Enabling the differently abled: 149 firms attend mega job fair differently abled: iSource pick 6

Twenty-eight-year-old Mohana Priya was working with a Ford Motors., since 2018 but lost her job when the pandemic struck two years ago. Unemployed Thilak Kumar, who has a hard of hearing, is seeking work again, preferably digital marketing based job.

Abhinaya Ramesh (29), who has a locomotor disability, similarly wants to explore job opportunies after completing her master’s degree. “I was trying for voice & non-voice process and thought of coming from Vellore. I enrolled myself for training so I could look for other jobs process too, “Meenakshi Ramu who hails from Coimbatore, said.

For many like Abhinaya and Meenakshi, a mega job fair organized by NGO "We Are Your Voice" for the Disabled & Transgenders at Chennai at Loyola College on Saturday held out hope and the promise of bright future. The fair saw the participation of 149 companies, including Randstad India Pvt Ltd, AGS Healthcare, Deloitte and many more.

From a housekeeping staff to sales executive to developer, the job fair offered a host of roles for the thousands who gathered. Other jobs included jobs in retail sectors and food industry assisting in back ended in hotels and theaters. Officials said out of about 3000 people who participated, more than 800 got selected by various firms.

“It is a good platform and I can look for management trainee & intern jobs from iSource. I am the oldest of four siblings and our father passed away a few years ago. So I have immense responsibility,” Sathish Kumar told to one of our recruiters.

Many who came to the fair said they wanted to “utilise” the opportunity and gather skills and knowledge by taking the role of management trainee. John Jeffrin, MBA student with hearing disability, said, “I am pursuing my last semester of MBA degree trough distance learning and have lot of time to learn and earn and be independent as far as my personal expenditure is concerned. I am looking for jobs that involve data entry and open to internship as I’m going to complete my master’s in MBA.

Addressing the job seekers, Sivakumar Sadayappan, CEO, said, “You are the motivation for not only all of us, but for the entire society. ??There are strengths that you all possess which others do not.

HR manager Shanmugam said, “Students who are differently abled participated in the mega job fair and we wanted to cater to as many people as possible. We want to see the students placed well. This is the second time that iSource is participating in this job fair, we might consider having similar events in the near future.”