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-The Economic Times
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The government wants to train the rural youth to take up manufacturing jobs, but an official survey has shown that nearly a fifth of youth in the countryside enrolled for vocational training opted to learn driving or become car mechanics in the hope of earning a decent salary in cities.
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Computer training was the second-most desired skill among the rural youth, shows a report based on the National Sample Survey Organisation's (NSSO) 2009-10 employment-unemployment survey. &quot;As rural areas are moving from farm to non-farm, driving is a low hanging fruit for the unskilled workforce as one requires just six months of training,&quot; said Manish Sabharwal, chairman, TeamLease Services. 
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Of the rural men enrolled for vocational training in 2009-10, about 18% prefered to go for driving and motor mechanics courses. The skill allows them to easily migrate to cities, as rising car ownership, congestion and higher incomes is encouraging more car owners to hire drivers.
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Drivers in cities like Delhi and Mumbai earn anything between 15,000 and 40,000 a month, making the job lucrative as specific educational qualification is not mandatory. Organised cab services in cities or radio cabs are also increasing the demand for drivers.
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About 13% rural males enrolled with recognised motor driving schools, the highest number after Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), shows the report 'Status of education and vocational training in India'.
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&quot;It is an increasing perception in rural areas that they would land up with jobs in urban areas,&quot; said SR Hashim, former Planning Commission member.
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The rising number of vehicles has also increased the demand for car mechanics, explaining the increase in the number of youth enrolling for training to become car mechanics.
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As call centres and banks are being set up in rural areas, 17% men saw an opportunity and opted for computer-related training. The trend is not good news for the government's ambitious target to scale up the share of manufacturing in GDP to 25% over the next 10 years.
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About 26% rural women opted for textile-related vocational training courses while 18% opted for computer training.
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In urban areas, learning computers topped the list for both men and women. Of the total men and women registering for vocational training, 30% and 32%, respectively, opted for computer courses. However, when it comes to getting jobs after the vocational course, men fared better than women: 47.2% rural females found the training did not help, as against 29.2% rural men. In urban areas, the scenario was no different: 32.4% urban women could not find employment/self employment after the training as against just 19.1% men. 
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