23 June 2020
BT and Mentor Together announce their partnership to empower 5200 young women across India through a tiered program of self-learning, personalised mentorship, and work experience opportunities on the Mentor To Go mobile and web based mentorship program over 2020 – 2022.
The program will leverage Mentor Together’s existing partnerships with the Department of Collegiate Education, Government of Karnataka; and the Telangana Academy of Skill and Knowledge, Government of Telangana, to enrol mentees. Additionally the program will create a national partnership list of non-profit organisations, collaboratives, colleges and universities that work with girls in higher education.
The program also offers a unique opportunity for BT employees to participate and volunteer as mentors. The grant made to Mentor Together is part of BT’s 3-year strategic partnership with the support of the British Asian Trust to change the lives of 100,000 adolescent girls in India. Through this approach, BT is supporting programs that use technology in different ways to connect adolescent girls, improve their access to education, health, and employment, and their ability to make decisions.
Hriday Ravindranath, Global CTIO and Chair India Purpose Board, BT, said: “At BT we know how the right support and guidance can really help an individual navigate their way through obstacles and issues. Through our partnership with Mentor Together, we are investing in technology to empower thousands of young women connect with expert mentors and gain support to advance in their careers and succeed in life. This will not only benefit them but also benefit the communities they live in and encourage more young women to pursue education and a career”.
“In addition, the partnership will allow BT people to volunteer as mentors to work closely with students to share their knowledge and offer insights into how to forge a successful career path,” he added.
Saleem Khan, India Director of British Asian Trust, said: “We welcome Mentor Together to our BT-BAT partnership. Mentor Together’s program highlights how technology can be an enabler in building young girls’ employability and soft skills, and help them successfully transition into the workforce. We look forward to seeing how the young women in this programme build their capabilities and positively impact the communities around them.” of British Asian Trust, said:
Arundhuti Gupta, Chief Executive Officer, Mentor Together, said: “We’re thrilled to grow our Mentor To Go mobile mentorship program through this strategic partnership with BT. Young women in higher education brim with aspirations yet face significant hurdles in charting their career paths. Despite more women than before accessing higher education – women account for 48.6% of the total enrolment in higher education (AISHE 2018-2019) – our labour force participation rates for women was 21% in 2018 (ILOSTAT). Mentoring relationships and networks can address a comprehensive range of needs for young women: from emotional, to career guidance, to accessing skill development opportunities. Through this partnership, we are excited to create a platform that becomes an essential companion to every girl’s journey in becoming an empowered young women.”
To learn more about BT, visit www.btplc.com
To learn more about the British Asian Trust: www.britishasiantrust.org
To learn more about Mentor Together: www.mentortogether.org