Digital Literacy: 50 Million Jobs available by 2021

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January 22, 2018

Digital literacy comprises the knowledge and skills, required to use digital devices smartphones, tablets, laptops etc for communication. To boost digital literacy in a country, it is very important to impart related skills in local languages, observes Arvind Pani, Co-founder and CEO, Reverie Language Technologies for Elets News Network (ENN).

Digital literacy is on the rise in India, thanks to proactive government policies. The user base of Indian languages grew from 43 million in 2011 to 234 million in 2016. The number is expected to grow further at an additional rate of 18% to 536 million. Similarly, English language users are also likely to grow by a 3% to reach 199 million. Over 50 crore Indians use Hindi for their daily communication, while only 0.06% of websites are in Hindi, similarly other languages too. This shows a huge mismatch in demand and supply.

Digital literacy, resources, and services will become universally accessible if they are made accessible in Indian languages. Nine out of 10 new Internet users are not proficient in English, so it is fair to say that almost all user growth is coming from non-English users. Key drivers for the growth of language users are National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) and Digital India programme.

National Programmes

The Prime Minister of India laid emphasis on the NeGP and Digital India. Digital India, an ambitious programme, is estimated to cost around Rs 1,13,000 crore. It will prepare India for its eventual transformation to a knowledge economy and for delivering good governance to citizens, through synchronized and coordinated engagement with both the Central and State Governments. This vision of Digital India provides an intensified impetus for e-Governance and promotes inclusive growth, covering electronic services, products, devices, manufacturing and job opportunities. New digital infrastructure will focus on providing secure high speed Internet, making services available in real time for both online and mobile platforms. Digital empowerment of citizens will be built on universal digital literacy and the availability of digital services in Indian languages.

Industry Report

A report by KPMG and Google, identifies a number of app and web categories that currently have low penetration rates in India but could see rapid growth if local language integration picks up. Payments, government services, news and classifieds are all predicted to grow at a compound annual growth rate between 26% and 34% from 2016 to 2021 if there is local language expansion.

For example, among those who traditionally shop offline, 50% were willing to shift online if provided with an end-to-end Indian language experience. Similarly, over 60% of rural users consider language a barrier to accessing online government services, says the report.

Increased use of Indian languages on the Internet will come as a relief to them, and more importantly, will build engagement and allow them to access government services online. It could also help better dissemination of regional news as almost 60% of Indian language users prefer local language news. Also, 90% of users are more likely to respond to a digital advertisement in their local language as compared to English ads.

Technological advancement could aid and encourage the increased use of local languages. Other factors that will contribute in bringing India’s next billion online are reduced data charges, rising disposable income, growth in overall Internet penetration, increased smartphone production, improvement in digital literacy, and the introduction of digital literacy in Indian languages at all school levels.

Private sector can design and execute this while also researching and providing low cost ways to make Indian language friendly devices and websites more widespread. The quality of digital content in local languages is low despite how much demand there is for it – a big opportunity for companies. A large captive audience already exists for content in regional languages.

Today, many companies have started realizing the importance of regional languages, and have started offering local language versions of websites and applications. Advertising industries are early adopters in using local languages for their target audiences. The entertainment industry, comprising of media, television, and film, is a great example of how big the audience for regional language content is. Social media has also benefitted from the Internet boom in India, and they allow you to share content in local languages in form of text, images, audio, and video.

Even a small percentage of each language’s speaker base makes for a huge user base. For example, 7% of Telugu speakers mean 7 million users. This is a huge market for any industry – with the growth in Internet reach and the decrease in Internet prices; people are consuming more digital content in their own language.

Computational linguistics have helped in building predictive keyboard in several lesser used languages like Sanskrit, Santhali and Sindhi. All this will ensure more than 50 million jobs by 2021, mainly based on the demand for digital content in Indian language across various platforms. If both government and private partner, the development of the Indian Internet and the adoption of Internet services by Indian language could generate 53 million livelihoods by 2021. This is calculated assuming a job to user ratio in India of 1:10 and local language Internet user population of 536 million by 2021. (Views presented in the article above are of author’s)

CISF, new security consultant for schools

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Akash

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January 22, 2018

To avoid incident like student killing in a Gurugram school, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) experts have begun a mega exercise of auditing security in several schools of Mumbai, Hyderabad and Kolkata.

CISF which is mandated to guard major Indian civil airports has also a unique security consultancy wing. The central paramilitary force has prepared a blueprint is shows that separate team of experts have begun work to provide foolproof security solutions at the Podar Education Network in Mumbai, Oakridge International Schools in Hyderabad and St Xavier’s in Kolkata.

