COIMBATORE: “Happy” is how M. Arun Kumar, a mentally challenged, describes his job experience at Pricol Limited.

After his ITI education in Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya Industrial Training Institute, the 24-year-old has been working for three years in the packing section, where his job is to collect components from different establishments within the campus and send these to the industry's sister concerns across India.

His boss R. Rajasekaran, assistant general manager, says Mr. Arun Kumar has improved since appointment and is able to work without supervision.

“His efficiency has improved to 80 per cent.”

Likewise, Chief Executive, G-Tech Engg. Foundary Co., A. Ganesan, is happy with Manoj Kumar's and James Sundararajan's work. Both the hearing impaired alumni of the training institute work in the design department.

“Both are sharp, have a good understanding of the subject and come up with good drawings of assembly parts,” he says, adding they are also disciplined.

General Manager V. Raja Kumaran says communication with the boys has never been a problem.

Mr. Ganesan says he has also learnt a thing or two about human nature by interacting with the boys.

The three represent many other differently-abled from the institute who are employed in various engineering companies in around Coimbatore.

Principal of the ITI G. Murali says it is only a misconception that differently-abled people will not able to work in engineering companies. With a little adjustment and right training such persons can be made as efficient as others.

Swami Anuragananda of Ramakrishna Mission, who looks after the ITI and other institutions, says that rather than teaching candles and incense sticks production to differently-abled, they can be trained to take up jobs that were hitherto out of bounds for them.

Training institute

In keeping with the idea the ITI and its sister institution, Faculty of Disability Management and Special Education, will soon set up a training institute with hostel facility to train and arrange employment for disabled people in Coimbatore district.

Swami Anuragananda says the first round of discussion with companies has been fruitful and many are willing to absorb people.

Faculty from the ITI will assess the needs of industries and then work in tandem with teachers from the Faculty of Disability Management and Special Education to train differently-abled.

Courtesy - Hindu