Skillarbitrage Grant INR 1 Crore in Scholarships to PWD Candidates, Championing Education and Inclusivity

New Delhi: These courses will help them find jobs both in the domestic private sector as well as remote freelance opportunities in countries like the US, UK and Canada. Candidates who complete the courses successfully will be co-certified by National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). Finding a good job has often been a challenge reported by many PWD candidates since many organisations, even today, hesitate to readily hire them based on their talent and skillsets. The upskill courses are crafted by experts to teach the most in-demand skills in the fields of content writing, finance, compliance, startup generalist, strategic HR, artificial intelligence, accounting and bookkeeping, among others.

To qualify for the scholarship, candidates must produce a government-issued disability card or certificate of disability. The scholarship will be offered purely on a first-come-first-served basis for 200 learners with disability.“SkillArbitrage is fortunate that we have the resources today to support the PWD community” said Ramanuj Mukherjee, CEO, SkillArbitrage. “We have been giving 100% scholarship to all PWD candidates who approached us already. We are now ready to expand the program aggressively and we hope to be able to cater to 200 brilliant minds over the next 6 months and help them to achieve their dream careers.”

Himanshu Karkhane has enrolled in Startup Generalist and Virtual Assistant Training program after receiving the scholarship and is transitioning from engineering career to that of a generalist and a virtual assistant. A native of Aurangabad, obtained a graduate degree in mechanical engineering from Sardar Patel College of Engineering in Mumbai and landed a job in Tata Consulting Engineers. Only two months into the job, he got diagnosed with an autoimmune disease.Determined to carve out a successful career, he took to online learning and is now building an international career as a startup generalist and virtual assistant.Previously, LawSikho, a sister brand of LawSikho had rolled out a similar scholarship program for PWD candidates who wanted to build a legal career.

Muskan Anand, an English Hons graduate, benefitted from the scholarship programme already. In her words: “With this course, I will be able to take up freelancing opportunities which will help me to earn a little while I continue with my studies.” As she also pursues her law degree, she is making her childhood dream come true.“Ever since I was in 9th standard I knew I wanted to do law. As a Person with Disability and as a female, many of my rights get violated, hence I decided to pursue law so that I can protect them,” she said.After enrolling in the LawSikho course, she realised that not only the legal acumen and skills but networking and personal branding are critical for a successful career too. As a student of the contract drafting course, she is making every effort to build a great track record.

Another recipient of the scholarship, Sachin Rathore enrolled in Diploma in International Contract Negotiation, Drafting and Enforcement. Rathore drew inspiration from his uncle who works at a prominent law firm in Dehradun.He is pursuing law degree from Aligarh Muslim University and is currently in the final year. Eager to enhance his practical skills and knowledge, he decided to enroll in the course offered by LawSikho. “I genuinely appreciate the efforts made by the organisation in promoting equal learning opportunities for individuals with disabilities. This will continue to empower and enable individuals with disabilities to access professional education on par with everyone else,” he says.

SkillArbitrage aims to extend this mission of emulating the triumph of PWD scholarships in legal courses to encompass a wider array of non-legal courses.According to Vibhas Sen, Head of Marketing at SkillArbitrage, who is an IIM Calcutta alum and a paralympian, “Many jobseekers with disabilities find remote work more suitable and convenient, but very few programmes exist for them. Even remote learning opportunities are few, that is why we thought of bringing classrooms to the homes of our learners. At the heart of our mission lies the passion to ignite curiosity and empower minds. With our 100% scholarships for the physically disabled, we embark on a journey to redefine accessibility in education.”