The farmers of Nigoje village, some 50 kms from Chakan, who had turned entrepreneurs with a farmers’ company last year have a new reason to cheer. Their children are now attending a two-month NIIT computer training programme that will not just equip them with a qualification but also give them a chance to find placements.

As many as 34 students are attending the certificate training course in back office management, which began on Tuesday, as part of the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) rehabilitation package for Chakan Phase IV. With the MIDC sponsoring 90 per cent of the fees, the students aged 18-35 were selected on the basis of their Class XII marks. “From basic computer training to special back office training and a special course in customer services, we will help them get employment in companies or malls,” said Geeta Patil, rehabilitation officer, MIDC. It has already paid nearly Rs 4.5 lakh for the first batch.

With this being a first-of-its-kind initiative, NIIT officials said they will take the full responsibility for placements. “We will send these students for interviews after training them,” one of them said.

Meanwhile, it’s a whole new world that has opened up for the 15 boys and 19 girls of the first batch. While Sopan Nanekar, one of them, is looking to ensure he does the course with full commitment, Surekha Tendurkar, another one, is excited about the placement prospects.

Patil said the MIDC is spending Rs 13,500 for each student, while the students have to spend only Rs 1,350 for the course. After the first batch, the MIDC will offer the facility to another 17 students as part of the rehabilitation package. An entrepreneurship development model is also being worked out by the MIDC for the farmers who have started their own company on this land.

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