LIMS Mid-Term Evaluation report

The project- Equipping the youth for employment through skill Training institute – Lahanti Institute of Multiple skill (LIMS) intends to set up a skill training institute in Dumka, Jharkhand to equip local youth and women in multi sector Skills.

LIMS is a multi-sector skill-training institute, giving skill education for the communities of Jharkhand and East India. The primary objective is to provide opportunity to underprivileged youths mainly tribals and marginalized, school dropouts and girls and women from interior part of Jharkhand.

Purpose/objective:

Overall, the purpose of the evaluation was to:

• Review the progress achieved and constraints encountered in implementing the Project Document; and
• Provide feedback and practical recommendations for ESAF & LIMS for future planning & prioritization, if any.

The specific objectives of the evaluation were:

• Assess the extent to which the goals and objectives elaborated in the Project Document have been implemented at this end term and whether it is going in the right direction.
• Assess the infrastructure development and assess whether it is serving the intended purpose.
• Assess the Structure, Leadership, Management & Governance of the Institution.
• The evaluation was based on the following criteria: relevance, effectiveness, and sustainability.

Methodology:

• Team conducted desk reviews of project proposals, surveys, progress reports, case studies, and other relevant documents.
• FGD were held with students, artisans and staff team.
• Semi-structured Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) were conducted using open-ended questions to gather in depth information, with key passed out students, who are employed or enrolled in higher studies, community members and other government stakeholders
• Scoring exercises were conducted with the staff team on OCED – DAC criteria and EAT tool with the staff team.
• Field visits was undertaken for FGD, KII and observing both the physical state of the environment, the behaviors and practices of the community.

Key findings:
Despite the COVID pandemic the LIMS team could train 2,435 candidates. During 2020 – 21, 58% of them got employment or self-employment opportunities. Artisans had shown positive energy during interaction and expressed their gratitude to ESAF which had gone to their doorsteps with skill training few years ago. They now earn between INR 5,000 – 12,000 a month from the comfort of their home and choice of time to work.

The project received good scores on the OECD-DAC criteria:

• relevance: 5 out of 5, with evidence that the contribution is strong and/or exceeding that which was expected of the project/programme. Women have been consistently above 70% of the enrolment. Empowering the women, as change agent in the community will go a long way the community transformation. The project is highly relevant, as it selectively targets the vulnerable marginalised.
• Effectiveness 4. Despite the COVID pandemic and related lockdowns during 2020 and 2021, the team was able to overachieve the targets
• Sustainability received score 3, and is an area that need further follow up and improvement.

LIMS provides opportunities to girls and women who other do not get opportunity to even get out of their village. LIMS is catering to poor and marginalised section of the community hence LIMS to be self-sustainable on the revenue from the student’s fee is very long-term plan.

Women trained in LIMS, associated with ESAF and employed by Cedar Retail Pvt. Ltd. have shown remarkable leadership skills.

People also need refresher courses to become skilled craftsman. Some of these women have become master trainers and provide training to other agencies.

The mud brick or the compressed earthen block concept is innovative, energy efficient, environmentally friendly, and suitable alternative to the bricks from the kiln.

The bamboo housing is innovative, eco-friendly and attractive.

Recommendations:

• As part of their personality development and value education, students, especially the youth need to be helped to see the bigger picture of community transformation and nation building in addition to just helping them find jobs
• It is challenging to find qualified/ suitable candidates for the LIMS team as it is situated in remote rural location. LIMS need work on staff and build them. It will be good to invest in the team and their career planning; this will go a long way. Second line leadership needs to be built.
• LIMS has a master plan prepared with help of architects, but periodic review may be needed. A Campus Master Plan with overall goals, objectives in mind will serve as a framework for future physical development. It also provides long range planning for architecture, land use, space use, landscape, transportation, parking, and utilities.
• LIMS will need resources to fund the needy students, either from government or private funding.
• The bamboo house model is also susceptible to fire and hence precautionary measures need to be in place.
• LIMS has plans to start graduation level programs in the future. It will be good to design and invest in the infrastructure including classrooms, hostels and workshop with future in mind not the short-term goals.
• ESAF-LIMS can consider partnership with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). NSDC provides concessional loans (soft loans) to Training Partners (TPs), covering considerable part of the total project investment.
• ESAF-LIMS can explore affiliation and accreditation under various accreditation bodies.
• ESAF team can consider registering LIMS as a separate legal entity it might enable quick turnaround of affiliations applications and partnership negotiations with government and other stakeholders.

Comments from the organisation, if any:
Normisjon does not support the idea that LIMS becomes a legal entity as this can make the institution more vulnerable. LIMS plays an important part in the whole ESAF organisation. ESAF does not have any plans to separate LIMS even though the consultant recommended this. The difference in the EAT scoring on the sustainability part could be that the staff at LIMS sees LIMS as a part of ESAF which overall is sustainable, whereas the consultants see LIMS more separately and more vulnerable when it comes to sustainability. This is also one of the reasons it would be important to keep LIMS under the ESAF umbrella. The next phase of the LIMS project focuses on sustainability of LIMS.