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Women Empowerment through CSR-Funded Skill Development Programs
Empowering women is not just a matter of social justice rather it acts as a key pillar in the journey towards economic growth and sustainable development. In India, where gender disparities and gap between policies advancement and their implementation on ground continue to persist, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has emerged as a powerful tool to support and accelerate women empowerment, especially through skill development initiatives.
Why Skill Development Matters for Women
Skill development is not merely a vocational training rather it is a gateway to opportunity, self-reliance, and dignity. It acts as a key driver of a nation’s economic progress and social advancement.
For many women, especially from rural or marginalized communities, acquiring a skill often marks the first step toward financial independence, social mobility, and confidence.
Despite making up nearly half of India’s population, women’s participation in the formal workforce remains low. This untapped potential holds the key to both gender equality and national progress.
Key Challenges in Women’s Skill Development in India
• Training programs often lack quality and consistency.
• Many training centres don’t have proper infrastructure or enough female trainers.
• Social barriers and gender bias still prevent many women from accessing skill training opportunities.
• Low education levels and past learning experiences are often ignored, making it harder for women to qualify for training programs.
• Household responsibilities and unpaid care work mean that attending training comes at a high personal cost for many women.
How CSR is Making a Difference to Overcome These Challenges
Hindustan Unilever - Project Shakti
Launched in 2001, Project Shakti empowers rural women by turning them into micro-entrepreneurs. Known as “Shakti Ammas”, these women are trained in basic distribution and sales, enabling them to sell HUL products in their own villages. Today, the program has grown to include nearly 1.2 lakh women across 18 states, helping many double their household income and take on leadership roles within their communities.
Source: https://x.com/HUL_News
BNP Paribas - Skill Development for Marginalised Young Women
BNP Paribas, in partnership with NASSCOM Foundation, launched a hybrid training program to upskill 300+ women engineering graduates from tier 2 and tier 3 colleges. The program, which successfully completed its first year in February 2024, focuses on technical skills like Python and data analytics, along with soft skills such as communication, problem-solving, and interview preparation. Many participants, aged 18–25, have already been placed in companies like IBM, CGI, and Unisoft, paving the way for stronger career opportunities in tech.
Source: thecsrjournal
Godrej’s Salon-i Program
Recognizing the growing demand in the beauty and wellness sector, Godrej Consumer Products launched Salon-i, which trains women in beauty services along with life skills, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship. Many participants go on to open their own salons, becoming self-employed and economically empowered. Trainees saw a threefold increase in paid work and contributed significantly to household income.
Source: CSR Box
Mahindra Pride School
Initially launched as a youth skilling initiative, Mahindra Pride Classrooms now focuses exclusively on empowering young women to boost their participation in the formal workforce. The program has trained over 8.9 lakh students across India through 40 to 120-hour modules in digital literacy, life skills, and employability training for final-year female students in government colleges and institutes.
Source: Mahindra prideschool FB page
American Express - Women Empowerment Through Technology
In partnership with NASSCOM Foundation, American Express launched an initiative in 2022 to upskill 700 women graduates in technical domains like Cloud, AI, Data Analytics, Blockchain, alongside soft skills such as communication and interview preparation. Training is delivered through partners FUEL and RCED, with employment support and professional certification on completion.
Source: AmericanExpress FB page
CONCLUSION
Today, many women are eager to start businesses and contribute to the economy - but they need the right skills, support, and opportunities to thrive in a competitive, evolving market. Recognizing this, many companies are prioritizing women in their CSR efforts. For skilling to be effective and ensuring long- term impact, companies must focus on integrating training programmes with market trends, mentorship and peer networks, post- training support, monitoring and evaluation. CSR-funded programs are doing more than fulfilling obligations, they’re transforming lives, strengthening communities, and building a more inclusive and resilient India. When we empower women, we empower the future.
• https://www.managementjournals.net/assets/archives/2024/vol6issue1/%206009.pdf
• https://indbiz.gov.in/hul-project-shakti-is-empowering-women-of-new-india-2/
• https://thecsrjournal.in/corporate-social-responsibility-csr-news-top-csr-projects-women-india/
• https://www.kcmet.org/what-we-do-Livelihood-Training.aspx
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