USHA Silai School Fulfills The Growing Demand For Training Through Master Trainers

The Usha Silai School Program has been working in some of India's most remote & rural corners for the last 11 years. With the programme involved in teaching rural women how to stitch and sew, most of the training on the field was being conducted by 20 USHA Silai School trainers.

However, with the increasing number of silai schools across India, the USHA Silai School program realized that more & more quality trainers were required to deliver quality training. That led to the concept of Master Trainers, which has now been in practice for a few years.

These village level Master Trainers are from amongst the women who have received training. Not only has this helped meet the ever increasing demand for training, it has also provided additional earning opportunities for the master trainers themselves. Being a part of the community, the Master Trainers are also best placed to provide training in the local language & connect well and bring out the best in their trainees.

Master trainers have been selected from the existing Silai school teachers themselves to give them an additional opportunity to earn more. Master trainers are the ones who have shown excellent sewing competency and are more mobile and willing to travel and are also willing to help more women in other villages to learn how to stitch and sew.

This initiative covers many aspects, like additional opportunity creation for women entrepreneurs, additional earning source for silai heros, the creation of a pool of regional sewing trainers, the development of an advanced-skilled workforce as master trainers, who are also role models in their communities.

With more than 8 lakh trained women, or silai heroes, choosing who will become a Master Trainer is eventually decided by a selection process involving three aspects - Technical competencies like measurement skills, drafting, cutting and paper pattern making skills; Behavioral competencies like listening skills, ability to handle questions and learners, maintaining time and discipline; and an interview with the USHA Silai School team.

The classical silai school training, run by the USHA silai school programs, includes an initial 2 day training on machine repairing, machine assembling and trouble shooting. After that, in the remaining 7 days, they are taught sewing stitching and embroidery.

It isn't just sewing and stitching, USHA is also providing these silai heroes the life skills necessary to make informed decisions, solve problems, think critically and creatively, to develop better communication skills, and build healthy relationships with the customers and learners.

Silai heros also plays a key role in educating women of this area on their rights and the government schemes available to them. They have helped access government help in building water tanks and sanctioning widow pensions and other schemes that are extended to women in distress.