A 3-day Training of Trainers (ToT) was organized by the Learning and Development department to facilitate the trainers from various projects at Don Bosco Skill Mission (Bangalore) on August 1-3, 2019.

The induction program started with a small prayer song video followed by a welcome note by Fr. Joseph Elanaval, SDB (Director, Don Bosco Skill Mission). Fr. Joseph welcomed all the trainers of Don Bosco Tech and appreciated the work being done by all the grass-root level. He also briefed the trainers about the history of Don Bosco. Later the session was taken over by Mr. Tony Chacko (Asst. Manager, L&D Department) by dividing the participants into four small groups, where the participants were asked to introduce themselves and brainstorm together as to what were their expectations during the three – day training program. All their expectations were noted and displayed on the notice board so that all the topics are covered by the end of the training session. This session was proceeded by a small presentation on Don Bosco Tech, its mission vision and goal. The trainers were acquainted about how Don Bosco Tech is rewriting India’s skillscape by training and placing thousands of youth across the country every year. The team also discussed the history of Don Bosco and the emergence of Don Bosco Tech. This session was followed by an activity conducted in which the participants were being asked to tell everyone their name followed by an adjective and next person was supposed to first introduce the participants prior to him/her and then introduce themselves.

Post Lunch before starting with the session, the trainers were refreshed through another activity which was conducted by Mr. Selva Kumar. The activity involved doing the actions of the person whose name was called and as the activity proceeded the speed of announcement of names increased and the participants were dismissed from the game. The activity was concluded with de-briefing about it and the team went on with the sessions. In the first session post-lunch the participants were informed about the Bosco Academy for Skill & Employability (BASE) Model. They were explained about the three stages in which it is divided i.e. Pre-implementation, Implementation, and Post-implementation. All three stages were explained with details and examples. The participants had doubts regarding the various stages which were clarified to their satisfaction. The entire day’s session was based on the BASE process. The day was ended with a refreshing activity of Chinese whisper.

The second-day session started with a quick recap of the topics which were covered on day one of the training. The participants were oriented about the induction module and process of conducting six days induction with newly admitted trainees. They were also shared with the tentative schedule which they can follow at their respective centers along with a presentation on the course content that they would be covering during the training program at their centers. The second session for the day covered the topic of Sector Skill Councils (SSC) and the job roles / domains. The participants were informed about the various SSCs and the job roles for which Don Bosco Tech is affiliated to. They were also shown sample of Qualification Pack – National Occupational Standards (QP-NOS) and explained to them how a content is created based on the QP-NOS and how they can understand the details along with the NOS wise assessment break up.

For the post-lunch session, the participants were divided into four groups and the groups were asked to nominate one person from each group. The selected members were asked to put forth an act in which they are counselling a candidate who has come to the center to enquire about the skill training at the center. They had to show a typical questions that a candidate generally enquires and difficulties they face while counselling and how the counsellor would respond to the same. The groups presented their acts and at the end Ms. Niveditha explained and gave various situations and examples on how they should handle a candidate and also explained the difference between sympathy and empathy, and how to maintain a balance them while dealing with candidates who come from different family and society backgrounds.

The third-day session started with recalling all the sessions which have been completed over the previous two days. The third day of training was also joined by the respective State teams as well. The session was on the new software that has been launched by Don Bosco Tech Society for everyone i.e. BOONFACE. Ms Niveditha (Regional Manager – South, Don Bosco Tech) started by informing the participants the full form of BOONFACE (Bosco Online Facilitation Center). She also explained the step by step process from the batch creation until the candidate is placed. They were also informed on the other uses of the new software and how they can view the project performance and various activities that are organized at the centers across India. The post-lunch session was with regards to the sharing of good practices and clarifying on the issues/problems they were facing at the center level. The entire group had a good discussion and were able to solve various issues and come out with a solution as the entire State team and the center teams were available to clarify at the same platform.

The training program ended with an encouraging talk by Fr. Rubin Mathew, SDB, (Province In-charge, Bangalore Province) followed by a vote of thanks by Fr. Joseph Elanaval.