Courses like tailoring, beauty, and wellness are integral to India’s skilling sector, and need to be acknowledged in giving scores of women — especially from rural areas — an income. There is, however, a flip side to the blind, unquestioned way in which certain professions have become synonymous with girls and women, and others — such as Science, IT, and Banking— have not. Project Manzil has been working with girls in rural Rajasthan since 2019 and has been instrumental in facilitating skill-based training and job placements.
M.K. Padma Kumar is involved in developing strategies and managing operations for the IPE Global Group.
He has over 25 years of experience in the development sector, working in civil society organisations and international development agencies like DANIDA and DFID. As the Head of State Partnerships at the DFID India, he was responsible for developing partnerships, programme design, management and strategic oversight of all programmes implemented in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha. He has managed various development programmes. His expertise lies in driving operational, financial and programmatic transformations. Before DFID, he was associated with Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), Help Age and World Wildlife Fund.
He holds a Master’s degree in Business Management with specialisation in Human Resource Management and Finance. He is extensively trained in Project Cycle Management, Grant Management, Performance Management, Leadership Skills and Change Management.
