With a little training, several retired public sector undertakings employees set up businesses.
She owns a printing press, and she employs three people at the press. A Padma, 59, is an entrepreneur. Unlike most others who take to entrepreneurship, Padma is a bit of a late-comer. She is a retired employee of the Bharat Electronics Limited, and only started her business after the retirement. “I was home-bound after my retirement, with nothing to do. It feels great to provide employment to others,” she says.
Padma is not alone in starting up another career at the point that one has just ended. Several former employees of central public sector undertakings (PSUs) who have either taken voluntary retirement or been retrenched are exploring other vocations.
Helping them along is Human Care Foundation, a charitable trust.
The Human Care Foundation organises short courses in a range of skills, from plumbing to computers. These are funded by the ministry of heavy industries and department of public enterprises.
Training one person under this programme costs Rs7,500. The scheme is aimed at counselling, retraining and redeploying employees of the central public sector enterprises.
The Human Care Foundation is organising its first training session in Bangalore. “The city’s retired folk are usually either graduates or diploma holders, and many of them have a positive mindset about taking up another career. What is interesting is that not a lot of them want to continue doing what they have done in the past; they are keen to learn new skills, and many of them pick these up in the courses that last one or two months,” says AK Bhatnagar, secretary and trustee director of the Foundation.
“I attended a workshop that lasted 45 days. I have been able to set up my own press, and I have learnt screen printing; I could hire more people and learn new techniques. My business is growing at a steady pace,” says Padma.
“Being a part of this workshop has given me the confidence to be able to live life on my own terms. I will start a cyber cafe,” says G Rangadhamulu, 58, a former employee of Hindustan Machine Tools. The course is meant exclusively for individuals who have either retired or been retrenched from PSU jobs.
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