Pernod Ricard India partners with TISS, launches Fellowship program for transgender community

The candidates between the age group of 18 to 25 years can apply for the program. The first batch of 20 fellows aims to start from July 1, 2022. Applications are open for one-year fellowship programme and will close on April 30, 2022.

Written by FE Online

Pernod Ricard India (PRI) Foundation has partnered with the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), and the Collective Good Foundation (CGF) to launch academic-corporate Fellowship Program for the transgender community. The program will empower transpersons from underserved communities across India to choose their career paths in the corporate world.

Transpersons between the age group of 18 to 25 years can apply for the program as there is no higher education bar for the applicants. The applicants will be shortlisted through an online process followed by a round of group discussions and personal interviews. The first batch of 20 fellows aims to start from July 1, 2022. For the one-year Fellowship programme, the applications are now open and will close on April 30, 2022.

This fellowship program will provide required training and exposure, making them equipped to take on managerial and higher positions in the corporate ladder. The one-year fellowship program is divided into two distinct phases. The first phase will build theoretical acumen in business subjects and workplace skills through six months of immersive classroom training and project work led by the faculty and mentors at TISS. It will be followed by six-months of hands-on internships at leading corporates and non-profits to provide multi-faceted exposure and experiential learning. Each fellow will be receive a stipend of Rs 2,40,000 along with Rs 96,000 for travel and stay during the year.

“The world is an especially difficult place for transpersons who face constant biases and are never judged on the basis of their talent. It is very important to create an inclusive culture where people from all societal strata and gender identities feel like they belong, and the first step is equitable education. This will create the cornerstone for transpersons to find gainful employment – a thought that is firmly embedded in PRI’s ethos and its commitment towards people, planet, and communities. We strongly believe in investing in and nurturing gender agnostic talent pools to truly harness the power of human capabilities and connection and this program is a step towards building an ecosystem of equal work opportunities for transpersons,” Zainab Patel, lead – Inclusion and Diversity at Pernod Ricard India said.

Upon successful graduation, the fellows will be awarded with the completion certificates from TISS. The certification will provide them with strong credentials that will enable corporate inclusion.

Courtesy : Financial Express

Note: This news piece was originally published in financialexpress.com and used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes exclusively for Human Rights