XLRI School of Business & Human Resources will be the first B-School in the country to invite social organisations and start-ups for the summer placement process of its 2010 batch.

The B-School's "initiative for social & entrepreneurial leadership (ISEL)" will be jointly implemented by its placement committee, social initiative group for managerial assistance (Sigma) and its committee for research, strategy, consulting and entrepreneurship (Crescent).

A number of social ventures like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, microfinance institution BASIX, Azim Premji Foundation and IFMR, an ICICI Foundation, have confirmed participation in the ISEL. XLRI's regular placements will take place in the last week of this month.

Altogether 40 students of its 180-strong batch have so far shown interest in moving away from high-paying corporate jobs and opted for a career either as a start-up or in joining established players in the social sector.

Among start-ups who will take part in the placement process are Quetzal Verify, Vinculum, Beans & Intellect, Chaupaati and MBMC Consulting, to name a few.

"Time has come when the students select not to work for a company but created jobs, as creation of wealth for the country by becoming entrepreneurs is something what the institution would definitely support," said Father E Abraham, director, XLRI.

XLRI has for some years now being taking initiatives to promote social and entrepreneurial spirit at its campus here, which includes setting up of a "social entrepreneurship trust (SET)" by its alumni and an "entrepreneurship development cell (EDC)", to provide training and funding to budding entrepreneurs.

Again, although internship with social organisations has been on Sigma's agenda for some years now, the idea got impetus this year after Byrraju Foundation chief integrator & lead partner Verghese Jacob (an 1979 batch alumnus) made a presentation at the campus in August this year, prompting around 27 students of the B-School to take a week-long internship at Byrraju in Hyderabad in September.