Many girls break stereotype, get jobs in male-dominated sectors

RANCHI: Balya Soren lost his parents before he was 10 and till Class XII, he couldn’t even see anything written on the blackboard. this 20-year-old from Chakulia couldn’t afford spectacles for his poor eyesight and his relatives were not willing to even let him study further.

However, he beat all odds and it was indeed a moment of extreme joy for this of student of Birla Institute of Technology Sindri who was handed an appointment letter at the Global Skill Summit 2019. Soren bagged a package of Rs 10.11 lakh per annum at Tata Steel during the Global Skill Summit here.

Talking to TOI, Soren said: “I come from a very poor family. I reached college with great difficulty and there, my education was through scholarships. This is a huge day for me because I know that from today onwards, I will have a better life to look forward to.”

Sharing a similar story is Tetri Kumari who had to drop out after her matriculation. The girl from Kamre received skill training for tailoring and now she bagged a job with a monthly salary of Rs 11,000 in Lohardaga. “I never thought I will be able to make a contribution for my own economic freedom. But now, I have a job that will not only pay my expenses, but can earn a respectable livelihood,” she said.

While 10 job seekers were awarded with offer letters during the main ceremony by chief minister Raghubar Das, another 15,000 candidates were handed over the offer letters by the respective companies.

Surprisingly, many female candidates broke the stereotype and bagged job offers in male-dominant sectors. Poonam Rani, a technical diploma holder who bagged a job with Tata Motors, said: “I will be joining as a machinist at Tata Motors. While I was training as a machinist, there were just 10 girls at the centre and thankfully, I had all the support from my parents to pursue a career I dreamt of. Irrespective of the fact that I am a girl, I am excited and looking forward to join the company.”

Additionally, Skill Champion Sajjad Ansari, who has been shortlisted to represent India at the AutoBody repair trade at World Skills 2019 in Kazan, Russia, also shared his story. Talking to TOI, Ansari said: “I started training in fashion designing before I got bored and shifted to automobile body repair. I was trained and guided at the Maruti Suzuki’s Gurgaon-based training facility with the aid of Jharkhand government.”

Meanwhile, a few candidates said they did not receive offer letters despite being invited to the ceremony. However, officials clarified that they were college students who abandoned their group and decided to come to the venue by themselves and they will receive their appointment letters from their respective college authorities.