Urmila – a training and placement programme attempts to bridge the gap between domestic servants and urban households requiring reliable and efficient cleaning, washing, cooking, child and adult-care etc. services. Under the Urmila initiative, informal workers/ slum residents' who work as 'housemaids' are trained and empowered to become ‘Home Managers’. This results in a significant increase in skills, incomes, status, security as well as opportunities.

The potential ‘home managers’ are mobilized from various slum and low income areas across the city with the help of local stakeholders such as Anganwadi workers etc. The Urmila Home Mangers too mobilize other women and get them to join the training, which comprises 15 days class room training and practical experience. The training includes the following components:

To enhance skills, there is greater focus on practical training. This exposure to different electrical equipment and white goods likely to be found in homes. After completion of the training, with the objective of ensuring good health and security of the ‘home-manager’ for the clients, each home manager undergoes a ‘health check-up’ and is registered with the police department. The Home-Manager is given a Training Certificate as well as a copy of the Police Verification and Health -up reports.

Subsequently, based on the interest and ‘skills’ of individuals, the home-managers are placed with appropriate ‘registered clients’ living in apartments or bungalows. The Placement process involves the following steps:

• Client Registration
• Profiling and counselling for placement
• Matching a home manager with a client’s specific requirements
• Signing of an Agreement (LOU)
• Visit to Client’s place for placement and final placement
• Post Placement Feedback – Monthly Visit and Call every two months.

Based on the market trend and requirements of clients, the Urmila Programme has three categories of Home Manager Services - Silver, Golden and Diamond. The categories are decided according to their work experience, skill, knowledge, performance and attitude.

The salary of the Home-Managers is fixed based on the skills and experiences of the Home-Managers as well as the number of hours (minimum 4 hours and maximum 12 hours) for which they are to work. The Home-Managers do not work on Sundays and are eligible for 12 official holidays during a year. The other days when they do not/ cannot go to work, a temporary replacement is sent to the client.

Monitoring, regular handholding, client contact and evaluation of feedback received from the Home Managers as well as the clients has played an important role in the development of the programme. The Monitoring and Evaluation activities comprise the following:

• Evaluation of Home Managers.
• Monitoring of Home Managers and Clients.
• Monitoring and evaluation of training.
• Monitoring and evaluation of the programme.

As the demand for Home Managers increases, Urmila has identified the following challenges for the success and effectiveness of the programme:

• Mobilization and enrolment of candidates.
• Convincing women to join the training full-time, as they lose out on earning for that period.
• Placements have to be identified close to the Home Managers’ place of residence.
• No proper administrative set up at Labour Department for registration of Home Managers.

Based on the need and demand from clients for specialised care, Urmila is considering training people in patient care and geriatric care. The specialised training has increased the scope of work for the trainees and has also raised their capacity to earn higher incomes.