What the initiative is
- Anita Dongre is collaborating with UN Women and X‑Billion Skills Lab on an initiative to provide 21st‑century workplace / “power” skills to women from disadvantaged backgrounds in Maharashtra.
- The skills being focused on include:
- emotional intelligence
- creative thinking
- entrepreneurship
- problem‑solving
- There is also mentorship and remote internship support, to give exposure to real‑workplace situations.
Scope & targets
- The program aims to reach over 1,000 women from lower‑income communities in Maharashtra in the coming year.
- It is aimed at helping these women not just get jobs but build sustainable careers — equipping them with both soft / non‑technical skills as well as exposure.
Why this matters (problems it addresses)
- Many women in poorer or tribal communities in Maharashtra lack access to skills training beyond basic technical or craft training. Soft skills, creative thinking, problem solving etc. are often out of reach.
- Social norms, lack of exposure, and limited opportunities in rural / semi‑rural areas make it hard for women to step into formal employment or entrepreneurial roles.
How it works / what’s being done concretely
- Anita Dongre took part in a virtual interaction with Dr. Heena Gavit (chair of the parliamentary standing committee on women’s empowerment) and Nishtha Satyam, Deputy Director of UN Women, to launch or flag off the initiative.
- The programs are being structured via X‑Billion Skills Lab, which focuses on enhancing “workplace intelligence” — meaning not just technical vocational training, but skills that are increasingly necessary in modern workplaces.
- The mentoring / internships are likely remote (or digitally enabled) to allow access regardless of geographical constraints.
Relation to her other empowerment / skill training work
- Anita Dongre and her Anita Dongre Foundation have for some years already run community tailoring units in rural Maharashtra, training women in garment making, tailoring, finishing, sewing, etc. These are production‑cum‑training centers, often set up in villages in Palghar and other parts.
- Under her foundation, these tailoring units provide regular work (piece‑rate pay), training periods (sometimes 3 months or so), stipend for trainees, and collaboration with local self‑help groups and local government bodies.
What makes the UN Women collaboration distinct
- The collaboration adds non‑technical “power skills” (which many other programs might not focus on) and mentorship / exposure beyond just “craft or trade skills.” These skills are especially relevant for long‑term career sustainability. FashionNetwork+1
- It also gives scale: over 1,000 women in a state like Maharashtra is a larger cohort than some smaller tailoring units. It leverages institutional partners (UN Women, parliamentary committee, etc.) to amplify reach.