“Today, I’m not what I was yesterday. I’ve realized changes within me. And the change is that I have grown both in my skills and personality. I could feel the confidence level, within me, rising,” says Uttam Sahoo.

He is now one of the most sought-after chefs at Hotel Grand Palace in Yercaud, Tamilnadu, for his goodness, hard work, and skills. He is happily working with a salary package of INR 17,000/- per month.

A 25-year-old Mr. Sahoo, along with his parents, hails from a far-off village called Madhubanpur in Medinipur East district of West Bengal. The family depends on agriculture, for their daily bread, for ages. Growing up in an environment, such as this, he couldn’t dream of education, career, or goal in life. At tender age itself, he discontinued formal education with a feeling of disdain.

As he lingered on, one day the information about the DB Tech’s skill training program was brought to him by one of his close relatives who live in Sambalpur, Odisha. Upon closer look at the features of the program, he made up his mind to enroll in it. The Sambalpur center trainers arranged a round of virtual counseling, after which he opted to get trained in the Housekeeping Executive Level-5 job role. He attended online classes from his hometown with optimum interest which lasted from March through May 2021.

Mr. Sahoo was not aware of the value of training in Soft Skills before joining DB Tech. But through this training, he learned money management, time management, decision making, goal setting, the basics of computers, and the knack to face interviews. The training helped him to be better equipped with communication skills too. Through the training program, he came to know more about the Tourism and Hospitality sector.

In July of that year, he faced a round of interviews at Sai Family Restaurant, Koraput, and was selected to work as a Housekeeping Executive with pay of INR 10, 500/- a month with free food & accommodation. Following the COVID protocol, the restaurant was allowed to run with 50 percent staff. The employer also had to assign staff to multitask. Once the manager found Uttam, taking orders. At times, he put his hands into production. For his caliber, he has been a recipient of several accolades. This shows how keen he is on cooking. After six months of employment there, while on a visit to his native place, his parents sensed changes in his personality. Mr. Sahoo withdrew some amount from his savings and gave it to his parents, the first and the only priceless gift, as a token of profound love and gratitude. During the vacation, he met with a friend who is a chef at Hotel Grand Palace in Yercaud, Tamilnadu. He invited Mr. Sahoo to join him in the Kitchen department. Sahoo accepted the invitation and joined as a chef who was also interested in it. He was very delighted to be offered a salary of INR 17,000/-.

In this now delighted Mr. Sahoo said, “I advise my village youth if they want to see the flipped side in their lives must join to get trained at DB Tech. Telling from my own experience that I’m highly impressed with every bit of thing at this organization. Thank you Don Bosco Tech Society.”