About Us - An Overview

Don Bosco Self Employment Research Institute (DB SERI) was started in 1978 with 14 vagrant boys at Don Bosco Technical School Liluah, Howrah, by the founder Rev. Br. T. V. Matthew sdb which was later shifted to the present permanent site at Mirpara, Bhattanagar in 1990. The center was inaugurated on 1st of May, 1990 by the then Labour Minister Mr. Shanti Ranjan Ghatak, in the presence of the Mayor of Howrah Mr. Swadesh Chakroberty and Mr. Patik Pawan Pathak the then minister for Parlementary affairs, Government of West Bengal. The complex was blessed by the then Provincial of Kolkata Province, Rev. Fr. Thomas Polackal sdb. The Salesians who were then engaged in this noble cause of empowering the School dropout along with Bro. Mathew were Rev. Fr. M. M. Joy sdb, Rev. Bro. Andrew Jojo and the dedicated lay Collaborators who assisted the Salesians were Mr. Ramnath Pal as Supervisor and Mr. Dilip Boral as Accountant and office staff.

The Institute gave training in non formal vocational trades which helped these dropouts to get a job or get self employed to make a decent living. Some of the trades which were offered to the youth were:
▪  Welding and fabrication.
▪  Electric house wiring and motor winding.
▪  Refrigeration and Air-conditioning.
▪  Lathe operation.
▪  Training in production of various machine components etc.

Along with these technical training the underprivileged youth were also given lessons in general English and mathematics which they had missed in their school life. Moral lessons were a must in our institute upon which a youth would build his character and form his philosophy of life.

DBSERI being a research institute is constantly making study in various trades which are viable and practical, which has market demand. Therefore the center has grown and evolved both in its infrastructure and training facility. It has both the formal as well as the non formal training. Today approximately 1,200 school dropouts are being empowered annually through Skill Training for producing marketable items, so that they could earn their livelihood through wage employment or self employment.

DBSERI OFFERS TRAINING IN VARIOUS TRADES

A. Formal Trades
1. Civil Engineering technician. (ISC) (started in 1995)
2. Tool and Die maker. (ITI)
3. Site Supervisor Civil (WBSCVE)

B. Non Formal Trades
1. Refrigeration and Air Conditioning.
2. Electric House Wiring and Motor Winding.
3. Electronics (Radio, TV and CD player repairing).
4. Welding and Fabrication.
5. Cutting and Tailoring.
6. Wool Knitting.
7. Carpentry.
8. Physiotherapy Technician.
9. Construction Supervisor 'A' Level.
10. Computer Fundamentals (For Handicapped only).
11. Auto Cad.
12. Interior Decoration.

DBSERI has aimed at empowering the dropout with Government affiliation and certification. Today we have 6 affiliations.
GOVERNMENT AFFILIATIONS
♦  West Bengal State Council of Technical Education.
♦  West Bengal State Council of Vocational Training and Education.
♦  National Institute of Open Schooling - New Delhi.
♦  Council for vocational Education - Examination from ICSE Board, New Delhi.
♦  ITI from National Council of Vocational Training (NCVT) Ministry of Labor, Government of India.
♦  Modular Employable Skill (MES) - Government of India.

NEW AREAS OF ACTIVITY:
▪  Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employable Guaranty Act. (MGNREGA). Training of Supervisors (GRS and JS) from all the 19 Districts of West Bengal. So far DBSERI has trained 4500 candidates with Government Certification.
▪  Ministry of Rural Development (MORD) - 3 months Training of 90 BPL candidates per batch in 3 different Domains.
▪  Industrial Sawing Machine Operation (ISMO).
▪  Retail Sales.
▪  Hospitality Management.
▪  Nettur Technical Training Foundation (NTTF) Bangalore. Weekly Training of Technicians of Mobile Tower maintenance. So far 523 candidates have been trained.

Collaboration with Industries for re-training of Technicians for Industries such as:
▫  Pioneer Friction Ltd, Kolkata
▫  Alstom Electrical, Kolkata
▫  Marathon Electrical, Kolkata
▫  Bridge and Roof, Government of India
▫  The Local Municipality
▫  Training of Police Personals of Kolkata in Technical Skills

OUT REACH PROGRAMME:
DB SERI is not only a promise of Hope for the students who are being educated within the Institute, it is also promise of hope for the many less fortunate living in the vicinity. Various out reach Programmes are as follows:
▪  Sunday Oratory coaching class for 1200 local children from class II to Class X, conducted by the Past Pupils.
▪  Scouts and Guides for the neighborhood children.
▪  Cultural Dance Centre for local children with examination and certification by Bhangio Sangeet Parisod.
▪  Daily free tution classes for the poor kids of the locality.
▪  Scholarship programme for poor students of DBSERI.
▪  DOT (Direct Observation Treatment) Programme for TB Patients of the neighborhood. A Government and WHO project volunteered by the past pupils of Don Bosco SERI.
▪  General Medical checkup, Eye checkup, Hearing and Dental checkup, Blood Donation Camps for local people in collaboration with Rotary International, Government etc.
▪  Low cost housing project for the poor by Civil Engineering Technician students and staff.
▪  Tailor made Training Programme for Industrial workers.
▪  Test in various SKILLS and Certification for foreign assignments.
▪  Millennium Project for Micro Enterprises for the Don Bosco SERI past pupils.
▪  Kitchen Garden Project ? Nutrition Garden for small house holders.
▪  Manufacturing of Concrete Pedal operated Pump for Micro Irrigation.
▪  W3W India Project (Water for the 3 rd World) a Swiss Project in collaboration with FAO (UNDP).

COLLABORATION WITH GOVERNMENT PROJECTS:
♦  KUSP (Kolkata Urban Services for the Poor) through different municipalities of West Bengal.
♦  VAMBAY Project (Valmiki Ambedker Awas YOjana) ? Low cost house building project of the Government of India.
♦  Hudco India - for low cost housing.
♦  SUDA (State Urban Development Agency) for Vocational Training for dropouts, through Municipalities.
♦  SIDBI (Small Industries Development Bank of India ) Skill based training for poor and School dropouts.
♦  SKIP (Skills for Progress). Faculty capacity building and scholarship for trainees.
♦  MGNREGA Project (Mahatama Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act ? 2005) for training the GRS (Gram Rozgar Sevokes) who supervise the NREGA Programmes in the various villages.

FUTURE PLANS:
In the coming years, we target to provide training to 1,500 school dropouts every year. New trades are being introduced depending on the market viability.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND RECOGNITIONS:
♦  Government of India has nominated the then Director Rev. Bro. TV Matthew as the member of National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT) in the capacity of an expert in Vocational Training.
♦  Nominated as standing committee of examination of the ICSE Board New Delhi.
♦  Member of the State Council of Vocational Education of West Bengal.
♦  Member of the Skill development committee of CII (Confederation of Indian Industries).
♦  Received Registration under section 35AC of Income Tax.