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Helping women enter postgraduate programs for career advancement

The Akcelerator program builds career awareness and pathways to women’s postgraduate education through coaching and counselling by experts in higher education.

We educate women because it is smart. We educate women because it changes the world.

- Drew Faust, former Harvard University president

Katalyst interventions and the Alkemist program are designed to help young women become job-ready and aspire to leadership. To further support and inspire these women in advancing their careers, we created the Akcelerator program, which offers opportunities to pursue postgraduate education.

In collaboration with IMS and the Praxis Business School, we’re helping more women get advanced qualifications such as Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Science (MS) degrees, through programs in India and abroad. Additionally, we offer access to new age technology courses in Data Science and Data Engineering to enhance their career pathway competencies and, thereby, employability.

Why we push for women’s postgraduate education

Advanced technical and management skills help women compete

The World Economic Forum’s ‘Future of Jobs Report 2018' postulates that generic skills will no longer be sufficient for career success. To stay competitive, professionals will require highly-evolved technical capabilities as well as “human” skills related to management, leadership, organizational development, and more.

Higher-order skills enable women to stay relevant

In today’s constantly changing workforce and environment, keeping one’s skills updated is crucial. A Masters education enables professionals to navigate these changes with expanded knowledge, higher-order skills, technical prowess, and networking capabilities.

Enhanced technical competencies empower women to solve real-world problems

New age technology courses are currently among the most consistently growing areas of demand for employees. By providing access to these courses, we help participants modernize their skills, enhance their technical competencies, and work on innovative solutions to solve real-world problems.

Disseminating specialized knowledge boosts national development

Higher education provides people with an opportunity to reflect on critical matters—whether social, economic, or technical—as well as fast track their career growth. It contributes to national development through the dissemination of specialized knowledge and skill.

Who is this program for?

To join the Akcelerator Program for furthering women’s postgraduate education, applicants must meet our admissions requirements:

Be a Katalyst alumna or Alkemist participant

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Akcelerator interventions

Coaching and counselling

Subsidized coaching and counseling through IMS Learning Resources Pvt. Ltd. enables participants to apply for MBA and MS programs at prestigious institutions in India and abroad.

Courses on new age technology

Data Engineering (DE) and Data Science (DS) courses are offered at subsidized fees through the Praxis Business School—one of India’s best institutions for these programs. The selection process entails a personal interview and written test.

DE is a weekend postgraduate program
DS is a full-time 9-month course

Explore more interventions by Katalyst

Akcelerator outcomes

How we empower participants

MBA/MS program admissions

100% completion of CAT, GRE, and TOEFL coaching to obtain admission into prestigious PG institutions

Data Engineering/ Data Science course completion

100% of students enrolled earn their course completion certificate

On-campus hiring

Better placement or career opportunities at the participant’s current company

Improved skills and self-belief

Upgraded technical skills, boosted confidence, and increased preparedness to pursue career opportunities

Join our mission

1Why is investing in women’s postgraduate education important?

Postgraduate education helps qualified, employed women compete for better career opportunities. It improves their quality of life as well as empowers them to reach leadership positions. Women in leadership positions, particularly in STEM, can influence society positively, resulting in economic and social empowerment. That’s why Katalyst India is making efforts to achieve gender equality in India and promote women’s leadership development.

2Why do qualified, employed women require interventions like Akcelerator?

While more women today are joining fields such as STEM, many of them drop out of STEM careers. Confidence as well as cultural and societal expectations play a big role in this. For women from low-income and/or traditional family backgrounds, it can become very difficult to pursue career success. Interventions like Akcelerator prepare and encourage women to enrol in professional courses after graduation to do better at their jobs, earn more, and prosper, which can also have a positive impact on their families. By rising to senior positions, women can become self-reliant as well as do more for their families. Retaining their talent is beneficial to them as well as to their country’s competitiveness and global innovation.

3Why are there not enough women in leadership?

There are many barriers and biases that prevent and discourage women from taking on political, academic, and corporate leadership roles. Systemic biases, the gender pay gap, familial responsibility, and societal pressures continue to be factors. Additionally, many women simply do not have the right familial and financial support, guidance, and role models. That’s why interventions like ours are required to help women higher along the value chain so they can secure good starting positions in the workforce and rise to leadership.

4Why do we need more women in STEM, including in leadership positions?

The gender gap in STEM limits innovation, because solving real-world problems requires a diverse pool of ideas. While more women are finding employment in fields such as sales and marketing, there is a strong need for their involvement in STEM and leadership—not only for their own development, but also for the world’s future.