According to a senior CISF official, “Separate board of officers has been constituted and they are on job to draw a professional and sound security plan for the safety of students and staff of these schools. Five more schools across the country have sent in their final approvals and such expert teams will soon begin their work at their facilities too.”

CISF Director General (DG) O P Singh said that the proposal sent to the schools is getting a “good and positive response” adding “We took up this initiative as part of our responsibility towards the society. We are always happy to extend help of our professional services.”

In September, 2017, a class second student of the Ryan International School in Gurugram was found dead in the school’s bathroom which triggered this all-India exercise by the force. In November last year, the force had dispatched letters to a number of schools across the country offering its help in creating a “safe and secure” environment for their students.

Through the letter, CISF assured the schools to provide its professional but chargeable security solutions that will be custom-made for them.

Jharkhand : A Futuristic Vision for Golden Tomorrow

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digitalLEARNING Network

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January 19, 2018

Jharkhand is young and transforming rapidly. the state with 70 per cent of its population under 35 years is ushering a new era of speedy economic growth by shedding its image from a mining economy to a services and manufacturing hub in East India. the current growth is leading the state towards a developed one in shorter time span.

Satish kaushal, Industry Leader and Associate Partner, Ernst & Young

In recently concluded “momentum Jharkhand” campaign, both Indian and international industry leaders reposed tremendous confidence in ths state by signing over 200 mous that in turn promises employment of over six lakh youth in new industries to be set up in the state in next five years.

With some of the best institutions like BIt messra, XLRI Jamshedpur, Indian Institute of mining dhanbad and Ranchi university, Jharkhand is investing more to improve its education system and to set up more technical and higher education institutions of global repute. However the state, over the years, has witnessed the migration of its youth to work in different parts of the country on low wages.

Driven by Prime minister Narendra modi’ vision, “matching job creation with industry demand is the key to end unemployment”, the Jharkhand Government is resolutely preparing youth for all sectors that are in great demand in India and overseas. the Government is also nurturing the future-ready skills in youth as Industry 4.0 is going to change the ways we will work, interact and communicate in future.

In this light, Jharkhand chief minister Raghubar das has declared that the state Government will train “at least one member of every poor family to make them independent”, so that they can get jobs anywhere or start their own venture. He drives the vision” By strengthening the youth we will be able to strengthen the state”.

It is important to understand what it means when a state sets its target of skilling 20 lakh youth in 5 years. Rarely a state connects so well on outcome it will enable every 3rd household in the state to have a skilled worker in five years which in long term will result into a highly skilled society ready to compete, more productive and self-reliant.

Unlike many other states, Jharkhand government has created a very robust administrative set up wherein all departments are collaborating with Jharkhand skills development society (Jsdms) as its nodal institution to facilitate skilling at different levels – schools, colleges and universities. the whole programme is being driven through a very well-orchestrated skill Policy 2018.

It’s vital to have overview of the state’s present skill ecosystem and few of the salient features of the skill Policy which provides tremendous value and benefits to all stake holders – Youth, training Providers and Entrepreneurs looking forward to make investments in skill domain:

Creating new Capacities for Scaling Skills to new heights: state already has 15 mega skill centres. with a view to skill candidates in different sectors under one roof, the state has put its goal towards setting up 100 mega skill centres in five years.

Expanding Current base of Sakasham Centers: Based on Nsdc/sector skill councils framework, the programme will get additional support from state’s organisations through mobilization and placement. Providing job offers to 25,000 youth of Jharkhand is a step in that direction only.

Jobs for Future: the world is moving towards aligning on its own due to Industry 4.0 revolution. the revolution will bring forth new technology requirements such as Adoption of machine Language, Robotics, Block chain, Iot and Artificial Intelligence. In order to grab the opportunity, the Government of Jharkhand has already started establishing centres with siemens software Ltd, oracle, cIsco, HPE and others. Nearly 20 such centres are training the students in aforementioned areas. the Government is looking forward to expand such centres and sign with other leading firms of India and overseas.

Employers Incentives: state skill Policy is outcome focused and hence it is necessary to work with reputed employers of the country. state skill Policy is perhaps first of its kind in the country that looks forward to provide major fiscal benefits on achieving reasonable targets.

Integrating higher Education with Skills: Jharkhand is one of the few states of India that have clearly set the vision of providing skills to the students pursuing higher studies so that they can be part of state’s GDP in early stages of their career. despite setting up a skill centre in colleges, Jharkhand in next two years is targeting to set up one skill centre in each of the 82 constituencies of the state. It will allow few colleges to have 3-4 skill centers. this model is in line with credit system in higher education and skills from countries like Germany, singapore and Australia.

