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Parinaama has been working here for the past two years. Our education project runs in six tea gardens and nearby municipal areas. The gram panchayats we work in are Arabinda, Garalbari, and Patkata.

Most of the families here depend on tea garden wages. It’s daily labour. When gardens shut down or reduce operations, as many have over the past years, people have no backup. Young people either take up the same work or leave for cities.

Why We Launched a Skill Training Program

We saw a gap. Students finish school or drop out. There are no local training centres and no one to guide them. They don’t know where to go or what options they have.

This July, Parinaama launched a skill development program for youth in Jalpaiguri focused on the tea tourism sector. We wanted to offer something simple: training that connects to real jobs in the hospitality and tourism sector, so it benefits both the participants and the local communities. In this way, we would be able to skill the youth and connect them to jobs in the tourism sector that contribute to the local economy.

What the Program Does

• Skill building in the history of tea gardens in the region, digital marketing, and spoken English.
• Awareness sessions with youth, parents, and local leaders about the kinds of jobs that exist in tea, tourism, hospitality, and related fields.
• Collaborations with the local administration, private companies, and other NGOs for placement opportunities.

During a session in Munda Basti, Anthony Lakhra, 21, talked about what the Tea Tourism training had meant to him, “I wasn’t confident speaking to people before. This program changed that. Now I can express myself better, and I’ve started learning digital marketing too. I feel like it’s opening up new possibilities for my future.”

Anthony’s words reminded us that when learning feels relevant, it builds more than just skills it builds purpose and the courage to imagine something better.