Through Training, the Academy aims to build a cadre of workers and leaders to take the SEWA movement further. Training is widely acknowledged within IASEW as an important tool in the process of capacity building, empowerment and collective struggle.
We believe that every woman has potential and ability, but due to adverse circumstances, many women in the informal economy cannot reach their goals. Training opportunities is one of our strategies to increase employability of our members - To prevent their crowding into low-paid, unskilled employment, in limited occupations, and to promote upward mobility and improve their status as women workers.
The relevance of the training to our members' lives and livelihoods, and the integration of training with other SEWA initiatives are the hallmarks of IASEW’s training strategy.
Our training programs have boosted women's confidence, dignity, and equality, fostering a collective approach to organising. By addressing challenges, SEWA members have gained new skills and recognized their leadership potential in various spheres. These programs offer women a platform to share experiences and address issues collectively, leading to personal growth and community empowerment.
IASEW’s pedagogy is based on an interactive and participatory method, where the trainer is a listener and processor of information which she receives from those whom she is training.
The pedagogy results in a flexible curriculum and course content, which constantly evolves with the new issues, concerns and questions that arise from the trainees .
Training in IASEW is a continuous effort, involving classroom sessions, field exposures and learning by doing. Given the poor literacy level in India and amongst our members, all our methods are based on interactive approaches. The participants are involved from the first moment in the training, through activities/methods like role-playing, discussions, exercises, drawings, songs & games, puppets, folk music, case studies etc. Use of traditional mediums prove useful in driving home the lessons.
Trainers mostly come from the community of the workers themselves, and thus, the learners are able to easily relate to them, and the experts are themselves able to bridge the gap between learning and teaching, by bringing in field experiences and expertise of working with the community.
Participants are always selected by their particular trade group collectives, social enterprise, MBOs making the selection more democratic, unbiased and focused. The sessions are always participatory in nature, where a two-way learning process is followed – the members benefit from the training, while the training sessions are constantly evolving to accommodate the needs of the members.
The demand for training components always comes from the members and our programmes are conducted to meet their various needs. Prior to designing the schedule, a ‘training needs assessment’ is conducted. This process allows IASEW to meet the expectations of the participants and tailor programmes to their needs. The training sessions are always modelled keeping in mind the learner’s skill set and requirement.
Leadership Programmes
1. Member Education
2. SEWA Movement / Basic Leadership Training
3. Kadam (Advanced Leadership) Training
4. Training of Trainers (TOT)
Technical & Professional Programmes
1. Rural Association / Cooperative Training
2. Bookkeeping
3. Research Training
4. Communication Training
SEWA Orientation
Organising Training
MBOP Training
Gender Training
Life Skill Training
Training Management
Tailor - made Training
Adolescent Girls Training
Need-based Training
Thematic Training
Awareness Building Training
Member Subscription Training
Tailor-made Exposure on poor self employed women
Social Issue Training
IASEW also works with organisations to create and implement tailor-made programmes on-demand, specific to their needs. These programmes are designed by conducting a needs assessment and/or receiving feedback from the respective organisation.
Firdoshbanu Working with Paper Flowers
Story of Kaushikaben Govindbhai Solanki
Story of Jamiben Raghubhai Koli Patel
Story of Harshidaben Baldevbhai Parmar
Story of Hansaben Dudhabhai Senva
Trainings Delivered
Women Workers Trained
Family & Community Trained
Every organisation and every person has the capacity to make a concrete difference in informal workers lives. Your contribution makes a tangible impact to our cause, providing resources for education, training, and advocacy programs. Join us in our efforts towards building a dignified future for all.
IASEW is the focal point for all of SEWA’s training, capacity building, research and communication efforts.