When Swiggy listed on the bourses earlier this week, two of its delivery partners—Jigar Khan and Namrata Vora—joined cofounders Sriharsha Majety and Nandan Reddy in ringing the ceremonial bell at the National Stock Exchange (NSE). The symbolic gesture was aimed at celebrating the hard work of its delivery partners, the Bengaluru-based food delivery firm said in a statement. Other companies, too, are recognising the contribution of delivery partners and are rolling out a slew of initiatives to help them with upskilling and further education, and achieving an overall better quality of life, according to industry executives. Zomato, Zepto, Delhivery, bigbasket and Blue Dart Express are among those that are offering reimbursement for education-related expenses, soft skills training in communication and other basic competencies, financial literacy programmes and career progression initiatives.
Zomato has collaborated with the Hospitality Training Institute of India, and 5,200 delivery partners across 10 cities have been trained in hospitality and service excellence.
“This training equips them with essential skills in customer interaction, professionalism and service, enhancing the experience for both customers and delivery partners,” said Rakesh Ranjan, CEO of food delivery at Zomato. This year, Swiggy launched Swiggy Skills in collaboration with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
The flagship initiative is aimed at providing a range of skill-building and employment opportunities in the food delivery and quick commerce sectors. The programme offers access to training and educational resources, equipping participants with skills for personal and professional growth across the restaurant, gig and quick commerce industries for individuals including gig partners, said Dinker Vashisht, vice president of corporate affairs, Swiggy.
About 1,500 riders at Delhivery have progressed to supervisory roles, moving from delivery to leadership positions where they manage dispatch centres. Financial literacy and awareness is also a top priority. Earlier this month, Zomato partnered with the NSE to pilot a financial literacy programme for delivery partners to promote better personal finance management and financial awareness. The programme started in Hyderabad, with more than 2,000 delivery partners attending, and will expand across India to educate 50,000 more over the next year. Bigbasket, too, is looking to launch financial literacy programmes for its 10,000-odd delivery partners soon, Tanuja Tewari, chief HR officer, told ET.Recently, Delhivery hosted a programme where thousands of its delivery partners learned about financial planning, including saving, emergency funds, tax planning and retirement. Topics such as insurance, investment in modern gold options and wealth protection were also covered.
Funding education
Companies are also encouraging delivery partners to invest in their higher education and upskilling, and helping with funding as well.
Zepto funds graduation and post-graduation programmes for its delivery partners through its Unnati programme. Tata-owned bigbasket runs a trust under which delivery partners and their families, including siblings, can educate themselves further through college degrees and skill enhancement programmes, which are then reimbursed by the company.
Similarly, Blue Dart Express enables delivery partners to acquire higher qualification skills to enhance career prospects. The company offers a fee subsidy of up to 75 percent or INR 25,000, whichever is lower.
