Ramacrisna Institute trained, in 2021 alone, more than 1800 students, including young people and adults

The fear of being unemployed or without any clients during the pandemic made some people seek professional qualification alternatives to give their stories a new direction. Only at Ramacrisna Institute, in Betim, more than 1800 young people and adults participated in professional qualification courses in 2021, in the areas of audiovisual, robotics, aesthetics, welding, computer operator, among others. And, with the reduction of COVID 19 cases across the country, the time is now to start over.

This is the case of Alessandro Henrique Melo e Silva, 24 years old. After being fired from the old company he worked for in early 2020 and experiencing many financial difficulties, he found encouragement in the Barber course, offered by the Ramacrisna Institute with Petrobras sponsorship in 2021. “My mother told me about the course. I did and learned a lot. It was a great opportunity”, he says, who initially started working at home, until another formal job came along. “I still have my customers, but my priority now is to save money to buy all the equipment I need. Then I will be able to set up my own barbershop, with more structure”, he plans.

An employee in the Technical Cleaning sector of a private company, Giovane da Silva Meira, 27, was also anxious about job-related uncertainties, with the ongoing fear of being fired. Last year, he took Ramacrisna’s Initiation to Photography course, and the pressure gave way to the joy of discovering a new passion. “It’s funny because before the course I knew absolutely nothing about photography. He was that kind of person who even took bad pictures on his cell phone,” he says.

Giovani, who already had a music studio, invested BRL 20,000 in new audiovisual equipment. Soon, he wants to live exclusively from photography, which, for the time being, still performs as an extra income. “Every day, new jobs are appearing. At least once a week I have an event to cover. I believe it won’t be long before I’ll be able to leave the CLT job and dedicate myself exclusively to photography”, he plans.

New possibilities – After staying at home for a period, discouraged and without prospects, because of the pandemic, Cleidiane Silvestre Mendes, 34, returned to work intensively in the beauty salon she set up on the balcony of her home, in the Citrolândia neighborhood, in Betim. “I work in the beauty salon all day and also at home, since most of my clients are elderly people”, she celebrates. For the scenario to change, she says it was essential to participate in the Hairdressing course offered by the Ramacrisna Institute, at the Nucleus of Colônia Santa Izabel, in 2021.

“The clients were gone and I was hot-headed from being confined, not going anywhere. Then came the opportunity to take the course. I learned what I didn’t know, how to cut hair, and I improved on what I already did. Today the greatest demand is chemical (relaxation and progressive brushes). I left with my professional hairdressing degree”, she is proud of herself. Mother of a 15-year-old teenager, Cleidiane is already able to support her family with the income she earns at the beauty salon. Now, she intends to continue studying to be a hair therapist.

Projects – Ramacrisna Institute has collected stories such as those of Cleidiane, Giovanne and Alessandro, who found new possibilities for starting over in the courses offered by the Institute. They were assisted by Construindo o Futuro (Bulding the Future), a project that qualified 916 students in three cities last year alone. Sponsored by Petrobras, the project aims to promote the professional qualification of young people and adults and, thus, stimulate the generation of employment and improve the quality of life of the local population.

Another project focused on professionalizing young people is Ampliando Fronteiras (Expanding Frontier), carried out with support from BrazilFoundation and the City of Igarapé, which trained 197 young residents of the city of Igarapé in 6 different courses. Ramacrisna Institute also offers professional courses at its headquarters, such as welding, industrial robotics, computer operator, electrician for installation/maintenance of photovoltaic panels, car mechanics and audiovisual. Last year, 12 courses were offered that allowed the qualification of over 701 young people and adults.

“This is our mission: to impact and transform lives, to allow people in situations of social vulnerability to have new perspectives and to dream of a better future”, says the vice president of the Institute, Solange Bottaro.