Hyderabad, Feb 28, 2025: Lighthouse Communities Foundation dedicated its 2nd Lighthouse – A Unique Skilling and Livelihood Center – to the youth of Mallepally in a Public Opening ceremony today.
Following the success of the first Lighthouse in Chandanagar, started in April 2023 with support from GHMC and Hon. Mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi, this new center will empower youth from the Nampally constituency and nearby communities by equipping them with essential life skills and career readiness.
The Lighthouse program is designed to enable youth to make informed career choices. The center will mainly cater to underserved youth between the age of 18 to 35 and provide them with communication skills, digital literacy skills, knowledge about the industry demand and other life skills and vocational skills that they need to develop, to be job ready.
Dr. Ganesh Natarajan, Chairman of the Lighthouse Communities Foundation, expressed his heartfelt gratitude to GHMC and the youth at the launch of the Lighthouse. He said, “I am delighted to be here today at the public opening of our 42nd Lighthouse Centre in the country. Our partnerships with like-minded institutions such as GHMC and UBS play a crucial role in driving us toward the goal of ensuring that ‘no youth is left behind’. These collaborations enable us to create meaningful opportunities and achieve lasting transformation, community by community, city by city.”
GHMC has played a pivotal role in offering the Model Market space to be converted into a high quality learning space for youth where they will receive career counselling, free vocational skilling courses and visibility of job opportunities. Whether the youth is looking to learn a skill and work in the organised sector or become a micro-entrepreneur, Lighthouse will offer support to all.
MLA Majid Hussain has been proactively supporting the program by spreading awareness in the community and making an appeal to all the young girls and boys to come and benefit from the “Lighthouse at their doorstep”. He encouraged youth by saying that “this should be the best skilling center in the state of Telangana from where youth will get direction for their future and start their career journey”.
The center will also introduce Lighthouse Kiran– a specialized career and future readiness program for adolescents aged 14 to 17. The program focuses on social and emotional learning, personality development, and career guidance for adolescents from underserved backgrounds.
Looking forward to empowering the youth of Nampally through the center, Vijayalakshmi Gadwal, Mayor, GHMC said “Mallepally Lighthouse is a meaningful step towards transforming the vocational skilling landscape, something that is a need of the hour. By enabling youth with the right training and guidance, we are laying the foundation for a more skilled, capable, and future-ready workforce.”
With 50+ strong employer partnerships across the city, Lighthouse ensures comprehensive support for young individuals until they secure employment or start their own businesses. The program provides end-to-end assistance, along with personality development and confidence building towards sustainable income generation.
Addressing the gathering, Mothe Srilatha Shoban Reddy, Deputy Mayor of GHMC said, “Partnering with Lighthouse Communities Foundation marks a crucial step for GHMC in equipping Hyderabad’s youth with the skills needed for long-term career success. Through the Lighthouse program, we are not only opening doors to employment but also shaping a workforce that will drive the city’s growth and progress.”
Speaking about the space and learning opportunities, Anuja Kishore, Chief Executive Officer of Lighthouse Communities Foundation, said, “This center comprises eight specialized rooms designed for diverse learning, for Foundation course activities, Spoken English classes, IT-related skilling, Digital Empowerment, Fashion Designing, Beauty Parlour & Makeup,, an online learning space, and a dedicated one-on-one career counseling room. These spaces will help youth develop essential skills, improve their job prospects, and explore new career opportunities. Through industry-focused training and personalized support, the center will enable young individuals to secure stable livelihoods”
Over the next three years, the Mallepally Lighthouse will equip 2400 young individuals with employability and life skills, setting them on the path to financial independence.
Amruta Bahulekar, Chief Program Officer of Lighthouse Communities Foundation spoke about Mallepally Lighthouse being a safe, inclusive, and enriching learning space with the skills needed for career readiness, “With two tech hub rooms, we are hoping this place encourages more youth to enroll for IT courses such as Java programming and software testing. By providing access to quality training and resources, we aim to enable them with industry-relevant skills, opening up greater career opportunities and fostering long-term professional growth in the tech sector.”