Apollo Tyres recently inaugurated a skill training center in Auto Nagar, Hyderabad, as part of its efforts to support transgender empowerment. This pilot program is designed to provide 20 transgender individuals with the skills needed for jute bag making, enhancing their employability and encouraging self-sufficiency. During the inauguration, Apollo Tyres Foundation placed an order for 500 jute bags to support and motivate the trainees, with the possibility of additional orders in the future.
The participants are organised into two batches of 10, each undergoing three months of practical, hands-on training with the aim of building valuable skills. To assist trainees financially, each will receive a stipend for the duration of the training. The facility is equipped with five jute bag-making machines and includes all necessary raw materials and tools to create market-ready bags. An instructor will provide customised guidance to trainees over the course of the program.
Rachna, a transgender trainer and activist, shared her perspective on the program, expressing a belief in the power of comprehensive training to bring about change and help her community access essential rights and opportunities. Rachna’s background as a healthcare professional has shaped her view that skills training, when based on community needs, can uplift lives and foster progress with long-term institutional support.
Apollo Tyres Foundation has also involved transgender sex workers as peer educators, providing them with training in essential healthcare services to reach out to the trucking community. In FY24, the foundation engaged 54 transgender peer educators across 20 transhipment hubs in India, helping to raise awareness on HIV/AIDS among 21,500 truckers. As part of its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiative, the foundation has also onboarded members from the transgender community to participate in its projects.