Shriram School of Vocational Education (SSVE) formerly known as Shriram - IGNOU Community College Chennai, was established in the year 2009 by Dr. Akhila Srinivasan, Managing Trustee of Shriram Foundation at Thiruneermalai, a suburb of Chennai. SSVE was co-located with Shriram Matriculation School on a 3 acre campus. A well defined vision, highly committed mission and dedicated leadership enabled Shriram School of Vocational Education to emerge as a leading Vocational Training institute in Tamil Nadu. SSVE offered excellent infrastructure, state-of-the art and sophisticated laboratories, internet centres, modern library and sports facilities for the all-round growth of its students.

Higher education remains a distant dream for many children today. With the increasing cost of Education and financial pressure on families, many children drop out of school or choose to work after completing 12th Standard or sometimes even 10th Standard. While the city-born middle class children complete college education, for both the rural and urban poor, it remains a distant dream due to reasons beyond financial constraints.

SSVE addressed many of these gaps both in terms of affordability and class timings without compromising on the quality of education. It also addressed the needs of the community and society in general by focusing on practical job oriented courses rather than regular Arts and Science streams. With the experience of running schools for the poor, Shriram Foundation clearly understood the requirements of the community. The main objective of starting a vocational education at Thiruneermalai was to address the educational needs of the rural and urban poor by offering practical job oriented courses at subsidized rates that are not only affordable but also superior in terms of quality. SSVE Tiruneermalai offered 5 programs. The centre at Thiruneermalai was closed in July 2016 to accommodate the growing needs of Shriram Matriculation School.

The second centre was started in 2010 at Anaikoil, Nagapattinam District in collaboration with the Art of Living Foundation and International Association for Human Values. It continues to function as Sri Sri Industrial School. SSIS offers four programs.

Courses Offered :

1. Non – Banking Financial Company (Business Management)
2. Agriculture (Integrated Farming and Organic Farming)
3. Electrical Technician
4. Welding Technician
5. Two wheeler Mechanism
6. Tailoring & Embroidery

Non – Banking Financial Company (offered at Tiruneermalai till June 2016 and at SSIS):
The course offers an insight on the operation process of the NBFC and aims at providing immediate resources to the NBFCs. This Course helps students to get on the fast track to becoming a leader in NBFC, Accounts and Marketing.

The curriculum covers Non – Banking Financial Company, Business Management, Accountancy, Marketing, Foundation course in Computer Basics & Tally and Foundation course in English.

The course is offered to students who had completed Class XII. Many guest faculty were drawn from Shriram City Union Finance Limited. 15 days of Internship training and 3 field visits were also provided by Shriram City Union Finance. A number of students were also absorbed by the Shriram group on successful completion of the course. At Anaikoil, students are placed with local NBFCs and Micro-finance institutions.

Agriculture (Integrated Farming & Organic Farming) (offered at Tiruneermalai campus till June 2016):

Shriram School of Vocational Education took on long lease farm land measuring 2 acres 50 cents in Naduveerapattu Village in July 2011 for the Agriculture Course. The farm at Naduveerapattu Village was utilised for Organic farming and Integrated Farming. Applying the Principles of Integrated farming, students received training in Soil and Nutrient Management, Horticulture, Irrigation Drainage, Weed Management, Agronomy, Plant Protection, Horticulture, Environmental Science and Organic Farming and Live Stock Farming among other subjects.

Students who had completed Class XII with Science or Agriculture vocational stream were eligible to join the program which ran over 2.5 years. Students were provided Agriculture Field Visits / Internship with Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems, Resource Recovery Park, E.I.D Parrys, Thiru Arooran Sugars Ltd, Tamilnadu Agriculture University, Sunagro Bio Tech Research Centre Pvt. Ltd., Chennai Horti Producer Company Ltd., Syngenta India Ltd., University of Agricultural Sciences, Malathi Landscape, Adhiparasakthi Agriculture College, INDSETI (Indian Bank Self Employment Training Institute), Siddharth Farm, Tenkasi under Zoho Corporation, ADJ Agro Exports Ltd.

Electrical Technician (offered at Tiruneermalai till June 2016 and at SSIS):
This course was introduced in the year 2014-15 at both campuses and is now offered at SSIS. A Student who undergoes this course can join a real estate company as an Electrician or can travel abroad after getting relevant experience. There is a great need for such labour force in the Gulf countries, Singapore and India. The course covers the following subjects - Electrical Technician (Theory + Practical), Engineering Drawing and Workshop Calculation, Foundation Course in Computer Basics and Foundation Course in English.

Students who have completed Class X are enrolled in this program. The course duration is 1 Year. Skills Learnt after completion of Electrical Technician Course are: Different types of wiring connection like house wiring, flat wiring & Industrial wiring, Different types of power distribution like high voltage above 650V and extra high voltage above 33000V, Electrical Power generation methods like solar, wind and thermal, working and application of Transformer, Generator and Motor (all types of motor), Motor winding and rewinding, Assembling and dismantling of different types of motor, Handling of all electrical accessories, Repair and maintenance of Home appliances, Solar power generation system, UPS servicing / Maintenance.

Welding Technician (course is offered at SSIS):
Welding field is in great need of skilled labour force. In this course, a student learns different types of welding techniques. This course creates opportunities for employment in India and abroad as well as for self employment at a later date after gaining required experience. The curriculum covers Welding Technician (Theory), Welding Technician (Practical), Foundation course in Computer Basics and Foundation course in English.

Twice in a year 15 days in-plant training is arranged with local industries. Placement record has also been satisfactory.

Two Wheeler Mechanism (This course was offered in Tiruneermalai, now discontinued):
This course provided placement in two wheeler showrooms, service centres and also self-employment opportunities. The curriculum covered Two wheeler Mechanism (Theory + Practical), Fitting, Foundation course in Computer Basics and Foundation course in English. Eligibility for this course was 10th pass / fail and duration of the course was 1 Year. Field Visits and Internship were arranged at Hero, Honda, TVS, Bajaj and Yamaha showrooms and service stations. Placement was also satisfactory.

Tailoring and Embroidery (offered at Tiruneermalai till June 2016 and at SSIS):
The course is offered to women and girls from the local community. The middle school students of SMS and SSVM schools also learn these skills. The course covers Tailoring & Embroidery (Theory + Practical), Foundation course in Computer Basics and Foundation course in English. Women who complete the course find employment in garment industries or take up job-work or are self-employed.

At Tiruneermalai, a production unit was set up to provide employment to women who had completed the course and who had children studying in the school. The unit stitched uniforms for the school children and trainees undergoing vocational courses. The unit also undertook job work for bags. The production unit was closed in June 2016 as part of the school expansion.