Apparel Manufacturing Unit
Genesis
Centurion University is an accredited, notified Skill University with a track record of skilling and training 450,000+ youth from difficult geographies, marginalised communities and differently-abled youth in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Jharkhand, Assam and Punjab. The unique skill-integration education system and its extensive hands-on approach culminated in Centurion University being awarded the status of ‘Skill University” by the Government of Odisha in 2017, and in 2019 “Centre of Excellence” by the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Government of India.
Considering the high employment generation of the apparel industry in India and the interest among the youth from rural poor families in building a career in the sector to earn a dignified livelihood, Centurion University established an ‘Apparel Manufacturing Lab’ at Paralakhemundi Campus in 2014 and followed by another with advanced sewing technology at Bhubaneswar in 2016.
Centurion University obtained registration under the Persons with Disabilities (PWD) Act 1995 and a pilot batch with differently-abled (hearing and speech impaired) trainees was enrolled in the Paralakhemundi Centre with the initiative of one of Gram Tarang’s lead trainers, who already knew sign language. This batch was 100 per cent successfully placed and the trainees are still working with the industry in Bangalore.
Aims and Objectives
This Apparel Manufacturing Unit offers skill training courses from basic to advanced levels to prepare trainees for career advancement and better wages, upgrade the knowledge and skill levels of the existing workforce and facilitate the training of trainers employed at various training centres in the country.
Differently-abled youth are trained in this Unit with the aim to make them competent, capable and confident in gaining employment or starting entrepreneurial ventures and thereby become accepted as an important and respected part of their community and society. It is worthwhile to mention 70 per cent of these differently-abled trainees are girls, out of which about 50-60% are from tribal communities. The entire training is provided in residential mode.
In general, trainees belong to below-poverty line (BPL) families and mobilization is done from the remotest parts of Orissa through formal channels organized by ORMAS (Panchayati Raj Department conducts Job Melas at Gram Panchayat, Block Office & District Headquarters) and informal channels of a well-managed team of field workers. These youth are often mobilized from Naxal Affected, aspirational districts across Odisha and Andhra Pradesh with support from the local district administration. Trainees are over the age of 18 and willing to migrate to southern India (Chennai, Bangalore, Tirupur, etc.) for placement.
The Apparel Manufacturing Unit offers skill training courses with the following major objectives:
- Sensitization and amplification of advanced sewing technology
- Training Delivery of School/ College Dropout youth from rural poor families
- RPL & Up-skilling of those working in apparel industry for better wages and career progression
- Training of Trainers in the apparel skills ecosystem in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh
- Economic empowerment of the marginalised communities, especially from remote and difficult geographies, towards earning a livelihood with pride and dignity.
Products/ Services Available
Centurion University has extensive experience working with differently-abled youth (mostly hearing and speech impaired youth; a few with physical disabilities as well) and have trained 656 trainees across three trades, i.e., ‘Quick Service Restaurant Associate’, ‘Industrial Sewing Machine Operator’, and ‘Woodwork & Carpentry’. Out of the total 656 trained, 502 have been successfully employed with 90 choosing and being successful in entrepreneurship (self-employment) resulting in creating employment. Among these 656 differently-abled youth, 100 have been trained and placed in the apparel manufacturing industry.
As of 2022, the Apparel Manufacturing Unit has trained and placed more than 50,000 youth in various industries across the country.
Centurion University also launched its own brand of apparel by the name of “Aussie” exclusively designed and manufactured by differently-abled youth. This brand manufactures environment-friendly garments, using waste-to-wealth principles to maximise the use of resources while minimising waste.
This year, from January 2023 to June 2023, Centurion University enrolled the first batch of six young women belonging to Australia First Nation (indigenous community) for skill training on apparel manufacturing as training trainers (ToTs). These six young women would train other First Nation youth when they return to the community towards generating income for their livelihoods.
Benefits
Centurion University – Gram Tarang has active ties with over 50 Garment Export Units in Bangalore, Chennai, Tirupur, and Coimbatore among others that continuously offer placement opportunities for trained and skilled migrant workers. The Apparel Manufacturing Unit has offered skill training and placed over 50,000 youth as of 2022, including 100 hearing and speech-impaired youth. Those who are not keen to migrate to other cities for placement, are handheld and nurtured towards self-employment opportunities such as tailors in their villages. Gram Tarang also has its own production unit – for its brand Aussie – and offers internships and job opportunities for trainees.
Future goals
The number one goal is to make these youth from marginalised communities competent, capable and confident in gaining employment or starting entrepreneurial ventures and thereby become accepted as an important and respected part of their community and society.
Centurion University plans to expand its reach internationally, starting with Australia with which it already has a long-standing association. The Aussie brand offers a wide range of products from designer clothes to customised uniforms to highly specialised medical garments.
Towards this goal, the Apparel Manufacturing Unit is constantly evolving to keep abreast with the latest technology and demands of the industry. In 2023 Centurion University is placed to launch its own medical apparel production in response to the demand of the market. The Unit would design and deliver these highly specialised products and at the same time offer skill training courses on their manufacturing to the marginalised youth in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
Adherence to SDGs
The Apparel Manufacturing Unit applies the waste-to-wealth principles in every facet of production ensuring that the use of resources is maximised, while waste is minimised. Every bit of cloth is used in the Lab, each waste product is upscaled to make a useful, commercially valuable product.
While changing lives by creating economically productive citizens of the country, who can earn their livelihoods with dignity, the Unit also creates a deep awareness about the importance of manufacturing environment-friendly products that work and nurture a sustainable ecosystem