Apprenticeship, Entrepreneurship and Inclusive Focus: state also has developed clear incentives to promote participation and contribution of youth in schemes with fiscal benefits and not limiting to employment as the only outcome of skills initiatives.

Ernst & Young (EY) is associated with Jharkhand Government in many sectors and domains. one of them is to work closely with department of Higher and technical Education and Jharkhand skill development mission society to support the state’s initiatives and policies to be implemented and executed on ground with great speed, transparent processes,best practices from country and overseas by a team of experts in areas of program execution, knowledge management and digital transformation. EY is humbled to be partner of the state in its journey to “skilling Youth, Enabling Growth”. we also feel grateful for that we are part of the mission “Building a Better working world” through leveraging the tools and programs being put in different centers of the state.

Nurturing Employable Work Force in Jharkhand

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digitalLEARNING Network

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January 19, 2018

Nurturing Employable Work Force in Jharkhand

Department of Labour, Employment and Training has taken various initiatives for the employment and skill training of youth in Jharkhand, says Rakesh Kumar Singh, Special Secretary– Labour, Employment and Training, and Director- Employment and Training, Government of Jharkhand.

What is the role of Department of Labour, Employment and Training in protecting the rights of workforce in organised and unorganised sector of Jharkhand?

According to the minimum Wages Act, it is ensured that wages are paid acecording to the skill category of workforce. We also ensure that the salary of workers in factories and shops is credited into their bank account. For the workers in unorganised sector, we are getting them registered and opening their bank accounts linked with Aadhaar cards for the safe and timely credit of their wages. We are also running different social security schemes for the benefit of workers in organised and unorganised sectors.

How the skill training is helping the workforce in getting exposure to employment opportunities?

The skilled workers have more chances of getting employed over unskilled workers. We are working extensively on skill training of workforce like for the ITI pass out trainees; we ensure that different recruitment camps are held regularly for their employment in different companies, organisations, factories or industries. A number of such drives have been conducted and more are proposed to be organised. We have contributed to the vision of Jharkhand chief minister of awarding appointment letter to 25,000 youth. Since November 1, we have awarded appointment letters to a good number of ITI pass outs who are now employed in different companies.

What initiatives have been taken by the department to ensure employability among youth?

We act as a bridge between prospective trainees/employees and employers. So far, we have organised 43 employment exchange programmes. The portal jharkhandrojgar.nic. in has around 4 lakh registered youth under different categories such as nurses and as per different ITI trade. Whenever an employee registers on the portal in search of employees, we send SmS to all the trainees as per the eligibility criteria. The department then organises recruitment camps for selection of candidates as per their skills. For example, Apollo has recruited 21 nurses out of the trainees registered on our portal through a recently held employment exchange programme.

We have established Ranchi ITI as model ITI for which government of India has provided the financial grant. We are focussing on initiatives like centres of Excellence. At centres of Excellence, trainees get exposure of trades along with training of soft skills and computer operations. In current financial year, we are developing nine more ITIs as model ITIs

Soft skills are now an essential part of skill training, what is the role of Department of Labour, Employment and Training on that front?

We are inviting counselors in employment exchange programmes. We have also developed counselling centres to council the trainees. counselors help the trainees in improving their behaviour, language skills and if required suggest them to enroll in any short term training course for the same. We also refer candidates to JSDMS for soft skill training. In ITIs, seminars and talk shows are conducted for the candidates to improve their personality.

“During Momentum Jharkhand, different industries have participated in search of skilled manpower. We are trying to bring reputed employers across the nation. The summit will help the nation to know the immense potential Jharkhand has in the form of skilled workforce.”

What is the department’s road map for realising the chief minister’s vision of skilling 20 lakh youth of Jharkhand till 2022?

We have 59 Government ITIs and around 250 private ITIs which train around 30,000 candidates annually. by 2022, we have been given the target to train 2 lakh candidates out of 20 lakh which is achievable as per our current rate.

“Skill Summit 2018” is one of its kind conferences in India, what role will the conference play in bringing all the stakeholders on a common platform?

During momentum Jharkhand, different industries have participated in search of skilled manpower. We are trying to bring reputed employers across the nation. The summit will help the nation to know the immense potential Jharkhand has in the form of skilled workforce. It will boost the hiring of work force from the State as per the industry demand. The summit is expected to fulfill chief minster’s vision. It will take Jharkhand’s skill development programme to a new level and people will also get aware about the importance of skill.

