Why I Became a VMInclusion Taara Evangelist

Written by Harjeet Pruthi

Going beyond India’s prevalent gender norms and prejudices, more men like Amit are coming forward to pledge their alliance to the cause of women empowerment. Amit Mittal is a vocal advocate of VMinclusion Taara and hopes to close the gender gap in India’s technology industry for future generations through this initiative.

I’ve been working in the technology sector for well over 17 years and one phenomenon always puzzled me — that of talented, experienced, ambitious co-workers suddenly throwing in the towel and dropping out of the workforce. The only common thread that tied them together was the fact that they were all female. I couldn’t help but wonder — what drove only the women to leave their jobs just when they were beginning to climb up the corporate ladder to taste professional success?

With time, I realized that women have it so much tougher than men. In our country especially, there is a discernible distinction in the societal expectations from men and women. Fortunately, today most organizations realize the value of a diverse workforce and are actively trying to retain their female employees through supportive policies and benefits. But sometimes, even this is not enough. The responsibilities of bringing up children and managing the family still rests largely on female shoulders. As a result, the Indian technology sector is faced with a significant gender-based talent drain even now and what’s worse, most of these women are not able to rejoin the workforce when they are ready.

I am lucky enough to work for an organization that is deeply committed to the cause of diversity and inclusion not only within our own walls but also within the industry. Not do our workplace policies rank amongst the best in the industry, but we have also taken a concrete step forward to help bridge the gender gap in the industry. A few months back, VMware announced the launch of VMinclusion Taara, possibly one of the biggest return to work programs in the country today.

What caught my interest was the fact that this program had been created after an in-depth understanding of the actual issues most women face when trying to restart their careers. From my conversations with friends, family members and colleagues who had to leave the workforce, it is clear that most of them are keen to rejoin the workforce, and once their children start school and they have more time to themselves. But they find their skills outdated thanks to the rapid emergence of new technologies. As a result, they find it difficult to find employment and more importantly, their confidence takes a severe beating. VMinclusion Taara aims to address this challenge by providing women the opportunity to retrain in the latest digital transformation technologies and return to work armed with new skills and confidence. This program welcomes women with a career gap of more than six months are eligible for the program

I’ve been a VMinclusion Taara evangelist since the program was launched. And I love the fact that more than 3000 women have already enrolled for the program and more women are registering even as I write this. Best of all, there is a buzz in the industry about the program and I have been hearing about it on different forums, from different people. The feedback we are getting from the women enrolled in the program as well as those who have completed their courses and started new jobs is extremely encouraging. The courses are completely free of cost and available online to ensure candidates can learn at their own pace from wherever they are. Even women with no work experience have a golden chance to kickstart their careers with Taara.

I am happy to be part of a movement like VMinclusion Taara. Decades of societal restrictions cannot be broken overnight, but I believe it is time for the gender status quo in India to change.

For far too long we have put our women on pedestals of domestic work and responsibilities and deprived them of the chance to shine on their own. For many women in our country, a career break leads to the loss of their own individuality, and financial, social dependence.

Restarting their careers not only empowers them financially and socially, but also gives them a sense of accomplishment and pride in their achievements. As for the children they sacrificed so much for, I genuinely believe that children will benefit from growing up with strong independent mothers and be proud of their achievements. Here’s to the women returning to work with new confidence thanks to VMinclusion Taara. May your tribe grow stronger with every day.

P.S — If you or someone you know is keen to rejoin the workforce after a break, then VMinclusion Taara is for you. Register today to become a VMware certified professional in Datacenter Virtualization, Cloud Management & Automation, Networking & Security, Digital Workspace. Find out more details here — https://www.vmware.com/taara/

Original post published here.