Women's Vocational & Entrepreneurship Training

This initiative is implemented by 1 Million for 1 Billion (1M1B), a United Nations-accredited non-profit building India's future-ready talent with strong focus on Tier 3 towns and rural areas. Over the past decade, 1M1B has created large-scale impact by skilling 800,000 young people across 5,000+ schools and colleges, working in partnership with leading organisations including IBM, Meta, Microsoft, Salesforce, and EY.

The programme addresses a critical challenge: women in underserved communities often possess motivation and work ethic but lack both vocational skills and the business knowledge needed to translate those skills into reliable income. Traditional tailoring training teaches stitching but doesn't prepare women to price their services competitively, manage customer relationships, handle finances, or think entrepreneurially about growing a business—leaving many unable to sustain earnings after training ends.

Success is measured through completion of the 12–20 week training programme, acquisition of job-ready tailoring skills assessed through practical demonstrations, establishment of home-based stitching or small businesses by graduates, income generation through custom orders or local market sales, and sustained economic activity indicating genuine livelihood transformation rather than temporary training participation.

The programme's focus on market access and sales capability—not just skill building—creates lasting impact as women become confident entrepreneurs and reliable income earners within their communities. Learn more at activate1m1b.org.