Glimpses of women’s empowerment in a rural landscape

“The practical, hands-on job training they receive here can be applied at any work place,” says Ritesh Nagrale, Head of Manufacturing and Operations, Projects, Srichakra Polyplast. That is a rather rare statement to hear from any recruiter, but this is an unusual story.Krishnagiri is a small town in Tamil Nadu, and an upcoming industrial facility here is developing a women-led workforce. A unit of Srichakra Polyplast, this initiative seeks to not only equip women for the workplace, but also empower them with life skills.For the women of this largely agrarian region, jobs are relatively hard to come by. The establishment of this unit has opened a vista of employment opportunities from operating heavy machinery to carrying out quality checks on the factory floor. Besides, being able to contribute to the family’s income was incentive enough.According to Ritesh, the parent company has always advocated the cause of sustainability and a circular economy. “At this plant, we decided to further these goals by empowering women to join our workforce. We also realised the region was female dominant, with men still being employed in labour-intensive areas.”To this end, they provide all women employees with vocational coaching irrespective of their educational qualification and work experience (or even the lack of it). “At most places, we noticed workers had the skill to handle specific tasks such as assembling a part, but had no knowledge of the larger picture.”Digging inThe team understood that rectifying this mindset required employees to understand how a structured manufacturing environment operated. And they decided to tackle this issue at grassroots level. Women undergo training at Srichakra | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Ritesh says prospective employees had to attend interviews with a family member. “It was more of an orientation where they would be told about shift timings, out-of-State training programs and even working with different people from the community. Once they understood our work place culture and were agreeable to employment here, we took them aboard.”This was vital given the conservative nature of the region. Srichakra’s first batch of 68 employees were taken to Hyderabad for 15 days as part of their initial training. For most of them, formal discipline at the workplace was a new concept and even seemingly trivial topics such as the importance of attendance had to be explained.“We put our trainees through a regime which included quality criteria for any kind of a product, team building activities, business communication, interpersonal skills, and more,” says Ritesh.All inclusiveSumathi Settu S, who has studied up to class 12, joined Srichakra as a trainee. “Here, they teach everyone everything, whether you are a fresher or have prior work experience. They also treat everyone equally and instead of making us learn one thing, they motivate us to learn everything, and provide the required training for it too.” Women undergo training at Srichakra | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement For Jayanthi R, the company’s unprejudiced recruting process was a boon. “Though I had 15 years of work experience, there was a gap in my resume after I got married and started a family. At 40, I didn’t think anyone would employ me, but their approach restored my self confidence.”Another trainee Konisha M, says the only thing recruiters asked was if she was willing to learn. “Since I had a desire to learn more, I joined them. At first, I thought they would only teach us production-related work, but everyday they teach us something new.”Honing life skillsHer stint at Srichakra is Sumathi’s first job and she says POSH was also part of their training; employees were taught about sexual harassment — how to identify, de-escalate and register complaints of this nature.Logeshwari V, another trainee, shares how the office vehicle that drops them off after late night shifts waits for them to text from inside their homes, before continuing on the trip. “They care about our safety at the work place and outside it as well,” she says.A graduate with zero work experience, she continues, “The 5S System (Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardise, and Sustain) not only helped me in the workplace, but also helped me become more efficient with household tasks. Almost every skill we have learnt here is something we can use for life — either at home or anywhere else.” A session at Srichakra | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Sumathi agrees and adds that apart from self defence classes, the training has taught them awareness on a lot of topics. “We thought plastic was something to throw away; that is what we have always done. After joining Srichakra, we have learnt how we can save the environment by reusing and recycling. And that reducing our use of natural resources is helpful for our future.”Ripple effectJayanthi says she passes on what she learns at work to her children and neighbours. “Many simple things such as saving water and soil, waste management and scrap collection, are now being practised in our homes.”The atmosphere is one of self-motivation,says Konisha.“A lot of us now feel the need to improve ourselves and attend work without taking leave. That mindset is in us now.”Gowthami who finished class 12 and thought she was done with studies says she wants to learn more about quality control and gain mastery in English. She has enrolled in a diploma course and is studying via correspondence.The trainees say the program’s all-inclusive structure irrespective of edcational or professional qualification taught them about equality and self worth. “Even wearing a similar uniform gave us a sense of belonging and confidence. It boosted our self-esteem, and for once we feel we are of value in society,” says Konisha.Ritesh says the team has seen “a marked change from the time the trainees joined us and how they are today.”“They noticed most of the signs and notices are in English, and were interested in enrolling for our spoken English classes; it has certainly bolstered their confidence. We are not worried about fluency but encourage them to keep using the language,” he says, adding their focus has always been on understanding and a holistic approach to learning.