Summary
The programme will offer transgender people between the age of 18 and 25 years an opportunity to build a corporate career
The first batch of the programme will commence on July 1 with 20 fellows
The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), in collaboration with Pernod Ricard India Foundation and Collective Good Foundation (CGF), has launched India’s first academic-corporate fellowship programme to help transgender youth pursue a career in the corporate world, it said in a statement recently.
The Transformation Fellowship programme combines an immersive classroom experience with internships at renowned companies and non-profit organisations (NGOs). The target of the fellowship is to help the fellows get placed and have a lucrative corporate career.
Trans people aged 18 to 25 years can apply for the programme. There is no higher education bar for the applicants as the fellowship recognises the lack of education opportunities faced by the members of the transgender community. Applications for the fellowship are open till April 30.
The applicants will be shortlisted through an online selection process. Once shortlisted, the candidates have to appear for a group discussion and personal interview round. Transformation Fellowship’s first batch is set to start on July 1 with 20 fellows.
Fellows of the one-year programme will get skilled through two distinct phases. To build theoretical acumen in business subjects and workplace skills, the first six months of the fellowship will involve project work and classroom training. Mentors and faculty from TISS will oversee the first phase of the fellowship. The second phase will involve hands-on workplace training for 6 months. This will be achieved through internships.
Constant emotional and psycho-social support along with career guidance by LGBTQIA+ professionals and corporate and industry leaders will be offered to the fellows. They will also get a Rs 2,40,000 stipend and Rs 96,000 for travel and stay expenses for the year. TISS will also award the fellows a certificate upon the completion of the programme. With cooperation from the Pride Circle, the partners will facilitate corporate placements for fellows at the end of the programme.
Sashidhar Vempala, head of corporate social responsibility (CSR) & chief sustainability officer at Pernod Ricard India, said, "Aligned to our global commitment to inclusion and diversity, Pernod Ricard India, strives to transform communities by accelerating local development. Empowering people, especially women in rural areas, differently-abled persons and other minority groups including LGBTQIA+ is core to our social transformation and incubation vision. Through this Transformation Fellowship programme, we want to harness the power of collaborative efforts to steer pathbreaking inclusion for underserved trans-persons within our communities. We are passionate about creating equitable workplaces, where individuals, regardless of their gender identity or sexual and cultural orientation, can bring their authentic selves to work every day."
Satyajit Majumdar, dean and professor, School of Management and Labour Studies, TISS, Mumbai said, "The Institute has always been guided by the vision of building an equitable society through cutting-edge research, contemporary course curriculum and action on the ground. With a strong history of enabling the marginalised, we are happy to partner with Pernod Ricard India Foundation for the cause of transgender inclusion in the workforce and are committed to enabling them to reimagine their futures through people-centred innovation."
Last updated on 15 Apr 2022
