Who are we?

Pankh – Wings of Destiny - an initiative by Trust for Retailers and Retail Associates of India (TRRAIN) and Youth 4 Jobs Foundation (Y4J) that was initiated to give wings to the various dreams of a Person with Disability (PwD). At Pankh, it’s our endeavour to empower them by giving them an avenue for self-actualization, a means of livelihood and growth. We do this by training PwD and providing them employment opportunities in retail industry thereby creating a sustainable, inclusive and growth oriented environment in the retail sector. 

Why Persons with Disabilities?

As we all know, Indian retail is a growing industry, employing 33 million people, with manpower costs adding up to 7 per cent of total costs in retail. As the need for a skilled workforce continues to grow unabated, retail industry is facing a multitude of challenges. Shortage of trained manpower, over 6 per cent monthly attrition and increasingly disengaged front-end staff are the 3 major challenges being faced by the industry, putting a greater onus on discovering and tapping new talents.

Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), with a population of 70 million but less than 1 per cent employed, is an untapped source of manpower that provides a unique opportunity to venture into.  PwDs can create diversity which is good for the business because they not only improve workplace morale and elevate customer service but are untapped resources of skills and talent who help in enhancing various business opportunities. 

The corporates employing PwDs can also benefit through a lower monthly attrition of 3.3 per cent comparted to the industry figure of 6.8 per cent. Coupled by EPF / ESI benefit rewarded by Government to organizations for PwDs. Testimonials of employers of PwDs reveal that besides being more productive, they also extend a positive influence on fellow employees leading to positive impact on employee engagement and they also drive positive customer word of mouth.

What kind of training is provided?

After screening the PwD youth for eligibility, each candidate undergoes a 45-60 day training program in life skills, retail & computer skills. Post this, the candidate also undergoes a 15 day on the job training. 

What are the roles offered to PwDs at work?

Post training, the candidates are recrutied in roles like cashier, Customer Sales Associate, Customer Service Desk, Inventory Management, Crew member, Data entry coordinator & many more. 

What have we achieved since 2011? 

Since the Projects inception in 2011, the project has successfully trained & provided livelihood 1250+ Persons with Disabilities across southern & western India. We currently operate from 17 centers located at Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Tirupati, Dharwad. 

Why do we need funding?

The trainings are completely free of cost for the PwD candidates. No registration fees or any kind of post recruitment fees are collected from the candidates. Also, all the candidates attending the training are provided free lunch on all the training days.  

We estimate an approximate cost of Rs. 10,000/- per candidate to be trained & provided livelihood in a retail job. The cost includes, the cost of the training venue, Cost of trainers & Sign language interpretors, Stationery, Electricity expenses & Lunch.