What message would you like to give to the youth of Jharkhand?

According to prime minister of India, “skilling yourself is important” to take the advantage of Government’s various schemes, nowadays skills are also required along with degrees for students to be employable as practical training is equally important along with theoretical knowledge.

Self Assessment Vital in Choosing a Career

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Akash

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January 18, 2018

Choosing the right career is one of the most important decisions in a student’s life. One should take care of certain important factors while taking the decision, says Prof V S Rao, President, NIIT University, in conversation with Akash Tomer of Elets News Network (ENN).

Better higher education results in improved career opportunities. What factors students should keep in mind while selecting a specialisation for their graduation and further studies?

Prof V S Rao, President, NIIT University,

Nowadays, various specialisations have emerged along with the traditional options. While these specialisations have further implications on one’s career, one should always keep in mind the following factors while considering any
specialisation:

Aptitude and Understanding: One should have a thorough understanding of what subjects and fields interest her/him to make an informed choice.

Academic Performance: One should look back at one’s performance in different subjects in class X and XII to understand what have been her/his strengths.

Aspiration: Another most important aspect is to figure out what one wants to do in the coming years; one should choose the field according to the job he aspires to bag.

Internship/Placement Opportunities: It is no revelation that your education is not fruitful unless you get good internship and placement offers. One should always check with the placement reports of an institute to get a firsthand report.

Graduation degrees in India usually revolve around the traditional courses like engineering, medical etc., what is the scope of nontraditional courses as far as Indian education space is concerned?
The most important decision a student takes right after clearing high school is choosing the right career for herself/himself, which would make or mar their professional life. Engineering, medical etc have always been the coveted career options. But there are other courses also available nowadays to pursue right after high school, and which also have promising careers as far as education space is concerned.

What are the most important factors that a candidate must consider before seeking admission in a college or university?

Choosing a college is one of the most important decisions a student ever makes. One should keep in mind the following factors while taking admission to a college or university:

Academic Excellence: Students must have the information about the curriculum, teaching-learning practices, technology used in teaching-learning, quality of faculty etc before taking admission to any college.

Opportunities to participate in real time industry projects: Student should look for institutes/universities
which offer opportunities to participate in real time projects in industry.

Residential Schools: Residential schools offer 24×7 opportunities to bring about holistic development of a student.

Community: College experience should be about challenging and learning as much about self. One should
always look at community as an opportunity to branch out.

What are the best higher education practices followed across the globe? How can these practices be carried out in India to improve the higher education scenario of the country?

The online education and newer technology-enabled platforms are changing the way education is resourced and delivered. Over the next 10 years, e-learning is projected to grow fifteen-fold, accounting for 30% of all educational provision. Within higher education, new technologies have enormous potential to effect change. They enable universities to meet a broader range of learners’ needs, adapting traditional teaching methods and offering a mix of face-to-face and online learning possibilities that allow individuals to learn anywhere, anytime.

Despite a phenomenal expansion in the education system in our country, Indian universities don’t stand alongside the universities abroad, how this scenario can be improved?

As per industry data, India holds an important place in the global education industry as it has more than 1.4 million schools with over 227 million students enrolled and more than 36,000 higher education institutes. India has become the second largest market for e-learning after the US. The Central Government has done its best to make the study opportunities flexible in nature to facilitate optimal student participation. Skill development and vocational education has added a new feather to the modern system of education.

Also, now the education is only text book oriented. Courses are not industry-aligned which is causing unemployability among the youth. This is a massive challenge and one of the solutions is by forging a strong linkage between academia and industry.

Other than career benefits, how higher education helps a candidate in availing various social and personal benefits?
Education is generally considered to be the greatest equaliser in modern society. There are not only career benefits of education, but it also helps a candidate in availing various social and personal benefits such as better salaries, job satisfaction, contributing to the society a better way thus creating a better society to live in etc. Therefore, higher education is not only the key to growth in career graph, but also boosts self-confidence.

How the Indian and global education landscape has evolved in recent years? What role does educational conferences play in this evolution?
Indian and global education has many facets that existed from the historic times to the present day. Students were the passive party in the classroom where the lessons were mostly teacher oriented and more emphasis was given to the theoretical way of learning. Academics was not industry oriented which resulted in a less competitive
market.

Today, Indian institutions are working towards promoting industry-academia interface. NIIT University (NU), being one of these premier institutions, has designed programmes in collaboration with organisations such as Esri, ICICI Bank, Federal Bank, United Bank and Bank of Maharashtra, Microsoft Research, IBM, WNS, etc which not only offer students career opportunities but also equips them with the ability to adapt and grow throughout their careers.

