Professional Skills Training: 230 apprenticeship certificates

In April, apprentices celebrated their successful graduation in Hyderabad. Around 230 young women without school-leaving qualifications completed Usthi vocational training in the fields of information technology, beauty care or textile processing in recent months. A total of more than 950 young people completed such training in 2017. The 230 new graduates are the first to graduate in 2018.

Usthi vocational training was launched in Hyderabad in 2013 to enable young people without school-leaving qualifications to complete an apprenticeship. Without a school-leaving certificate, young people hardly have a chance of finding an apprenticeship. Without professional qualifications, it is extremely difficult to get a fairly paid job and the risk of being exploited as cheap labour is high. With the Usthi apprenticeship, even people without a school-leaving certificate have access to vocational training. This considerably increases the probability of a fairly paid job and a self-determined life. More than 900 young people, mainly women and single mothers, are trained and made fit for the job market every year in four-month basic and advanced courses.

The success of the Usthi vocational training is impressive: Over 92% of all graduates find a permanent job at Usthi during or immediately after their training. Others open their own businesses with the help of a microloan.

We congratulate the 234 graduates on successfully completing their apprenticeships and wish them a successful start to their careers!

Besuch der Botschaftsdelegation in der Penthakata-Schule

Swiss Ambassador Tissafi Visits Usthi

Three and a half days full of encounters, impressions and truly heartfelt moments in the Indian state of Odisha are now behind us. We are honoured and grateful for the visit of Maya Tissafi, Ambassador of Switzerland to India and Bhutan, and Simon Schäfer, First Secretary of the Swiss Embassy in New Delhi. Together with […]

Project Handover: Thaddeus School in Bhastara, India

The Thaddeus School began operating in 2006 with 45 small children. Since then, the school has grown significantly, received its own school building, and now teaches around 200 children from kindergarten to 10th grade. At the end of 2025, Usthi will hand over the project entirely to the Indian partner organization. A meaningful moment and […]

“I now feel I can dream again”

Despite economic growth, securing a livelihood remains a major challenge for many families in India. The majority of Indians work in the informal labor market, usually without social security or employment contracts and often under precarious working conditions. Access to the labor market and to fairly paid jobs is marked by glaring inequalities: women in […]