On 22 November 2024, in Lingarajapuram in Bengaluru, Don Bosco BREADS’ Employment and Skill Training (DB BEST) Academy, celebrated 25 batches of 1616 successfully trained youth. Hon. Minister for Energy and MLA of Sarvagnanagar, Shri K J George was present in his own constituency to felicitate the youth, Don Bosco BEST Academy and its partners on this momentous milestone in their journey of empowerment.
Don Bosco BEST Academy, a skilling initiative of Bangalore Rural Educational and Development Society (Don Bosco BREADS) since 2016, offers free three-month skilling and job placements for young people who are school dropouts, economically disadvantaged and migrant youth from rural areas. The academy focuses on three domains – Hospitality management, Retail management and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO). Trainees engage in hands-on, industry-focused training in a supportive and nurturing environment under the supervision of the Don Bosco team. Their holistic development is facilitated through life skills and personality enhancement, strengthening of communication skills and other extracurricular activities. The trainees receive free, nutritious lunch daily. They learn basic computer skills and are introduced to the Tally accounting software. DB BEST partners with the Don Bosco Tech Society (DB Tech) as well as with corporate partners in knowledge and resource sharing.
In his address, Minister George stressed the need for skilling as India is a young country. Every person cannot be employed in white collar jobs. We need all kinds of skills. In this context, institutions like Don Bosco, who work tirelessly for the upliftment of young people without the advantages of the rich, are performing a great service. He especially admired and appreciated the fact that Don Bosco was doing such excellent work in his own constituency.
Minister K J George honoured Job Francis, a successful trainee, who says about his experience in DB BEST, “For a broke man whose life had come to a full stop at age twenty-six, the fact that the course is free and has placement assistance was especially important. The three-month course pushed me to try new things, face new people and break my ego, which finally resulted in me growing myself from the inside. Currently, I am the Manager of a restobar and when I look back, I would call DB BEST my home, and those people, my family.”
Fr Fabio Attard, representative from Don Bosco Generalate, Rome, was also present on the occasion. While appreciating the trainees of DB BEST Academy, he shared that Don Bosco graduates were similarly appreciated worldwide. He recalled his experiences of the way the corporates like Schneider highly appreciated Don Bosco graduates and trainees, saying that they were identifiable by their etiquette and positive spirit in the workplace.
The BEST Story—an impact assessment report about DB BEST Academy was released on the occasion. The survey of all the trained students highlighted a 92.4% satisfaction rate and a unanimous appreciation of the positive impact of Don BEST in their personal and professional lives. DB BEST trainees are employed by well-known brands and organisations, confirming the training standards of the academy. Fostering a consistent employment rate of 79.2% among 1616 young men and women, DB BEST Academy contributes positively towards the socioeconomic upliftment of marginalised sections in society through personal development and financial independence. Even offering limited hostel facilities, DB BEST Academy welcomes more youth in need of empowering skilling to join its courses and make their own best lives possible.