NSDC: Imparting Skills to Propel Economic Growth

Magazine

By

Akash

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January 18, 2018

NSDC aims to promote skill development by catalyzing creation of large, quality and for-profit vocational institutions, says Manish Kumar, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), in an interview with Poulami Chatterjee of Elets News Network (ENN).

Since the launch of Skill India Mission, how much National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) has achieved so far as per its vision?

Manish Kumar, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC)

The Skill India Mission was launched in July 2015 to expedite government’s effort in providing skill training to the youth. With a mission to position India as the skill capital of the world, the Skill India Mission was instituted to expand the scale and reach of the initiatives effectively. So far, over 1.24 crore people have received training through various programmes.

The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), under the aegis of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has collaborated with industries, corporate houses, states, government bodies as well as other ministries to ensure its effective implementation. As on December 2017, over 19 lakh candidates received skilled training under PMKVY – 1 and another 14 lakh has been trained in its second phase till now. Further, over 5 lakh skilled workforce has received formal certification under the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) component of PMKVY. The government has also established 200+ state-of-art Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra (PMKK) and another 250 such centres are in pipeline. The Government plans to have one such centre in every district of India.

During 2014-17, 453 women received skill training across 10 NVTIs/RVTIs. The number of ITIs has increased from 10,750 to 13,353 and efforts are being made for ITIs to grant certificates equivalent to class 10th and 12th of CBSE.

Also, India International Skill Centers (IISC) have been set up for people who wish to work in foreign countries. the NSDC helps them hone their skills as they embark on undertaking job opportunities in another country. We are planning to establish 100 such centres across the country. There has been an added emphasis on promoting entrepreneurship among country’youth under PM-YUVA scheme.

NSDC is being set up to implement Skill India Mission. What are the challenges faced by the mission? What strategies are followed by NSDC to overcome those challenges?

India boasts of a huge demographic dividend and has the second largest workforce in the world. However, with the improvement in technology, automation has taken over most of the labour oriented jobs, which makes it necessary to up-skill and re-skill the work force all across the globe. At the same time it is very important to bridge the gap between skill training and job opportunities available. This gap is hampering the recruitment of even suitably trained candidates in an industry.

NSDC is working towards addressing these challenges and to bridge the existing gaps. Sector Skill Councils have been set up to identify the demands and opportunities that each sector entails and ensure that the most relevant and recent skill training is provided to the candidates. The training curriculum is regularly updated, and the opportunities are identified and leveraged. Efforts are being made to skill, re-skill, up-skill as well as multi- skill employees to ensure that they sustain their jobs and grow further.

To bridge the industry-academia gap, NSDC conducts skill training courses in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) models. Please give details about such courses.

NSDC is trying to develop an enabling environment for skill development which is based on relevant and up-to-date industry practices. the National Skill Development Coordination Board is being set up under chairmanship of the Deputy Chairman of the planning Commission in the public private partnership mode (ppp). The board will formulate strategies on skill development and monitor implementation of the same. Further, it ensures that proper skill training is being provided to candidates and simultaneously suggests strategies to address regional and social imbalances that might potentially hinder its effectiveness.

Under this model, the NSDC collaborates with a public-sector unit or a corporate house where they provide training to the candidates as well as opportunities for employment. These initiatives help the students to know their areas of improvement provide them exposure of industry expectations.

The Udaan Initiative for the youth of Jammu & kashmir (J&k) is one of the recent initiatives that follows the ppp model and provides skill training and helps in creating job opportunities for graduate and postgraduate youth of J&k.

Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has set up India International Skill Centre (IISC). What are its objectives and key focus areas?

India International Skill Centers (IISCs) were set up to provide vocational training to youth aspiring for job opportunities globally. IISCs have been set up by NSDC in association with Ministry of External Affairs and implemented under the pradhan Mantri kushal Vikas Yojna and pravasi kaushal Vikas Yojana (pkVY). Apart from technical skills, the programme emphasises training on language and soft skills modules. the training provided at these centers, help youth hone their skills at par with the international standards and ensure that the youth seeking global mobility are well equipped and confident to take on any challenge across the world.

What are NSDC’s future plans to make youths of India skillful and employable?

India has a huge potential for skill training and NSDC, under the aegis of MSDE, is working towards creating an inclusive and equitable environment for vocational training. The initiatives and schemes are helping the candidates become more competent and job ready. The efforts are further expedited through collaborations with industries across all verticals, as well as other ministries and government bodies.

