Crux Management Services is an integrated HR, Learning and Development and BPO solutions provider with over 5000 employees nationwide. As part of its Learning and Development solutions, Crux also plans to foray in the field of community colleges benefitting both the student community as well as industry.
Vikas Singh, Director, CRUX, discusses the diverse industry needs and need for skills-based education.
Over the last 5 years close to 50,000 people have been trained through us and majority of them have got placement within six months of completing our training
Could you tell us about the journey carried out by Crux Management, since its inception?
Crux Management started in 1997 as an HR consultancy company. We were in the staffing and recruitment area and also providing consultancy services in the field of HR. However, in 2000 01, the scenario changed and companies were more interested in recruiting people, who could perform diverse tasks and manage projects. At that point we started our BPO Solutions and now we have around 700 BPOs working in Pune. We have a diverse range of clients including Idea Cellular, Accenture, just to name a few.
What solutions does Crux Management offer?
In the HR field, we offer staffing solutions, recruitment solutions and also consultancy services. For example, our latest project is a survey on ‘Employee Satisfaction’ for the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, where we are interviewing around 2000 employees to ascertain heir satisfaction level and the challenges they face. In the BPO sector, we are doing ollection management and marketing. We ran a collection desk for Dr Reddy’s Lab nd toll free call service for the Hindustan Lever where a person could call and seek advice n health and related issues. In the last 4-5 years, there has been a substantial change in the equirements of HR solutions, with companies looking for trained workers. This made us enture into learning and development solutions and we started training people for enhancing their employability. Once we ventured into training we also started staffing hem. We also started engaging with those already employed by offering training to update heir skills. Recognising our efforts, various educational organisations like IGNOU, Indian nstitute of Banking and Finance, All India Management Association, etc, have partnered with us for various courses. Over the last 5 years close to 50,000 people have been trained hrough us and majority of them have got placement within six months of completing our raining. Our latest venture is the finishing schools, which we are setting up in partnership
with the Andhra Pradesh government, across the state to equip the graduates with necessary kills to facilitate employment opportunities. In what ways do you think Community Colleges
can help in arresting drop-outrates as well as enhance employability?
Nowadays, being a degree or diploma holder does not guarantee employment. What is equired is certain skill sets. For example, skills in mechanics, plumbing, carpentry, retail, ealth management, hospitality, etc, can help the youth get jobs. This is where the community colleges step in. They can play a big role in equipping the rural youth and those from disadvantaged backgrounds with the necessary skills in tune with their calibre and the job market.
What scope does public-private partnerships offer for development for community colleges in India?
The government and the private sector cannot work in isolation. They need to engage with ach other to add value to such an initiative. For example, private partners require affiliation ith state or national level universities for recognition of their degrees. Also, such affiliation will also set quality standards for the private education services to follow. The overnment can help the private players by providing infrastructure in rural and semi-urban reas and they in turn can bring in expertise to deliver top-class programmes. The government can also help the private sector locate those areas where there is a need to set p such colleges on a priority basis.
Please tell us about your partnership with the cademy of Learning.
We have tied up with Canada based Academy of Learning Career and usiness College to float ‘Learning Works’, which will offer the Academy’s internationally cclaimed integrated courses in various parts of the country. This offers Indian students the advantage of getting the best training at home without being burdened by the expenses ncurred to go abroad. It will also help enhance the employability of people and prepare them or a vocation of their choice.
