Mentoring to empower students experiencing poverty
Read about this project by CNH's India Technology Center's employees in the article below and scroll down to hear from the students who participated in the initiative.
Read time: 3 minutes
Volunteers at CNH’s India Technology Center are coaching students experiencing poverty to boost their confidence, professional skills and employability
When these students arrive at university, they are at a disadvantage compared with their better-off colleagues
In India, as in much of the world, the promise of education is profound. It is often regarded as a bridge to new possibilities, helping individuals rise above social and economic barriers. But the relationship between education and social mobility is complex. Students who are facing economic hardship often struggle at university. Their problem is not intellectual ability — these young people have already beaten multiple odds, and passed rigorous exams, just to get there. It’s a question of self-confidence. “Some of these students are from villages. Some are from cities, but are first-generation learners, so their parents have not been able to guide or support them with their studies,” explains Kavita Sah, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at CNH in India. “When these students enter university, they may find themselves at a different starting point compared to peers who have had access to stronger academic support or communication skills, particularly in the English language, early on. This can affect their confidence and lead them to underperform at university and later in life, too.”
Providing guidance to start a career
The engineers at CNH’s India Technology Center (ITC), one of the largest R&D centers in the Company's global network, wanted to make a difference to the academic and life outcomes of such students. In 2023, they launched Project Margdarshan (“guidance” in Hindi), a mentorship program for engineering students who are facing economic hardship. Now in its third edition, the program involves nine hours of one-to-one mentoring over the course of a year. The goal is to build the self-confidence of mentees, with coaching sessions devoted to developing communication and presentation skills, polishing CVs and conducting mock job interviews. Forty students and forty ITC volunteers took part during the 2023-24 academic year, and 45 mentees are taking part during 2024-25. The selection of mentees for the 2025-26 academic year is under way.
ITC’s partner in the mentoring project is Buddy4study, an Indian education NGO that helps to select applicants and provides the tech platform where the mentoring takes place. Buddy4study also offers relevant content on its platform, including tips for writing resumés and how to practice for job interviews.
Now in its third edition, the program involves nine hours of one-to-one mentoring over the course of a year. The goal is to build the self-confidence of mentees, with coaching sessions devoted to developing communication and presentation skills, polishing CVs and conducting mock job interviews.
My mentee made me realize how technology is democratizing education and lowering barriers.
Leading from the top
Ashish Sharma, ITC Managing Director, has volunteered twice for the program because, he says, ITC employs hundreds of young engineers and he is keen to know how young people think today.
The program was conceived to enable those who have succeeded to give back to society. What Sharma did not anticipate was how much he would receive in return.
“The first student I coached was from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Delhi which attracts around a million applications a year, but only accepts the top two thousand engineering students in the country. He’d got there by studying with YouTube tutorials, as he couldn’t afford private tuition. He made me realize how technology is democratizing education and lowering barriers,” Sharma says.
Sharma explains that in his experience students today are very clear about their strengths and shortcomings, which they do not see as failings but as gaps they need to fill. “Our coaching sessions were conversations about how to tackle perceived shortcomings and how to overcome them.”
Sharma’s second mentee was an engineering student from Kashmir whose goal was to get a job in data analytics, even though he was studying metallurgy. “After he was offered a position in a data analytics firm, he wrote back saying the coaching sessions had really helped him crack the interview.”
Sharma’s feedback from all the mentors has been both joy at watching their students succeed and a deep feeling of gratitude for the privileges they themselves now enjoy.
ITC is a young organization — it only became operational in 2021. CSR projects such as the mentoring program help to build a sense of shared purpose, pride and belonging among employees, particularly when they are led from the top.
“Buddy4study says we are the only company in India where mentors have completed one hundred percent of the sessions for two years running,” says Sah. “That is the kind of engagement and empathy our employees have for the students they are mentoring.”
Sharma explains that in his experience students today are very clear about their strengths and shortcomings, which they do not see as failings but as gaps they need to fill.
What students say about ITC’s mentorship program:
“The CNH-ITC mentorship program has truly been a turning point in my personal and professional growth,” Deepesh Lodhi says.
Sneha Kumari describes the CNH-ITC mentorship program as a “truly transformative journey — both personally and professionally.”
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