FiiRE unveils their new division, FiiRE Skills which focuses on skill development and creating professional skilled manpower for local industries
The more we give importance to skill development, the more competent will be our youth, states Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India.
In today’s turbulent environment of rapid change in terms of securing a promising future, the youth encounter numerous obstacles, young people face many challenges, including underemployment, unemployment, and a lack of possibilities. But there is a way out; to overcome these obstacles there is skill development. The importance of skill development cannot be overstated because it not only helps people find better career prospects but also advances the nation’s economy.
Skill development is crucial for the future of our youth. It holds the key to increased entrepreneurship, greater employment prospects, and economic progress.Skill development is at the center of changes happening in education and labour markets amid the global mega trends, In the dynamic landscape of the modern global labour market, education and workforce development systems must become more personalised, accessible and continuous throughout ones’ careers– placing ‘skills development’ at the heart of these global transitions.
With this background, the Forum for Innovation Incubation Research and Entrepreneurship (FiiRE) is dedicated to meeting these global challenges through FiiRE Skills. The campus is in the heart of the commercial city of Goa, Margao, in South Goa. FiiRE Skills is a dedicated division of FiiRE with prime focus on skill development and aims to create professional skilled manpower for the local industry in Goa, and across the globe at large. With the focus to empower youth through ‘Skilling for Livelihood’ FiiRE Skills offers skill development courses relevant to the healthcare, tourism and hospitality sector in Goa. Their vision is: To evolve as a center of excellence for professional training by providing a holistic learning environment, thus ensuring the integral development of the youth, the Don Bosco way. FiiRE Skills is known for its training framework, competency-based curriculum, emphasis on entrepreneurship/personality development, focus on hands-on training and employability skills.
Skill development courses
1. Nursing Assistantship
The Nursing Assistantship course is designed to train students to provide quality care of the patients, patient health and safety care in nursing homes and hospitals. It is designed to train individuals to provide essential healthcare support under the guidance of registered nurses. Graduates of this program gain the skills necessary to assist nurses in patient care, administer basic medical treatments, and ensure the comfort and well-being of patients. The inclusion of a special module in ‘Emergency Medical Techniques’ makes this course unique and adds an extra feather to the cap of the graduates of this program.
2. Food Production
Food Production is the discipline of hotel management focusing on food processing and preparation skills and techniques. The certificate course in Food Production is a short-term six-month course in which the first three months are dedicated to academic studies and the final three months are rendered as an industrial training program or internship. The focal point of this discipline is drawn around food production. With the state-of-the-art infrastructure, laboratories, professional kitchen, dedicated trainers, FiiRE Skills is focused on imparting the best set of technical skills and knowledge, relevant to the current industry trends, as well as soft skills, to facilitate the overall personality development of their students, thereby giving them an edge over their competitors in their career.
3. Food and Beverage Service
This discipline focuses on imparting the necessary skill set required to serve as a steward in star hotels, restaurants, and fine dining including the ones aboard cruise ships. The certificate course in Food and Beverage Service is a short-term six-month course in which first three months are dedicated for academic studies, theory and practical, while the students will be engaged in internship during the final three months for hands-on experience in the hotel industry.
4. Bakery and Patisserie
Bakery and Patisserie courses teach baking, pastry arts, confectionery, cake decoration, and essential business skills for running a bakery with the focus on food safety and hygiene. FiiRE Skills not only trains you to be a master baker but also equips you with the necessary skills to be self-reliant.
5. Bartending
This course is for those who want to pursue a special career in Food and Beverage (F&B) hospitality, blending knowledge of drinks, mixology, and service styles. This course offers essential insights for aspiring bartenders. If to be the most ‘trending bar tender’ is the dream, then FiiRE Skills is the path to excel.
Programme Manager
FiiRE Skills is headed by Namdev Naik, Programme Manager at FiiRE – Goa. Naik has immense experience of over 25 years in the field of skill and entrepreneurship development, human resource development and administration. He has trained more than 18000 students, thereby shaping their career paths. He is a certified CSR Professional (ICSI, New Delhi), specialising in the field of livelihoods and sustainability and has been playing a key role towards livelihood promotion through skill development. He has successfully implemented multiple versatile skill development projects like the United Nations Development Programme and Department of Science and Technology (UNDP – DST) Skills Project (training in food processing), Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion (SANKALP) which focuses on skill development for youth and many more. He is the District Resource Person (North Goa) For the Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme of Government of India. He has been successfully implementing skill training projects in the domain of healthcare, hospitality, electrical and electronics, as well as beauty and wellness, over the last two decades with the vision of creating a skilled and efficient ecosystem. With the expertise, experience and a dedicated team of professional experts, FiiRE Skills is all set towards ‘Skilling for Livelihood’.
FiiRE Skills Initiatives
FiiRE Skills has successfully implemented training programs like imparting technical counseling to around 950 students from the government industrial training institutes across Goa under the SANKALP Project, funded by Directorate of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. FiiRE Skills has trained over 200 aspirants in skills for livelihood through skill development training in trades like beauticians, preservation of fruits and vegetables, phenol and soap making, and apparel design, to name a few. The students who have undergone training in nursing assistantship as well as food production have secured placements at reputed hospitals and starred hotels.
