employment and Training (NEET), emphasizing Technical Vocational and Educational Training (TVET). Further, he helped measured the impact skill training can have but drew their attention to concerns about the volatile nature of the skill sector.

Post break, Mr. Stanley Jones (Chief Operating Officer) threw the limelight on the Process of Don Bosco Tech; Pre-Implementation, Implementation, and Post Implementation. He gave a brief idea of the Process Cycle, Model, and Standard of Don Bosco Tech, stressing the importance of SOPs’ application, mobilization standard, and also the post-placement support. He pointed to the roles and responsibilities of the National Team, State Team, and the Center abiding by SOPs in all its activities in sync with the vision and mission of Don Bosco Tech Society. Information on the Project Deliverables and also understanding of the documents and mandates were shared in brief.

As the day came to its closure, Fr. George suggested that the work done by us must gain visibility on Social media.

On the daybreak of day II, a recap of the day-I was carried-out. Thereafter, Fr. Noble took the session and stressed the importance of Life skills. As the session was on the recommended team to involve local bodies in all its activities.

Mr. Joy Wairokapam (Manager, L&D) kick-started the session with NSQF in the skilling ecosystem. He explained in brief about the NSQF’s job roles, QP Code, NSQF level, and NOS. To this Fr. George added, “NSQF certification has changed its perspective.”

After lunch, the participating members screened a video presentation on mushroom cultivation in Bihar. This visualized how the housewives mastered the knack of mushroom cultivation and can make profits even with a small investment.

Mr. Joy continued from where he left and explained the assessment and certification. Elaborately he discussed the types of assessments, their processes, and the challenges faced in assessing. To face challenges, he recommended the formation of a bigger batch size with maximum attendance.

Mr. Kul Bhushan (Asst. Manager, MIS) slid, slides on the information system. During his slot, he explained the process and flow of data management; center registration, trainer’s linking on SIP, and trainer ID linking.

On the last day of the indoor meeting, Mr. Manoj Marothia (Manager, Placements) took the stage to explain processes; placements, documentation, and pre and post-hand holding support. And the challenges faced were also discussed. More emphasis was on the placement tracking as per the project guidelines. He suggested keeping a check on candidates’ wages before employment. Majorly, he focussed on the effort towards the retention of the placed candidates. According to him, one should check on their wellbeings, once in a while, through respective HRs.

A session on HR was taken by Ms. Mahima Sethi (Manager, HR). She briefed on the Employees' dress code. The dos and don’ts of it were discussed further.

Mr. Sushil Hansdak (Asst. Manager, Finance) gave a brief report on the Project Support Department along with Finance. He orientated the process of finance. Thereby, shared formats are to be used for various entitlements, allowances, and reimbursements. The maintenance of the stock register and the assets was also made clear to all.

On resumption of the team after a short break, Mr. Stanley took a briefing on Communication. He vehemently urged the team to be regularly reporting, be it events, or success stories. He said that the activities are to be made visible across all platforms.

Mr. Rahul Kumar Singh (Asst. Manager, IT) took the team through the features of BOONFACE with a special note on how it has made our life easier. Going further, he also asked for suggestions for making the platform user-friendly.

The last day was set aside for the ‘team building’ through activities. The venue chosen for this day was the Breakthrough center. The sole objective of the activity-based session was to shoot up bonding among the members. The whole program was fun-filled. It was a platform, apt for learning. A big shout out to Mr. Muan and Ms. Shruti from Breakthrough for their time spared, and training.

Overall the TOT was great learning and informative. It is from where everyone had a chance to introspect. Further, chalk out plans. It was a wonderful experience for all as it not only made the process transparent but also challenged making systems and processes, fine-tune. Above all, bonding and feeling of oneness are stronger.