Zoho Schools' Marupadi completes 1 year in restarting careers of women

CHENNAI: Zoho Corp., a global technology company headquartered in Chennai, announced that its Marupadi programme, launched on the occasion of International Women's Day in 2022, has successfully completed one year.

The programme aims to help women in technology who want to resume their careers after a break. As of today, 26 women—from two batches—have undergone training, of which 23 have been successfully placed in different roles across various departments in Zoho Corp., while three are interviewing.

The third batch is currently undergoing training.

"We are glad that Marupadi is already proving to be an agent of change for these women who have now embraced it as a turning point in their lives," said Rajendran Dandapani, president, Zoho Schools of Learning.

Marupadi—meaning "again" in Tamil—is a three-month bootcamp in software development, software testing and technical writing. The women selected for the programme can choose their stream based on their interest and aptitude. They learn mobile-specific testing, UI & UX testing, API testing, in-depth training on backend technologies, SEO, API documentation, fundamentals of marketing, and more with hands-on projects in real-world situations. Special focus is given to communication, problem-solving skills, team collaboration, and emotional intelligence. They also have access to counselling sessions that help build back their confidence after a long break. On successful completion of their training, the candidates sit for job interviews at Zoho Corp.

The only criterion for joining the programme is that the women should have been employed in the tech sector for a minimum of two years before taking a break. "I was quite surprised to know that neither my age nor the number of years I was on a break worked against me, since that had been the case everywhere else I tried," said Benazir Fathima, an MTech graduate who took an eight-year break to take care of her children. "The three months in the Marupadi programme has been a life-changing journey for me. It has given me the confidence to restart my career. Something that at one point seemed impossible." Today, Benazir Fathima is a technical writer for Zoho Desk.

K Brinda, who now works with the Zoho Labs team, came back after a break of nearly five years. "I come from Tirupur from a family of farmers. Thanks to my family's support, I was able to complete my MCA degree and work at an IT company. After getting married, due to personal reasons, I had to take a break and pause my dream of working in tech. Last year, I heard about the Marupadi programme and applied for a seat," she said.

The Marupadi programme is run by Zoho Schools of Learning (ZSL), which started in 2005 as an alternative to conventional college education. Over 1,400 students have completed the course through ZSL, comprising over 10% of Zoho Corp's total workforce.

Students have also been placed in other companies. The two-year programme has three streams, technology, design, and business, as well as an advanced study course for those who want to take more than one stream.