La-Monnaie Skills enables disabled youth to flower into resourceful, contributing citizens

From a holistic training program to employment assistance and a robust post placement tracking mechanism, La Monnaie Skills Private Ltd is committed to enabling people with disabilities to stand tall at the workplace.

To society at large, a person with a disability is perceived as less able, less capable and permanently dependent on others. A perception that excludes them from activities and opportunities that non-disabled people take for granted.

La Monnaie Skills Pvt Ltd, founded in December 2014 by Sudhir Nayak and Swati Keshan Dokania is out to change that perception by offering disabled people the skills and opportunities so they stand shoulder to shoulder in the workplace.

Our goal is sustainable livelihood for people with disabilities through skill and employment. We offer vocational training programs based on National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) guidelines under the National Skills Policy. Our affiliation with sector skill councils like Retailers Association’s Skill Council of India (RASCI)
and Skill Council for Persons with Disability (SCPwD) help us offer job
roles in the domains of retail, tourism and hospitality, media and entertainment, etc. — Sudhir Nayak, Co- founder, La-Monnaie Skills

The Approach

Changing mindsets is hard, perhaps even more so among disabled people and their families. La-Monnaie does this in partnership with a network of special schools and NGOs who help mobilize the community. Trainings held at the place of mobilization itself, for candidates and their families. “Candidates are selected through a well-defined pre-screening process, explains Sudhir.

The training goes beyond the basics of the specific job roles to include social behavioural aspects, grooming, personality
development and interview skills. Post this, as assessment is done by
agencies appointed by the Skill Councils. Successful students get certificates from the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Government of India.

La-Monnaie claims to have covered 575 people with disabilities with a 95% success record across all batches of trainings and assessments. “We provide employment assistance to the interested candidates to work in the organised sector, as close as possible to their place of residence, says Sudhir. We have a post placement tracking mechanism by way of regular feedback from candidates and employers and conduct sensitization workshops with the employers for sustainable employment.

Along with EnAble India it has a Garv Se
Center, a hub focused on activities that directly affect people with disabilities and their stakeholders. This includes programs for employees as well as employers.

Changing attitudes of employers is not easy especially because La-Monnaie is firm that people with disabilities should be seen as business cases, not charities. But the wide poll of companies they work with is evidence of the mindset change they have helped create. Among the organizations to employ candidates from La-Monnaie are TATA Trent, TATA Hyper, SMS Integrated Facility Services Pvt Ltd , to name a handful.

Arnond Thomas, General Manager, Operations, SMS Integrated Facility Services Pvt Ltd has hired about 20 candidates of La-Monnaie. He says the quality of training sets them apart.

“Most of them are people with intellectual disabilities and slow learners”, says Arnold. “We took an initiative and spoke to customers and made them aware that people with disabilities can also be employed gainfully. We have placed them in locations where they are not involved in direct customer interactions. La- Monnaie has taken a big leap in doing this and we are happy with the training give. We add to that with a three-day induction training.

Among the partner organizations is Save The Children India, which has a countrywide presence.

“We have children with intellectual disabilities and hearing impairments in our education projects who were trained by La-Monnaie, says Farida Bagasrawala, Director, Save The Children. “These are children of 19 years and above who have to go back to the mainstream. Nine students were trained and seven placed in housekeeping jobs. They are working and earning and their families are happy. The training has helped them to go back to the community as resourceful citizens.

GET IN TOUCH: If you want to know more, call +91-90044 84951. You can send a mail here – contact@la-monnaie.com.

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