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Taking Small Steps To Make A Transformative Change In Community: Pratima Harite, Lenovo

In an interview, Pratima Harite, Head of AP CSR and Philanthropy at Lenovo, talks about empowering youth for a tech-driven future

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In an insightful interview, Pratima Harite, the Head of AP CSR and Philanthropy at Lenovo, discusses the company's philanthropic initiatives that have been instrumental in empowering young individuals from diverse backgrounds with the critical skills needed to thrive in today's rapidly evolving tech-driven workforce. From addressing gender diversity gaps in the manufacturing sector to embracing innovative technologies for upskilling, Pratima sheds light on Lenovo's focus on making a positive impact on the lives of young people seeking relevant skills training and employment opportunities.

Pratima shared, “According to the World Economic Forum, by 2025, there will be 97 million new roles created around emerging technologies between humans, machines, and algorithms. Currently, the global workforce is not prepared to meet this opportunity and harness the potential of emerging technologies. Additionally, Covid-19 has disrupted the global workforce and widened the skills gap for jobs that are available.”

To address these challenges, Lenovo philanthropy took a proactive step by launching the TransforME grant round. This initiative aims to collaborate with organisations focused on skilling adult populations from under-resourced or underrepresented backgrounds, providing them with critical and sought-after tech workforce skills. Since its inception in 2021, the programme has already carried out two successful grants globally, making a transformational impact on individuals and building a talent pipeline for the future of innovation.

Further, Pratima also pointed out the gender diversity gap in the manufacturing sector, where female students in engineering or STEM vocational careers often struggle to find employment. “To address this gap, Lenovo under its CSR initiated and curated an employability skilling programme with TNS India Foundation. The curated programme addresses the need of developing employability skills in female students from ITI colleges in Pondicherry and offers them on-the-job training at Lenovo’s manufacturing plant. All our initiatives are created in a way to give maximum impact. We are taking small steps at a time to make a tangible, transformative change in the community,” shared Pratima.

When asked about how Lenovo addresses the challenges faced by youth in accessing relevant skills training and employment opportunities, Pratima emphasised the importance of a consistent and agile workforce. While skilling may require a traditional classroom setup, the company has also embraced online platforms for upskilling and reskilling. She said, “For this, with TNS India Foundation, Lenovo has developed an online platform that helps upskill and reskill training. In line with Lenovo’s vision to empower youth in STEM, this programme works to usher under-resourced youth into the formal workforce by upskilling them in industry-relevant skills. This gives trained beneficiaries an edge over other students who compete for the same jobs. Even youth from non-science educational backgrounds can also be offered STEM training to adapt careers in IT/ITes sector.”

Further talking about the incorporation of technology and innovation in their youth skill development initiatives, Pratima mentioned the Future Skills Programme. She shared, “Lenovo, in partnership with TNS India Foundation, has curated the Future Skills Programme which has been developed as a SaaS platform. This will ensure the need gap within industry standards and skills is bridged.” 


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lenovo community initiative technology adoption