Expressnews
Trichy, Nov. 2024
Hon’ble Minister Thiru. Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, Minister for School Education in Tamil Nadu, launched Nipuni, a career readiness programme, created by Avtar Human Capital Trust (AHCT). The Minister was the chief guest at the 12th Edition of Udyog Utsav, a unique one-day career visioning conference for the girl students who are part of AHCT’s Project Puthri, which is a life skills training program conducted exclusively for girls studying in government and corporation schools across Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Bengaluru.
Taking a step further, AHCT’s Nipuni Career Pathing is a transformative career readiness program aimed at empowering college-going girls by enhancing their career opportunities and fostering a skilled, self-reliant workforce capable of thriving in corporate India.
The Minister also distributed awards for educational institutions who run Project Puthri’s training programs, in the presence of Dr. Saundarya Rajesh, Managing Trustee, AHCT; Shri CA. Venkatesh R, Secretary and Correspondent, and Dr. M. Pitchaimani, Principal, Srimad Andavan Arts and Science College, Trichy. The event saw the participation of over 400 students from about nine schools.
Hon’ble Minister Thiru. Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi highlighted Avtar’s commitment to bridging gender gaps in education and in corporate India. Avtar Group, the parent organization of AHCT, also revealed the key findings from its latest research study, “The Career Connection: Demystifying Success for Young Women in India’s Emerging Workforce”, that sheds light on the unique motivations, challenges, and aspirations of first-generation women graduates.
Talking about AHCT’s initiatives, Dr. Saundarya Rajesh, Managing Trustee, AHCT, and Founder -President of Avtar Group, said, “We are thrilled to launch Nipuni at the 12th Udyog Utsav. Nipuni Career Pathing aligns seamlessly with the Prime Minister’s Internship Program, a national initiative providing youth with practical exposure across diverse sectors. Our recent research underscores the strong aspirations among young women to pursue meaningful careers when equipped with adequate resources. Through Nipuni Career Pathing, we aim to empower these ambitions by imparting critical skills that ensure workforce readiness. In partnership with industry leaders, the program offers specialized training in communication, leadership, project management, and Information Technology, bridging the essential gap between education and employment. Nipuni aims to prepare young women to thrive in today’s competitive job market. The initiative will launch with 10 pilot projects in Tamil Nadu, with a vision to enable 10,000 college-going girls to successfully transition into white-collar careers over the next three years.”
Commenting on Project Puthri (AHCT’s flagship program) she highlighted that the initiative has positively transformed the lives of over 12,000 underprivileged girls across Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karnataka. The program fosters career ambition by providing mentorship and essential skills training that empower these girls for professional success and financial independence. “We have partnerships with over 130 schools. We enroll girls from economically and socially underprivileged backgrounds —such as orphans, children of single parents, and others — starting from grades 8 through 12 in this program. Through a curriculum of 40 life skills focused on building career intentionality, the program offers role-modeling sessions and mentorship in areas like leadership, critical thinking, and resilience. Each week, participants receive 1 to 1.5 hours of training. Additionally, Puthri provides career coaching for 10th to 12th-grade students, tailor made based on psychometric assessments of the students.”
AHCT also provides scholarships to support girls in higher education. In the academic year of 2022-23 alone, it offered Rs. 50 lakhs in scholarships for students pursuing vocational courses, arts and science programs, and engineering diplomas and degrees. The Trust is a non-profit organization committed to bridging the gender gap in India’s workforce by providing career guidance, training, and mentorship to girls from underprivileged communities. AHCT is part of Avtar Group, a leading diversity, equity, and inclusion consulting firm with an overarching vision of increasing women’s workforce participation in India Inc.
