Approximately 60,000 officers and men from the Armed Forces retire every year. The retiring personnel are in the age group of 35 to 45 years. These personnel need to begin a second career as they are a trained and disciplined human resource. To prepare the retiring defence personel for employment/self employment and to ensure their smooth transition to a second career, elaborate resettlement training programmes are available. Directorate General Resettlement (DGR) conducts a large number of reorientation courses, both technical and non-technical in various vocations to facilitate career transition.

This training is organised in collaboration with the government and private institutions spread all over the country. While training in government and semi-government institutions is provided in existing programmes, special training packages are planned in private institutions keeping in mind the preferences of retiring servicemen. These packages are based on current requirements of the corporate world and the changing trends in the job market.

The DGR remains in close touch with the corporate world. Frequent seminars are organised in conjunction with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). The purpose of these seminars is two-fold. Firstly, seminars provide an opportunity to enable the corporate world know the potential available in trained and experienced service personnel and ex-servicemen. Secondly, they help to understand the current trends in industry and business so that retiring defence personnel can be trained in appropriate vocation. Frequent reviews of the training packages are carried out to help the retiring servicemen get suitable employment.

The duration of vocational training courses varies from few weeks to one year. The aim of this training is to provide the retiring defence personnel an opportunity to enhance their skills in the chosen fields. The courses are conducted in information technology, management-related fields, agro-based industry, technical trades, medical trades, service specific fields like aero and maritime engineering, travel and tourism and miscellaneous trades including security. At an average, DGR conducts 300 courses every year.

DGR has a tie-up with Ministry of Labour which provides 4000 seats in 410 ITIs all over the country for servicemen. This is a scheme popular with retiring soldiers. Training is also conducted in collaboration with government department/27 PSUs spread all over India. 'On the job' training is provided to retiring servicemen in various trades over a period of nine months. This scheme is primarily meant for training defence personnel in technical trades. On successful completion of training, individuals undergo an examination and are issued 'National Trade Certificates'. The PSUs and government departments providing this training include workshops of Indian Railways, Bhillai Steel Plant, BHEL Bhopal, Cochin Shipyard, HAL, HMT and Ordnance Factories.

All officers are entitled to avail ‘resettlement training’ facility. They can avail three months of resettlement training while on duty. This facility is also available to officers who have retired in last five years. The avenues covered by this trainng include IT, security, tourism, adventure sports, entrepreneurship development, management of agro-based industry and seafaring.

There are success stories of illustrious men-in-uniform who left their imprint on other walks of life. To name only a few, Col Wahi headed Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) for many years at critical juncture. Lt Gen PS Bhagat helped the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) move from a power-deficit organisation to an energy-surplus outfit in a short period of six months. Several governors, ambassadors and chairmen of public sector enterprises like Coal India Limited and Indian Airlines have come from the Services. Indian Frontier Administrative Service at its inception was largely composed of servicemen.

(The writer is Director General, Resettlement)