Two-day job fair for sexual minorities

The first ever job fair for the sexual minorities in Bengaluru is slated for Jan. 19 and 20.

About 20 candidates and 20 employers have already signed up for the fair at the Courtyard on KH Road.

The potential employers are small to medium companies, restaurants and food chains, shops, boutiques and start-ups.

Shubha Chacko, executive director, Solidarity Foundation, tells Metrolife, “The idea emerged as we realised the LGBTIAQ+ community and recruiting companies don’t have a forum to meet.”

She says that the aim is also to serve companies committed to diversity and inclusion.

“Smaller companies have a wider range of opportunities for candidates with low and medium levels of literacy. For example, a coffee shop or a restaurant is able to hire chefs, waiters, and counter managers,” she observes.

The target groups are those who do not have the social capital to access jobs. The foundation has put some candidates through intensive training to prepare them for the jobs on offer.

“The two-month training has covered financial literacy, computer basics, personality development and counselling,” she says.

Bhavani Kumaran, programme manager, Solidarity Foundation, says some companies ask for proof for sexual-minority status.

“They want to make sure the candidate is not lying to get the job. This becomes a sensitive issue,” she says. The job fair will address all these concerns.

Aarti Laxman Rastogi, founder of Artinci, a food production unit that makes ice cream and sugar-free products, has hired members of sexual minorities.

“There are plenty of entry-level jobs that do not require any complicated skills. If candidates have the right attitude, we can train them,” says
Aarti.

The fair is on from 10 am to 5.30 pm on both days and the minimum qualification to apply is a 10th standard pass. For details, send an email to [e-mail].