Nabet India: Creating Meaningful Resources

Establishing a non-profit organisation working towards creating a skilled and employable disabled population of the country is a difficult job. However, Arjun Mishra is immensely self-motivated to take it forward. He sticks to his roots and can be very fluent in representation of sincere cause, without hesitating to represent himself in his beloved native dialect, if and when required. “Our extensive training programmes create a pool of employable resources that can be absorbed by the industry,” says Mishra. Nabet has been able to train 1,500-plus students on various computer applications and Internet usage. Students have been coming from all over India to Nabet with a dream. A dream to be independent and job ready. Mishra is the winner of this year’s BW’s Young Entrepreneurship Awards.

The idea behind the startup
Nabet works towards creation of employment for persons with disabilities. We identify job roles in various industries, which can be proficiently performed by persons with disabilities. These jobs are either outsourced from the industry or are created within the partnering companies. Nabet  has created a self-sustained model, which does not depend on grants and donations and ensures growth for the specially abled /marginalised segment of the society. It aims to create 1,000 jobs annually, either through regular wages or self-employment.

The USP
a. Our business model offers positive engagement with the society and attractive RoI for the business.
b. It’s the only organisation that offers a plug-and-play model without any capital investment. It obviates experimentation to assess the positive impact. Instead, it is a readymade and proven option for corporates to participate.
c. Transforming the social space from a charity-led model to a sustainable business solution, which can promise returns for all stakeholders
d. The intense research on job roles and modern training methods helps develop quality resources. It enables interested companies to participate and employ our specially abled resource.

Business model
Nabet gets outsourced work from the industry, which serves as one of the revenue pool. We work as an outsourced vendor to leading companies as varied as telecom, farming, automobile and  aftermarkets. The NGO that we run imparts skills to the beneficiaries to the levels expected by the industry. Nabet offers a plug-and-play model for companies to associate and experiment with hiring persons with disabilities. There are hardly any organisations in the country that offer an outsourced model of engaging PWD in the workforce. There is little competition. Nabet, with its specialised and industry specific solution, offers a one-stop solution to manpower hiring requirement. It offers trained manpower and technological interventions needed in order to hire PWDs (persons with disabilities). Nabet is also diversifying into creating enterprises led by persons with disabilities in sectors such as retail, hospitality, etc.

The way forward
Nabet plans to be the biggest generator of skilled human resources (persons with disability) in the next 10 years. It will become the “go-to” organisation for any disability inclusion effort by any corporate. As businesses progress so shall the society. The societies’ progress enables the growth of businesses and enhancement of the customer’s base. Each year, Nabet is pulling out over 1,000 people with disabilities out of the clutches of poverty and including them into the mainstream workforce of the country. Businesses cannot progress until the society too grows with them. With a robust and financially progressive society the spending power also increases. This, in turn, boosts business.

Overseas foray 
Yes, we are trying to offer our IT/ITes service solutions to clients form the US and the UK. Nabet is also in the process of forging alliances with international bodies such as NIB (US) and similar organisations in the UK.

Social touch 
India is a country of over 21 million disabled people. Over 75 per cent of them are unemployed and do not have a source of livelihood. Unemployment of over 2.68 crore population adversely affects the GDP by about 2-5 per cent (World Bank report). Nabet helps in getting the specially abled people into the mainstream workforce thus reducing the burden of government grants and philanthropic organisation in sustaining such individuals. The process of ensuring economic independence of individuals  helps create a progressive, income generating society. It infuses dignity, self-dependence and recognition of self-worth and makes them contributing members of the society. We also help reduce the attrition problem of companies that associate with us as such resources do not switch jobs easily.

The paradigm shift
Indian industry and society as a whole is maturing and new-age customers are conscious of the social good being delivered by the companies. People prefer buying from companies that also ensure the growth of the society and not just their RoI. This trend is here to stay. Companies look for good causes and a strong implementation plan and team. They wish to be seen as responsible companies that give back to the society and also create a self-sustaining model of growth. In these changing times, I see a lot of scope for more organisations to enter this space where they can ensure returns for all their stakeholders and most importantly for the specific audience they serve.

Tech disruptions 
AI has been used by our organisations to understand newer avenues of growth and for providing interventions where disability related challenges can be removed for our beneficiaries in the industry. We also use AI to predict opportunities of employment and look for references
in companies where we have placed our candidates in the past or for future employment opportunities.
 
Idea of wealth generation 
We are creating an economically independent and self-reliant disabled community which is treated as equal and contributing members of the society. They are not a burden but contributing members.  

There are over 2.68 crore disabled people in the country and over 75 per cent of them do not have any scope for employment.We intend to address this challenge and provide a sustainable and long-term solution to this problem. There are successful models already implemented in many developed countries and we are trying to bring the best practices with customisation in India. We create a wealth of skilled resource, and increase national productivity by making dependent people self-dependent. We enhance profits by increasing productivity.

Self-realisation
It was the first contract with  a top MNC (telecom company) which believed in our  idea and decided to experiment with the model.

Message to entrepreneurs 
Entrepreneurship is a long and tiring journey. At times, the founder has to walk alone. It is important to protect his plan and walk the distance till success reaches him. Stay focussed and sooner or later victory will come to you.