MoU with upGrad Education Private Limited (“upGrad”)

FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) signed an MoU with upGrad Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Asia’s higher EdTech leader, upGrad to facilitate training and skilling initiatives for 1500 women under the Vidya Shakti Scholarship initiative.

This MoU will drive work under FLO Start-up and the Education Initiatives and will be led by Dr. Aarti Gupta, CIO, DBR Ventures and GB member. FICCI FLO will introduce and help the upGrad Foundation coordinate with various NGOs and institutions operating across India, to encourage students who are eligible to apply for Vidhya Shakti Scholarship launched by upGrad Foundation. Over 200 women have already registered under the aegis of this initiative and their training will commence from June, 2022.

The Vidya Shakti Scholarship initiative was curated by upGrad in a bid to democratise education and make it inclusive for all. The aim of the initiative is to support a million potential women learners from the remotest parts of the country, starting with 15 states. The scholarship aims to upskill over 15,000 women candidates over the next 3 years, with its courses that will be offered under both 100 per cent and up to 70 per cent fee waiver categories. For the first category, learners can undertake high-quality and tech-driven learning certification programs like Digital Marketing and Data Science with Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics. For the second category, learners will be
awarded scholarships for Advanced General Management course accredited by IMT, Ghaziabad and Executive PG programme in Human Resource Management, both accredited by upGrad’s university partners IMT Ghaziabad
and LIBA, Chennai respectively.

Jayanti Dalmia, National President, FICCI FLO said, “It is imperative to invest in skill and education for women for economies to achieve sustained and dynamic growth and creating a strong skilled workforce. FLO has been working
towards skilling and capacity building of women all over India, since last 38 years.”

She added, “FLO has collaborated with upGrad in this important initiative because we believe that it is important to bridge the gap between availability of resources and the aspirations of women and help them be a part of the country’s workforce. FLO will be the facilitator in the process and will connect women upGrad with the relevant stakeholders, from training in specific verticals for enhancing their livelihood opportunities, increasing their self-
awareness as equal partners in the nation’s growth, and working towards their economic empowerment.”

“We are committed towards creating an inclusive learning ecosystem for women learners who aspire to pursue quality higher education, but are confined by societal or financial constraints. We are delighted to join hands with FICCI-FLO whose network, reputation and credibility within the sector will allow us to expand our wings and help our learners, in the desired direction,” said Dr. Sanjay Kumar, President – Corporate Affairs and Public Policy, upGrad.