Navjyoti India Foundation and Automation Anywhere: Opening Pathways to Employment

Our mission: Empowerment through technology

Human enablement has always been at the center of our mission at Automation Anywhere. It’s our focus when creating AI and automation products for our customers, as well as when we think about how to increase accessibility to technology and its benefits through our social impact work.

We believe in enabling people to build skills with which they can uplift themselves. Our reskilling initiatives are a way to support those who have lacked access to technical training to prepare themselves for careers in the future of work. Many have the capability and drive to make a better life for themselves but simply need the opportunities.

A partnership for good

Our passion for impact through reskilling is why we chose to partner with Navjyoti India Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to uplifting underprivileged sections of India by working at the grassroots level. Unemployment is a major focus area in India, as the country continues to grow rapidly and works to keep new job creation apace. This is especially true among India’s large and expanding youth population, to which Navjyoti’s programs pay special attention.

With the support of Automation Anywhere, Navjyoti launched a two-prong, five-month initiative at the Navjyoti Skills Academy called Project Jazba. The goals were to help a dozen rising entrepreneurs and reskill more than 500 individuals to be placed in employment opportunities.

The dual approach of Project Jazba

Entrepreneurship incubation program

Through the Project Jazba Incubation Centre, Navjyoti provided participants with training programs and workshops to enhance their entrepreneurial skills, access to resources and infrastructure needed to start a business, and a platform for networking within the entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Twelve short-listed incubatees received mentorship sessions on topics vital to startups, such as identifying a target market, projecting revenue, and developing a business model. Two candidates even received seed funding for their business from Navjyoti.

Incubatee selection was based on multiple criteria, but most important was that they represent the core aim of the Centre: community upliftment from the ground up.

She Won Music Systems was one of the businesses selected for incubation. Sonia and her husband Shiv had been running the company for three years, manufacturing and selling music systems. They joined Project Jazba to develop a business model and scale their brand.

Since then, She Won’s sales have already grown, and they’ve had a breakthrough with a new innovation. Sonia says, “If we stay connected through this project and we keep receiving this guidance, our business will surely grow in the future.”

Reskilling for employment

For individuals not looking to become entrepreneurs, Project Jazba offered what they call their Placement Cell. This program provided personalized career guidance and counseling to beneficiaries; workshops and training programs to build their employability, such as resume writing, interview preparation, and soft skills development; and job matching once participants were trained. Navjyoti-hosted job fairs and industry exposure visits rounded out the Cell’s offerings.

Project Jazba’s impactful journey

Overall, during our grant period, Navjyoti helped more than 500 beneficiaries with skill enhancement training and placed more than 380 individuals in jobs and internships.

By providing pathways to meaningful employment and the support job seekers need to traverse them, Project Jazba has opened up possibilities for hundreds of Indians in need.

"Words cannot fully express our gratitude to Automation Anywhere for believing in our mission, allowing us to make remarkable progress in addressing the crucial issue of rising unemployment. Thank you for your invaluable contribution in allowing us to create a thriving environment, nurturing growth and confidence among individuals and uplifting communities.”

- Ujala Bedi Chaudhary, Director of Coalitions and Collaborations at Navjyoti India Foundation.

“Partnerships such as the one we have with Automation Anywhere are what make it possible for us to continue making grassroots impact,” said social activist Dr. Kiran Bedi, who is the foundation’s founder, a trailblazer as the first woman to join the Indian Police Service, and a recipient of the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award, also called the Asian Peace Nobel Prize. “We look forward to growing and deepening our work together.”

Why reskilling matters now more than ever

Reskilling will become increasingly important across all geographies as the world prepares for the future of work. To learn more about our reskilling efforts, visit our social impact page.