ABB India partners with Lila Poonawalla Foundation (LPF) on a holistic merit-cum-need based scholarship program for meritorious girls from economically challenged backgrounds, to give them an opportunity to realise their dreams in the field of technology. Through this holistic program, ABB will support the higher education and skill development for 100 girls, selected by Lila Poonawalla Foundation, every year. The selected candidates will be provided with the necessary support to pursue an engineering degree and develop core skills and competencies required to be future-ready, without having to worry about financial constraints.

This program covers initiatives that go beyond academics in order to equip these girls with a well- rounded experience. One such enriching initiative is the ABB Volunteering program wherein ABB employees volunteer to impart industry knowledge through well structured, pre-planned sessions with these students. Currently 600 girl students cumulatively from the program have been provided virtual training by ABB employees, for over 50 hours. Subject Matter Experts from ABB have contributed their time and experience to interact with the students, and introduce them to a range of topical subjects like Data Analytics, Cyber Security, Industry 4.0 etc.

"It is indeed a proud moment for LPF to be able to award scholarships to academically strong girl students, who hail from economically challenged backgrounds. This partnership with our valued partner, ABB, will enable these girls to pursue their BE or BTech degree in the discipline of their choice and thus realise their dreams. I am thankful to ABB for their decision to not just support our girls financially, but also engage with us holistically through Employee Volunteering to enhance their employability and corporate readiness skills," said Lila Poonawalla, Chairperson, Lila Poonawala Foundation and a recipient of Padma Shri award.

"Education and Skill enhancement has been one of the core areas for our local CSR initiatives. Our as-sociation with Lila Poonawalla Foundation for a holistic scholarship and skill building program is a small step towards enabling outstanding young girls to become the future leaders in technology and bring about a more equitable world," said Sanjeev Sharma, Country Managing Director, ABB India.

"Considering the overwhelming response we’ve been receiving for our ABB volunteering initiative, we are planning to scale up this initiative and develop a holistic mentorship program to enable ABB em-ployees to mentor these girls on an ongoing basis and accelerate their learning curve," he adds.

“An engineering graduate’s academic knowledge has to be complemented with desirable skills and practical knowledge that put them at a vantage point. Aspiring women leaders in technology certainly need to see more role models, and historical stereotypes being challenged. With the diverse indus-tries that ABB serves, we have an accomplished pool of Subject Matter Experts. Through ABB’s volun-teering and mentorship program, these experts exchange their knowledge and experience with the scholarship recipients, hand-holding them through the journey,” says Raman Kumar Singh, CHRO, ABB India.

100 shortlisted girls get to pursue their BE or B.Tech degree in the discipline of their choice. Besides the volunteering initiative, multiple interventions introduced by LPF ensure a comprehensive training and development for the scholarship recipients. At present, the scholarship program is open to engineering colleges in Pune, Wardha, Amravati District and Nagpur city from Maharashtra and from four Hyderabad districts from Telangana. Interested girls with a strong academic back-ground can apply for the scholarship with Lila Poonawalla Foundation in the month of July every year.