Where Skills and Opportunities Meet

LinkITBlueCollar is an urban employability tech platform that trains youth and women from low-income communities to secure employment in the e-commerce and logistics sectors. (PradeepGaurs/Shutterstock.com)

LinkITBlueCollar, a women-led urban employability tech platform focuses on training youth and women from low-income communities, equipping them with essential skills to secure guaranteed employment in the e-commerce and logistics sectors. Founded by former journalist Nimisha Tiwari, this start-up aims to empower job seekers across both urban and rural areas, bridging the gap between skills and sustainable employment opportunities.

The idea for LinkITBlueCollar originated during a program at the NSRCEL, an incubation center at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, says Tiwari. She credits her start-up’s growth to the invaluable mentorship of investor and author Nagaraja Prakasam and the “focused knowledge sharing “of the Nexus Startup Hub at the American Center New Delhi. The Nexus Startup Hub, a partnership between the U.S. Embassy New Delhi and the Alliance for Commercialization and Innovation Research, connects start-ups with networks, training, mentors and funding. Additionally, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade of the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry has recognized LinkITBlueCollar for its efforts to uplift underserved communities.

Tiwari focuses her work on sustainability and empowering underserved communities through skill development. Her efforts support a wide range of individuals, including artisans, weavers, farmers, marginalized women, e-commerce delivery personnel, persons with disabilities, and special educators, helping them enhance and upgrade their skills.

Social entrepreneurship

Motivated by her decade-long experience in media and her strong networking skills, Tiwari transitioned into social entrepreneurship during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reflecting on her inspiration, she says, “The plight of migrant workers in 2020, when families had to walk long distances to reach their home states jolted my conscience. It became clear to me that to secure a better future for ordinary people, access to technology must be ensured so that jobs are available in hyper-local regions. No one should lose their life due to a lack of opportunities in their native place.”

Currently, LinkITBlueCollar runs the Weaver Connect initiative, which supports handloom artisans, by providing e-commerce opportunities at fair market prices. The initiative helps produce premium silk and cotton saris, stoles and dupattas featuring traditional art styles like Madhubani, Kalamkari and Warli. “We also bring joy to patrons by offering high-quality saris at the lowest cost to patrons by direct recommendations,” says Tiwari.

Inclusive development

Additionally, LinkITBlueCollar supports persons with disabilities by helping them develop job skills and creating support systems for children on the autism spectrum. “We enable corporate social responsibility units to collaborate seamlessly with social entrepreneurial initiatives,” she explains. “Our popular outreach initiatives include digital content creation for start-ups and rural enterprises, and providing artificial intelligence (AI)-driven training for participants from low-income communities,” adds Tiwari.

Tiwari shares that the start-up is currently developing a mobile-first, AI-enabled platform to provide free electric vehicles (EV) to its users. This initiative will also promote e-commerce integration and financial inclusion for 5,000 women farmers in Wardha, Maharashtra, by enhancing their EV mobility skills. As Tiwari says enthusiastically, “Let us join hands to usher in a tech-enabled climate-conscious, social impact change in society.”

Ranjita Biswas is a Kolkata-based journalist. She also translates fiction and writes short stories.

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