NSDC plans to expand its reach to all the parts of the country by setting up Ppradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras in each district and aim to open 100 International Skill Centres by 2018. We further, wish to expand the number of training centers which will provide state-of-theart skill training to the candidates. Also, NSDC is planning to provide training in futuristic job roles such as Automation, 3D printing, Artificial Intelligence among others, which may help youth earn a better livelihood and contribute towards building New India.

Jharkhand is emerging as the skill hub of the country. How the NSDC is supporting the State to skill its youth?

Jhankhand is a state that is bustling with opportunities and the skilling opportunities are abound in the state. Jharkhand Skill Development Mission entered an MoU with the NSDC to improve the employability of the candidates undergoing skills training. the NSDC has identified Construction, tourism, travel and Hospitality, Mining, Real Estate, transport and Logistics, It-ItES, Food processing, Healthcare, and Banking and Financial services as major verticals that attract youth in terms of job opportunities in the state and will further collaborate with
JSDMS to provide more opportunities to the youth in the state.

How other schemes like Digital Indiavand Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana can be leveraged to boost the skill ecosystem in Jharkhand?

People of Jharkhand have recognised the importance of skills to enhance their competence and employability, digital connectivity will help ensure last mile connectivity of the people and help generate new jobs. the PMKVY scheme under ‘Skill India’ Mission can enable the youth to get several blue-collar jobs as those who receivetraining under this initiative are awarded with a formal certificate on clearing the assessment. This can validate their training and help them get access to better job prospects.

What message you would like to give to the youth of India?

Skill training is a necessity in today’s scenario. It is imperative to constantly up-skill and re-skill to remain relevant in the growing economy like India. With new opportunities every day and innovations constantly upgrading the lifestyle of people, it is necessary to adapt to these changes through skill and vocational training.

What message you would like to give for Jharkhand Skill Summit to be held on Jan 12, 2018?

Jharkhand Skill Summit is an encouraging initiative which would bring together stakeholders from different walks of life on one platform and help strengthen the skill ecosystem in the state. the event will also play an important role in defining the road map for the future of skills in the state and develop Jharkhand as the hub for skilled manpower. On behalf of NSDC, I take this opportunity to wish Jharkhand Government and Jharkhand Skill Development Mission the very best for the event.

Emerging Trends in Indian Education Sector

Article

By

Akash

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January 18, 2018

A number of new trends have emerged on the Indian education scene and a number of modern ideas are floating around. These ideas promise to transform Indian education. Shobhit Goyal, Secretary, Quantum University, observes these new trends and the underlying reasons for their emergence.

Outcome Based Learning and Skill Development:

Increasingly, new and mindboggling discoveries are being made which straddle multiple disciplines. Subject areas are increasingly becoming dependent on a multiplicity of fields. Consequently single disciplines are being rendered difficult and require an interdisciplinary aptitude for assimilating and application. This is however not achieved with contemporary educational landscape which is steeped in theoretical learning andage old curricula with a chilling irreverence for experimental-application based education. This very absence of practical learning has led to the prevalence of ‘skill gap’ incapacitating students to work in various domains. A number of studies have confirmed it.

It has emerged that, of the 15 million graduates entering the market each year, about 75% lack the basic soft skills and technical knowhow to execute the core tasks. A McKinsey report indicates that only 25% of Indian engineers are actually employable. Off late the same statistic has fallen to less than 20%. Aspiring Minds, in a recent survey, conclude that 95% of engineers can’t code. Consequently a number of young Indians lack employability due to‘skill gap’.These glaring figures highlighting skills gapand unemployment exhort us to overhaul the education system and replace it with something which streamlines our education.

Interdisciplinary Education

Interdisciplinary education aims to achieve skill development thus lowering the skill gap. The most salient feature of this learning paradigm is to embrace the disparate features to bolster multidimensional learning experience. The pedagogy aims and delivers education in such a manner that the students can confidentially execute tasks that form the core of a particular domain. This leads to better professional avenues and development. Moreover the building up of specialized skill increases the chances to move in the field of research and development. Thus interdisciplinary learning helps acquire the ability to deliver goal based education.

The inherent structure of the educational pedagogy enables easily expansion of a particular skill set to a number of allied multidisciplinary disciplines. The students can not only adapt to new situations but can see themselves graduating to new levels of expertise in the core subjects. This entails easily scalable skills and employability in corporate-industrial domain.

