A ten-day baking and confectionery training programme has been launched at MTC Kohima to equip youth and women with skills for sustainable livelihoods and entrepreneurship.
KOHIMA — A ten-day training programme on baking and confectionery was launched at the Multi Training Centre (MTC), Kohima, in collaboration with the Department of Women Resources Development (WRD).
The programme was funded by Kudecho Khamo, Advisor of CAWD, under the Local Area Development Fund (LADF), with the objective of providing skill development opportunities to youth and women.
Vahine Thisa, retired Principal Director of Treasuries and Accounts, who attended the launching programme as the special guest, appreciated the WRD for creating opportunities for youth, particularly women, and commended Kudecho Khamo for initiating the programme to benefit the community and people from his constituency.
Thisa emphasised the need to empower and equip youth with skills, observing that baking and confectionery has emerged as an important trade with considerable scope for livelihood generation.
She appreciated the collaboration with the department, noting that similar training through private institutions could involve significant costs, while the present programme was being offered free of charge.
She encouraged the trainees to learn the trade with determination, devotion, dedication and discipline, stating that skill development could contribute towards addressing employment challenges, which extend beyond the state and are prevalent globally.
Stressing the importance of making the best use of individual skills and talents, Thisa urged the trainees to acquire the trade meticulously and use it to build sustainable livelihoods.
She also highlighted the importance of hygiene in both products and workstations, cautioning that a single spoiled product could adversely affect a business.
Describing baking and confectionery as a high-value and promising enterprise, she said the trade remains in demand throughout the year for weddings, birthdays, other occasions and everyday snacks.
She pointed out that an enterprise need not begin on a large scale, adding that a home-based business, when pursued with hard work and sincerity, could also become sustainable.
Thisa further encouraged the trainees to venture into their own businesses after completing the training and expand beyond towns and cities to villages, where they could also impart their skills to others.
She urged them to remain creative and identify areas that could help expand their businesses and promote women's financial independence.
Earlier, Hukupa Ciekhan, PA to Advisor Khamo, delivered the keynote address.
He said the training was an initiative of Khamo aimed at empowering youth to become self-reliant, reflecting a desire to uplift youth and women.
Ciekhan stated that baking was not merely about recipes but also involved passion, perception and creativity, while requiring discipline and punctuality.
He called upon the trainees to be enterprising and look beyond obtaining certificates, urging them to make the best use of the opportunity and develop businesses based on the skills acquired.
He said the success of the trainees would be a fulfilment of the vision behind the initiative and encouraged them to establish ventures that were distinctive and sustainable.
The ten-day training programme will culminate on August 28.