Cognizant launches tech initiative for women, partners with NASSCOM
NEW DELHI, INDIA – Business process outsourcing (BPO) firm Cognizant has started an initiative to accelerate women’s careers in technology.
The Shakti initiative will revise Cognizant’s current programs and direct them to women-centric strategies. Under Shakti is “RISE,” a leadership seminar for mid-level women associates in India, while “Propel” will be reserved for women at the senior level in the global arena.
Another program under Shakti is “Returnship,” a 12-week paid program on upskilling to return to work after a career sabbatical. Finally, there’s “Be Gritty,” a program for new hires to build a growth attitude as they enter the workforce.
According to the Indian yoga center Kripalu, the Hindu term Shakti means “power, energy, or force. Mythologically, Shakti is always described as feminine, often personified as the goddess, Devi, the divine feminine consort of the divine masculine god Shiva.”
With this, the BPO firm sealed a pact with the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM). The partnership aims to diversify India’s tech sector, hoping to have more women representation in the booming tech industry.
NASSCOM president Debjani Ghosh said: “The technology industry in India today has on average 36% of women representation in its workforce. Partnerships are key towards our shared goal as an industry of creating a more empathetic, inclusive, and diverse tech industry.”
Data released by Cognizant show that nearly 40% of their associates are women. More than half of 13 Cognizant centers in the country have crossed over 40% of their women workforce, with two of the largest centers being currently led by women.