Advantages

An interdisciplinary education equipswide ranging creative and critical thinking augmenting lateral thinking, analytical reasoning,interpersonal ability, communication skills, ethical perspectives, cultural literacyand global perspectives. The greatest skill it endows is an orientation toapplication ofknowledge mostly motivated through hands on work training and real-world experiences.It helps students to be sensitized to socio-economic, political and environment issues building a deeper relationship with the world around. A student learning via this approach not only emerges as a capable professional but also a responsible citizen with wide ranging sensibilities.

Interdisciplinary learning is implemented via ‘credit system.’ A credit quantifies the learning goals as also the effort put in to achieve the. Earning credits entitle Major and minor degrees. A Major is a specialization in a particular discipline. A Minor is a subject allied to the core subject pursued in the Major or a subject of general interest. Thus it presents the students a spectrum of choice.

Pedagogy

The interdisciplinary pedagogy is a unique strength. It works on the principle that all learners are different with individual talents and lacunae. Hence the instruction must be based on the students’ personal orientation, tastes, needs and goals. The instruction is thus guided by individual need. The hallmark of this pedagogyis experiential learningto working across disciplines. The student-centered instructionfacilitates and delivers learning in an intrinsically interdisciplinary,experiential and constructivist manner.

A novel approach is employed for pedagogical effect using unconventional methods and technologies which includesimulation-based games and virtual environments. Seminars, workshops, role play,live projects, experimental demonstration and continuous assessment are the inherent tools of this regimen.Hence a more practical, applied, experience-based education is developed.

Role of Quantum University

Quantum University has already emerged as a brand in education sculpting an entire generation of technocrats and professionals enriching the corporate and the industrial arenaand numerous other domains. The University has become a vehicle of this concept in India. The concept, already established in the West, fostered there a culture of enterprise, research and knowledge creation. It has not only boostedeconomic strength but also benefited the society in general, by molding constructive thinking.

The ’new age ‘curriculaat Quantum open a world of choice before students. Hence they can earn a Major in Engineering while pursuing a Minor in Economics. Similarly the students have the freedom to pursue a Minor in Graphic Design or any subject unrelated to the specialization. The Major-Minor combination is chosen on the basis of student individual choice and goals.

Culture of Skill Development at Quantum University

Quantum University has made skill development and practical learning the hallmark of its education. To achieve this,a robust training program has beenfollowed since the inception of the institution.Students can gain hands-on training in a number of fields. This strengthens their employability and prospects of growth in a professional arena. The University collaboration with APS GMBH (The European Center for Robotics)Germany to deliver cutting edge expertise for the Robotics specialization program is a template for our commitment to skill development.

It is evident that interdisciplinary education has the potential to remedy a number of ills in prevalent education. It can deliver students from a rigid educationwith itsflexible learning modes and subject choices. It offers a range of skills to preparethe student forvibrant roles in the professional and personal domain. It promises a new age of holistic learning and personal development.

World Bank and ICAI to organise training programmes for insolvency professionals

News

By

Akash

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January 17, 2018

World Bank in association with Indian Institute of Insolvency Professionals of ICAI (IIIPI) is going to organise three training programmes for insolvency professionals (IP) with the first being held at Mumbai.

The first of its kind programme in India will witness the global experts disseminating knowledge and best practices followed worldwide in the sections of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code.

ICAI President, CA Nilesh Shivji Vikamsey said, “The Insolvency and Bankruptcy code is still in the nascent stages in India. And this is the time where right knowledge dissemination is required for creating a robust pool of professionals in our country. In the training sessions the best of minds will share their knowledge from across the globe.”

During the programme, case studies will be illustrated to cover the “Role and Functions of IPs”. The sessions organised from January 18 to 20, 2018, at Mumbai will cover various aspects of insolvency laws. The programme under the aegis of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IIIBI) will be organised at various centers by IIIPI and the World Bank Group.

“World Bank and IIIPI has prepared the training modules, keeping in mind the Indian scenario but also made sure that the best practices followed worldwide are made available to the insolvency professionals”, Vikamsey added.

MVGU — Nurturing Globally Competitive Citizens

By

Akash

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January 17, 2018

Our students are provided with academic tools, practical skills, and real world opportunities necessary to advance as leaders in their professions and their communities, says K L Mina, Founder Chairperson, Maharaj Vinayak Global University (MVGU) in conversation with Elets News Nework (ENN).

What is the vision of Maharaj Vinayak Global University?

Maharaj Vinayak Global University has pioneered private technical, medical and higher education institutions in Rajasthan. We, at MVGU, offer the best platform to absorb knowledge from all sources and enable our students to access endless opportunities available in the global market. We are committed to instil leadership and offer internationalised curricula in all the core medical and technical courses to shape the future of our students.

