STEP Fellowship

A MERIT-AND-MEANS EMPLOYABILITY PROGRAM FOR WOMEN

THE VISION

The STEP Fellowship provides employability skills to underserved women. 
Our desired and expected outcome is that, following six months of dedicated financial support and learning guidance, each Fellow will emerge to be more employable.

THE FELLOWS

STEP Fellows are chosen for their desire and diligence to acquire employability skills, and their financial requirements. There were 10 girls in the first batch and 12 girls in the second batch. We plan to scale up slowly and steadily, hoping to extend the program to 20 Fellows in the third batch.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

We commit a stipend of INR 2000 a month for six months to each Fellow. The Program will be online.
Each Fellow, with the help of the Program Manager, will create her own customized self-paced learning plan which must include the following functional competencies:

  • Basic written and spoken English
  • Professional presence (delivery & content)
  • Communication skills 
  • Basic mathematics
  • Internet usage (browsing and email)
  • Fundamentals of Excel, Word, PowerPoint
  • Financial education
  • Critical Thinking
  • Creating Resumes, SOPs, Cover Letters

STEP will provide the training pro bono to the Fellows.
A team of professionals will audit the progress of every Fellow every month. The assessment will be done equitably, keeping in mind that the Fellows will have different degrees of learning agility, and also different financial and social circumstances.

The Fellows will be free to spend the stipend according to their individual requirements. We would require that the expenditure cover a reliable internet connection to facilitate online learning. The Fellows will need to submit a summary of expenditure at the end of every month, and shall be provided budgeting guidance.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

We commit a stipend of INR 2000 a month for six months to each Fellow. The Program will be online.
Each Fellow, with the help of the Program Manager, will create her own customized self-paced learning plan which must include the following functional competencies:

  • Basic written and spoken English
  • Professional presence (delivery & content)
  • Communication skills 
  • Basic mathematics
  • Internet usage (browsing and email)
  • Fundamentals of Excel, Word, PowerPoint
  • Financial education
  • Critical Thinking
  • Creating Resumes, SOPs, Cover Letters

STEP will provide the training pro bono to the Fellows.
A team of professionals will audit the progress of every Fellow every month. The assessment will be done equitably, keeping in mind that the Fellows will have different degrees of learning agility, and also different financial and social circumstances.

The Fellows will be free to spend the stipend according to their individual requirements. We would require that the expenditure cover a reliable internet connection to facilitate online learning. The Fellows will need to submit a summary of expenditure at the end of every month, and shall be provided budgeting guidance.

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

The Program Manager for the STEP Fellowship will have the following responsibilities:

  • Creating the assessment rubric for selecting candidates
  • Planning, implementation, delivery, monitoring, and evaluation of the program
  • Monitoring and updating program policies, if needed
  • Advising sponsor on any strategic changes that will improve the program
  • Advising students and their parents on curriculum and conduct
  • Monitoring, disbursal and accounting of the budget
  • Ensuring that at least 80% of the budget is made available for the stipend, and not exceeding 20% on teaching and administrative expenses

SPONSOR A FELLOW

Many of our youth have degrees but they do not have any skills which makes them unemployable in the market.  And without employment and financial freedom, in a patriarchal society like ours, it becomes more difficult for our girls to be independent. And as such, the cycle of women’s dependency on men continues. This leads to women either being married off at an early age with no freedom or taking up jobs that do not suit them. Skilling our girls with 21st century skills will empower them, make them more confident and increase their chances of employability. 

This Program will not be possible without your support. We have an opportunity to all come together to empower our girls for a better future. You can help us by sponsoring our Fellows.

There are different ways through which you can help our Fellows – 

  1. You can sponsor a Fellow for the entire duration of the Fellowship (6 months). Contribution for sponsoring one Fellow for 6 months = INR 15,000
  2. You can sponsor a Fellow for one month. Contribution for sponsoring a Fellow for 1 month = INR 2500
  3.  Any amount will go a long way in making our Program a success.

Your generous contribution will go a long way in making this Program a success and help us in our mission to create more empowered women in our society.

SPONSOR A FELLOW