Tatas launch second career option for women

The Tata Group has launched the Tata Second Career Internship Programme (SCIP), calling upon women to take on a second career. On the very first day of its launch, the portal received 5,500 hits and nearly 500 resumes were posted.

The idea behind SCIP is to tap the huge talent and capability among women professionals who have discontinued work due to various reasons.

The Tata group will provide live business projects involving about 500 hours of work. These will be spread across 5 to 6 months on a flexi-time basis.

The selected women professionals will get a fee up to Rs 4 lakh for the entire project. While there is no job guarantee after completion of the project, the guide and women professionals will have the option of exploring full-time employment on mutually acceptable terms.

Rajesh Dahiya, Group HR, Tata Group, said, "Three months before launching the programme, we spoke to all the HR heads of Tata companies. There was no difference of opinion or apprehensions and everybody committed their support."

The group already has project commitments from Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Titan, Tata Teleservices and Tata Chemicals.

The projects will be initially offered only in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Pune.

"We wanted this to be a pilot first as we wanted to see the response. Moreover, most of the Tata companies are headquartered in Mumbai and we wanted the programmes to be headed by senior people from each of these companies," added Dahiya.

The company's initial target is to get at least 50 good professional women on board.

According to Monisha Advani, MD, Randstad India, an HR consultancy, the initiative is certainly one of the first visible campaigns by an Indian corporate.

"However, the rejoinder of 'maximum gap of 8 years' suggests an ageist view of preferring those in their early thirties at best. We must also acknowledge that several NGOs have been encouraging the engagement of Indian women, housewives, particularly from economically challenged environments, for decades now, albeit in a less professional skill cadre."

All the selected candidates would be send for a five-day management training programme specially designed by the Tata Management Training Centre, Pune.

The group is aiming to make this an ongoing programme that would ensure a regular flow of women candidates. Advani said the initiative is different from the flexi-hour option offered by many companies.

"Flexi working satisfies the employment needs of women who do not have the luxury or preference to take a complete break from work."

Dahiya wants this programme to encompass women professionals with all kinds of skill-sets.

"Other than merely managerial work, the talent pool should be allowed to cover all aspects of a company's operations," he added. SCIP projects will be allotted based on the applicant's area of expertise after a rigorous selection process spanning 60 days.