Your university has been consistent in academic excellence, what has been the secret? Share us about your journey.

Maharaj Vinayak Society was the first institute which got an no-objection certificate from the government to open Jaipur Dental College, the first dental college in the State. We started offering our courses initially under Rajasthan University. Later, we were affiliated to University of Medical & Health Sciences. We have established the first private Nursing, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy colleges in Rajasthan. The Jaipur Dental College has been awarded as the best dental college of North India for four consecutive years.

What kind of infrastructure, resource and technology related facilities are made available to the students to boost learning capabilities?

Our courses are primarily in medical and allied sciences. These courses demand sophisticated and high end equipments and we have ensured the availability of every such equipment in Dental, Biotechnology, Pharmacy, and Physiotherapy stream. We have outsourced the equipments from Germany and Canada also.

For placement of our students from every course we bring in teams from USA, Canada, and Australia to groom our students for the international job market.

What are the distinct courses offered by your university? As far as career prospect is concerned, do you offer any value additions in the learning process to offer best exposure to your students and increase their domain knowledge?

Jaipur Nursing College is the first nursing college that offers B Sc degree and caters to the growing demand of allied medical services. Jaipur Physiotherapy and Occupational therapy colleges are the first ever in the state to offer these kinds of studies. These colleges not only ensured the quality higher but also offered training as per latest industry to the students of Rajasthan.

How do the courses at Maharaj Vinayak Global University make its students ready for the employment market?

Be it dental, nursing, pharmacy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, law etc, all these subjects offers attractive career prospects in government, public and private sector. These courses are highly promising from self employment point of view. In addition, students are encouraged to organise and participate in seminars and conferences.

IECS – On a Mission to Build New Tomorrow

By

Akash

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January 17, 2018

Our vision is to be the best solution provider in education segment and to deliver best global practices to the society, says Manish Mansharamani, Director, International Electronics & Communication Systems Pvt Ltd, in conversation with Elets News Netework (ENN).

What was your vision behind establishing the IECS?

Manish Mansharamani, Director, International Electronics & Communication Systems Pvt Ltd

Established in 1991, International Electronics & Communication System Pvt. Ltd (IECS) as an ISO:9001:2008 is now a leading solution provider in the field of education. With great pride we share that IECS has successfully implemented over 5,000 interactive classes in pan-India.

IECS is driven by a single corporate principle – Customer-oriented approach. We work closely with our clients, right from the concept to completion and that’s the basis of the long-term relationship with our clients – a strong partnership built on trust, integrity and commitment. Our vision is to be the best solution provider in education segment and become most innovative, reliable, effective, sustainable and relationship-based company.

Education is one of the most promising segments in India but still we are lagging far behind globally, what needs to be done to improve education scenario?
The mindset needs to be changed at decision-making level. Indian brains are superior in the world, we have been only deprived off infrastructure and facilities. Given these basics in current scenario where technology is available we can be number one and competing in the world at any level.

We should have schemes and schools that provide good education to children living in villages. Also, it should be assured that good and experienced teachers are there to impart education to children.

“Education segment is growing segment in India. We will invest more on technology upgradation and will bring latest innovative products for education field for all level.”

Also, focus on teachers training, our country has already got many training programmes for teachers. Educating parents is equally important so that they do not force their children for careers which do not actually interest them. Implementing Smart Classes though many of the educational institutes are already following this concept, but we should take a step where all educational institutes can be connected with the concept of smart classes. With the help of different audio-video devices, multimedia concepts and other necessary IT elements, we can make our students learn and understand in a much better and modern way.

What do you think of the impact of technology on education? How technology can help in improving educational scenario in rural areas?

Technology has a very positive impact on education. Teachers and students should take advantage of this in good light and eliminate the drawbacks which are pulling back many of students as well as educational institutes from achieving. Students are able to learn on a global scale without ever leaving their classrooms. Technology can enhance literacy development, provide greater access to information, support learning, motivate students, and enhance their self-esteem.

The education system of today demands changes of meet the local and global needs. It is strongly felt that the kind of education a student receives must ensure to be an investment for the future. In a world increasingly dependent on technology whether it is at home or institution students and teachers must be fluent in technology. Digitisation in education has transformed the learning as well as teaching methodologies to a great extent.

We all know how helpful it is to remember something that is taught visually to us rather than the one that is read through pages. Just imagine, how beneficial would it be for students to understand a chapter visually in class. The concept of smart class education is indeed a blessing to the students of the 21st century.

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