Top 5 Leadership Programs for Indian Women to Upskill

By: WE Staff

When women make up nearly half of the world’s population, then why shouldn’t they be equally represented in all spheres of work?

Women are especially essential in leadership positions. Reports suggest that women leaders aren’t just good for revenue generation but they also foster inclusivity, making their respective organizations stronger. However, women are still grossly underrepresented in leadership roles.

Women empowerment in leadership roles has been a crucial focus area for businesses in India. Efforts have been made across various sectors in order to promote gender equality, inclusivity, and the representation of women in leadership positions.

The major aspects for the empowerment of women in leadership positions can be listed as the initiatives driven by stakeholders (government, businesses, educational institutions, etc) to promote women's development in leadership skills, representation of women in the corporate sector by bringing forward gender diversity, awareness, and advocacy.

Upskilling plays a key role in empowering women to rise on the corporate ladder and build successful careers as leaders. Be it driven by respective organizations or external subject matter experts; upskilling programs are essential for women leaders to forge ahead. 

Apart from these initiatives, women still face several challenges and obstacles to achieving full gender equality in leadership roles in India. Barriers can be anything like social norms, and cultural and systematic biases.

However, to combat these circumstances, women can apply for any leadership development programs. These are the structured initiatives that help a person to enhance their skills and develop leadership potential. Leadership development programs are a mix of educational, experiential, and interactive activities to implement overall learning and development.

Here are the top 5 Leadership Development Programs in India that help any women who aspire to grow and develop their leadership skills.

Women in Leadership (WIL) Program

The Women in Leadership Program is conducted by the Indian School of Business (ISB). It is designed to equip women with the necessary skills, knowledge, and network to take on leadership roles. The program includes classroom sessions, experiential learning, and mentoring.

This program was created with the aim to help women in developing their leadership skills to boost their executive presence and influence. It also helps women to realize their professional ambitions, techniques, and knowledge. The program also provides a variety of immersive and interactive learning opportunities to help women professionals develop their leadership skills.

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women is a global initiative that provides women entrepreneurs with business and management education. In India, this program offers a scholarship-based entrepreneurship training program in partnership with leading educational institutions.

The aim of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women is to support economic development by providing female entrepreneurs the opportunities for capital, business and management training, networking opportunities, and mentorship programs. This initiative has trained over 2,600 Indian Women entrepreneurs since 2018.

Women Entrepreneurship and Empowerment (WEE) Foundation

The WEE Foundation is a non-profit organization that majorly focuses on promoting women's entrepreneurship. They offer training programs, mentorship, and networking opportunities to empower women to start and grow their businesses.

WEE is a groundbreaking social initiative started by IIT Delhi which aims to strengthen the women's ecosystem. This is an innovative program that trains 30 women in entrepreneurship every six months. This business idea is fostered and validated with step-by-step guidance. To turn their business ideas into a financially viable company, women entrepreneurs are connected to potential investors and customers.

The Women Entrepreneurs Hub

The Women Entrepreneurs Hub is an initiative to support and nurture women entrepreneurs. The program aims to provide training, mentorship, and business development support to women-owned enterprises. The WE Hub is the first and only State-led incubator in India that helps to encourage and support women's entrepreneurial skills. It has supported female entrepreneurs with creative concepts, solutions, and organizations that aim to develop industries in technology and related sectors since it started. In addition to this, it also supports start-ups from under-explored and unexplored areas.

Women Leadership Programme: Enhancing Empowerment & Effectiveness

An initiative driven by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's SPJIMR, Women Leadership Programme: Enhancing Empowerment & Effectiveness aims to provide mentorship and guidance to females for their personal and behavioral development. It acts as a catalyst to the participants in order to accelerate their inner strength and also makes sure to build a positive change in themself. This programme helps the participants to understand their selves and acquire the tactics to fulfill one's leadership and personal goals. The participants can deal with interpersonal issues by applying an experiential approach. It also provides a personal development plan that includes specific tactics to improve leadership skills.