B.Nithin is a youth from Villupuram district in Tamil Nadu. He studied up to 10th standard, and could not continue further due to financial hardships. 

Having heard about Sharadha Skill Academy in Coimbatore, he came all the way from Villupuram to the city, and took Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technician course there.

In roughly 2 months, he completed the course, and started working for a company in Chennai. He makes Rs.14,000/month, and he takes care of himself and his family.

He is one of the many underprivileged youths who have utilized the opportunity provided by KG Worldwide-backed Sharadha Skill Academy in Vedapatti, Coimbatore.

The academy is run by K.G. Group of Companies through its Shree Palanimurugan Trust. Its aim is to provide skill-based education to underprivileged youth in rural areas and drop-outs who are unable to continue their studies due to financial constraints.

It offers basic programs like Multi Skill Technician course (Electrical, Plumbing, Air Condition) to advanced programs like Electric Vehicle & Renewable Energy System, IoT and Industrial Automation, Cloud Computing & System Administration etc.

“One of our key strengths is our laboratories. We upgrade them to current standards, so that our students can know everything their courses require in an experiential manner,” shares G.Kannapan, the Founder of SSA.

“We charge nearly nothing from the candidates who take up basic courses at the academy while for advanced courses, we charge just 1/3rd of what others do. This is because we don’t want the candidates to take this opportunity for granted,” says Arun, Head of Operations at SSA.

While empowering drop-outs is one of the goal, on the other side, the center has become a place for college students and employees in established organizations to improve their knowledge and level up their skill-sets. By completing industry-focused courses that are available at the academy, the candidates are able to improve their earnings at their offices.

“Duration of most courses are anywhere between 4 – 8 weeks (1-2 months). We make sure that the students learn and practice everything that is designed in the course. We are focused on the quality of the output too, so we ensure that the students spend time applying what he has learned,” Kannapan shares.

“All our programs are recognized by Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation and National Skill Development Corporation, so successful candidates can use the certificate anywhere in India while trying for placements,” says Arun.

More than 50% of the students who pursue course are from neighbouring districts. They come through references from alumni. The academy has hostel facility. It is in plans to increase their intake of students to 250 per quarter.

The academy conducted its first graduation ceremony here on Saturday (February 24) at the Bharathiyar Hall, located at Hindustan College of Arts and Sciences. G.Kannapan presided over the ceremony. Hundreds of successful candidates received their certificates.