Preparing future defence personnel
Sanjeev Singh Bariana

THE YMCA-Olive Greens, an institute for soft skill development and preparation for the Services Selection Board (SSB) interviews, has been making its presence felt in the defence circles of the region since its inception in June this year.

Lt Col (retd) Ashokan. K, director of the institute, says they have developed a training programme with emphasis on practical training. "Instead of bookish knowledge, we take aspirants out into the field and make them learn by giving them live examples", he says.

Col Rajinder Singh Gadhok (retd), also a director, says: "For boys and girls who are good at communication skills, a two-week capsule programme imparts in-depth training for the SSB interviews. The centre has created elaborate infrastructure for the interviews and the preparation of the physical tests".

He says the exercise includes at least 20 outdoor group tasks, individual and group obstacles, and exposure to a psychological testing room, interview room and seminar hall. The programme lays emphasis on self-evaluation and practical self-learning.

The institute has offered to run a workshop free of cost for NCC cadets recommended for commission by the NCC Directorates of Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh. The workshop includes a complete screening test, a brief for all tests and practical exposure to outdoor tasks.