Pine Labs & Natekar Sports and Fitness join hands to help ex-athletes
Pine Labs, a Noida based merchant platform company that provides financing and last-mile retail transaction technology, has partnered with Natekar Sports and Fitness to create a program called ‘Second Innings’ that aims to train Indian sportspersons for employment at Pine Labs.
Any athlete or para-athlete who has competed at the national level for at least one year and who has played at least five national-level tournaments is eligible for the program. The particular sport doesn’t matter for selection.
The program will assess the interest and skills of the sportsperson and attempt to place him or her in the function and profiles that best suits them. The jobs available range across functions such as Sales, Technology, Marketing, Human Resources and Operations. The program will also provide technical training and on-the-job-training to ensure the person is put in the best place to succeed.
“My father, Arati and myself have always wanted to do something for the many sportspersons who played at the national and international level, but still struggle to get jobs, Gaurav Natekar, the owner of Natekar Sports, told IGW. “We believe this initiative can be a game changer for Indian sportspersons.”
Natekar is a former national tennis champion who has represented India in the Davis Cup. He won two gold medals at the 1994 Asian Games in men’s doubles and the men’s team event.