Bridging the gap, her own way

UNIQUE VENTURE

It’s not enough to get the job done, it must be done as efficiently as possible, says Divya Jain, founder and CEO, Safeducate. Jisha Krishnan finds out how that works

For someone in her ninth month of pregnancy, Divya Jain cuts a rather poised picture. There’s no talk of the fatigue or the anticipation of new life. Perhaps because she is so focused on her first baby. Conceived in 2007, it’s finally ready to see the light of day.

“With the e-commerce industry booming, demand is growing. Studies show that 22million people will be needed in the logistics sector by 2020,” says the 30-year-old founder and CEO of Safeducate. Given that the industry is unorganised, there is a “huge mismatch” when it comes to the demand and supply of labour in the sector. The need of the hour is some out-of-the-box thinking to get the right people for the job.

So, Divya came up with this unique plan of remodelling some used trunk containers into fully-equipped mobile classrooms that offer vocational education to suitable candidates, even those located in the remotest corners of the country. “Unemployed engineers could perhaps be trained to become warehouse supervisors or managers,” she says.

As of now, four old 40-feet truck containers have been joined together to form these eco-friendly mobile schools. They can be disassembled and reinstalled at another location in little time – all it takes is the availability of land and an electricity connection.

The maiden classroom, including a computer lab and library, is scheduled to start operations this month in Ambala, Haryana. Under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna (PMKVY), the government is planning to get one such unit in every district. As of now, there are 20 projects in the pipeline in Rajasthan, Kerala and Assam, among other states. “The registration fees per student is Rs 1500, the rest is subsidised by the government. Being a reward-based scheme, the money will be transferred back into the student’s account, upon successful completion of the course,” informs Divya. Of this year’s target of 4400 students, 293 have already registered.

 Business sense

Divya was certain from the beginning that she didn’t want her venture to be an NGO – there had to be a business sense. “You can’t run it well if it becomes a burden,” she explains. So, besides working with the Rural Development and Home Ministries and the National Skills Development Corporation, Divya has managed to rope in the corporates, too. “The project is industry demand-led, not supply-led. We are working backwards here,” explains Divya, about the demand for corporate placements.

The courses are one to three months in duration, offering practical training in various aspects of supply chain logistics – warehouses, delivery, heavy vehicle driving, to name a few. “Say, something as simple as ‘How to load a truck?’ Anyone can do it, but how do you maximise efficiency?” she elaborates.

Another thing Divya was certain about was that she didn’t want to franchise any part of the operations. It had to be company run, company operated to ensure quality control. “There is a three-month training programme for vocational educators. We have 35 people on the pay roll, plus 75 on rotational basis to mentor people on the ground,” says the erstwhile banker.

In case you are wondering how an erstwhile banker developed such a keen interest in logistics, well, she married into the family that runs Safexpress, the logistics and distribution company. In time, she did an MBA in supply chain logistics. “The question was how do we get education into the work environment? I started research on this in 2007, though the company was registered only in 2013. Today, we have a team of 105 people,” says the lady who is often “pretty much the only woman on the shop floor.”

The nature of most jobs in the logistics sector – longer work hours, workplace outside the city limits, transportation – makes it more male-centric. However, there are some with female mandate – store operation and store keeping, for instance.

The biggest issue, Divya concedes, is making a non-glamorous profession exciting and interesting. “I guess it helps that I’m not as jaded as most people; I don’t have a nahi ho sakta hain (can’t be done) attitude,” says the Mumbai-based entrepreneur who wanted absolutely no overlap between her husband’s and her work. “It’s difficult not to get shadowed,” she avers.

Being an entrepreneur for a woman in India is no mean feat. “Because it’s so easy not to be one. Nobody will ask you why you are sitting at home. But that feeling of fulfillment and sense of identity you get from doing something of your own - whether the business is of 100 crore or not - is something no one can take away from you,” she maintains.