Spark Infosys

PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT

SPARK

SPARK PROGRAM

Overview learning environment. Through the Infosys success

story, our team of volunteers demonstrates that it is

Infosys Limited has conceptualized possible to dream big and achieve. The students will

several unique programs aimed at evolving a model leave the program with enhanced awareness of the

through which Infosys and academic institutions can Power of Information Technology and its role in their

partner for competitiveness to enhance the pool of own career. Senior women leaders from Infosys

highly capable talent for growth requirements in the participate to promote gender sensitivity as well as to

Information Technology (IT) space. As a corporate sensitize girl students that there is no glass ceiling for

citizen with a conscience, Infosys strives to cultivate accomplishment. Short team exercises provide the

a sustainable approach to conducting business. In our students an opportunity to identify their hidden talents

interactions with stakeholders within and beyond the while working in teams and renew their commitment to

sphere of business, we recognize that we shoulder a excel. Interaction with senior Infosys employees exposes

larger responsibility - to ourselves, the environment, our students to the current trends in the IT industry.

civic systems and the governments in the regions where

we work. SPARK at a glance

Spark is one such initiative by Infosys, which has

1. Typically one day event at Infosys Development touched the lives of more than 161,000 young people

Centre campus for students and accompanying and nearly 10,000 members of faculty as of September,

faculty from schools, degree colleges and 2010. SPARK is an extraordinary volunteer-driven

engineering colleges

program that aims at raising the aspirations of students.

This nation-wide program focuses on the advances 2. Participation by invitation only.

information technology has made, Infosys’ role in the 3. Event agenda customized to target audience.

growth of IT and how students can learn from it. Spark Activities include presentations on ICT, campus

was launched in August 2008 and today has over 4100

tour, team project work and networking with

volunteers organization-wide, who spend their personal

alumni from same institutions.

time on Saturdays to run the program.

4. Special batches for women, rural institutions and

SPARK

Government-run institutions.

5. Travel to be arranged by participating institute.

Infosys SPARK is one day exploratory program for Lunch will be provided by Infosys.

students from different age groups and segments from 6. Ratio of faculty members to students 1:10.

high school to degree and engineering colleges of urban

7. Program managed and conducted by Infosys

and suburban areas. Through this on-campus event

volunteers.

conducted by volunteers, participating students assess

their industry readiness and check their aspirations

meter.

This program brings students and faculty members

from educational institutions to Infosys offices on an

exclusive basis and exposes them to the best-in-class

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Program Announcement - Version 3.0 - October 2010

SPARK PROGRAM

Rationale for Program 4. Nominated members of faculty need to be

permanent faculty with 3 to 5 years of teaching 1. Raising aspirations of young students

experience.

2. Enhancing awareness about impact of IT in our

daily lives Program Outcome

3. Exposing students to a world class learning

Students and Faculty members of participating environment

institutes will:

4. Promoting gender sensitivity

1. Understand

knowledge and skills related to Process Overview – Conducting a SPARK event

challenges facing the IT industry

involves key phases such as Event Planning, Event

2. Become aware about usage of IT in various execution and Post-event Reporting.

industries

Planning phase involves identification of participating

3. Experience facilitation & learning methods adopted institutes, event communication, nomination of members

by the IT industry.

of faculty and students by participating institute,

facilities booking including classrooms/ equipment 4. Experience the learning environment at Infosys

for visiting students/faculty, ordering giveaways, 5. Learn about IT trends by interacting with

participant material and preparation of detailed agenda practitioners.

with several interactive and work group sessions.

6. Recognize gender sensitivity.

Event Execution phase involves program kick-off

and hourly execution and tracking of agenda activities.

Program Governance

Participants’ feedback is obtained for analysis and

improvement decisions. Socializing, discussions, Infosys SPoC – Infosys Development Centers (DC) will campus tour, meeting with Infoscions and networking have a designated anchor to coordinate with associated are a part of the SPARK program.

institutes and internal units to roll out this program.

Post-Event Reporting phase involves analysis of Institute SPOC – School/ College Single Point of feedback, and reporting.

Contact will be responsible for all interactions with

Infosys.

Pre-Requisites Volunteer Teams – Volunteers from Infosys DC

1. High Schools, Degree and Engineering Colleges together with DC level core team will design and

manage Spark events.

from urban and suburban areas in and around the

host Development Centre (DC). 2. Institute needs to plan for travel

arrangements and bear the cost. 3. Institute needs to include students and

members of faculty from both genders.


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SPARK PROGRAM

Reference Information The SPARK program management team

has developed various tools and artifacts

for enhanced efficiency. These include: 1. Spark portal and artifacts repository

accessible from Infosys Intranet 2. Collated country-wide contact list of

volunteers, institutes, nominated

members of faculty and students 3. SPARK Invitation Letter format/

Participation confirmation & Tracker sheet 4. SPARK Overview presentation,

Program Announcement

5. Detailed SPARK program agenda and

facilities checklist 6. Participant kit including giveaways,

note pads, picture postcards of DCs 7. Event collateral like banners, roll-ups,

podium banners and volunteer certificates 8. Checklists for tracking and managing event 9. Standard presentations about Infosys,

Spark Briefing, videos, useful content from

different Business Units within Infosys. 10. Participant feedback collection,

analysis and reporting formats

Spark stats as on 30th September, 2010

Title BLR BBSR CHN HYD MLR CHD MYS PUNE JPR TVM Total

Events Completed 230 77 160 298 56 108 157 131 7 39 1263

161527 No. of Students

33625 13714 20137 41259 5407 11402 15642 15734 1073 3534 (includes No.

of women and Benefited rural students

benefited)

No. of Women 4362 1881 2780 6628 792 1125 2145 1911 0 317 21941

Students

No. of Rural 6443 2530 3845 17030 2663 2534 3688 3412 70 840 43055

Students

No. of Faculty 10586

2210 513 1008 3672 351 776 1106 707 46 197 (in addition to

Benefited No. of students

benefited)

No. of Infoscions 688 398 324 681 152 144 945 714 0 109 4155

Contributed

Continuing the Spark success story, three more programs have been added under

the Spark umbrella in 2009-2010. A brief overview of these programs follows.

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SPARK PROGRAM

Rural Reach Program (RRP)

Program Description Infosys has implemented different Corporate Social

Responsibility programs for inclusive growth in India.

Encouraging rural children to pursue studies in science,

mathematics and related subjects and become part of the

IT revolution in the country is one such program. SPARK-

Rural Reach Program (RRP) is one day program that aims

to raise awareness of computers and introduce the power

of IT to rural school children in India. The Rural Reach Program runs in parallel with the

Infosys PC donation scheme, ensuring that schools

where PCs have been donated or schools which are

lined up for PC donation will benefit from the learning.

Program Outcome Rural students participating in this one

day program will be able to: 1. Demystify the myths they carry about

computers by Touch-Feel-Use experience 2. Learn about the Applications of Computers

(Tailored to age group and background) 3. Learn the importance of soft skills in

today’s competitive business environment.

Target Audience

The target audience for RRP is students from rural

Government schools studying in class 5 to 7 and located

within 50 – 150 km radius of Infosys Development

Centers (DCs).

Program Activities

1 Pre-Event

2 During

3 Post-Event

Activities Event Activities

RRP Team @ DC RRP Team @ DC RRP Team @ DC

1. School selection 1. PC set-up at rural school 1. Feedback analysis 2. School communication 2. Briefing Principal and 2. Reporting 3. Travel booking & Approval Teachers 3. Review with Sponsors 4. Agenda finalization 3. Student Sessions delivery

5. PCs and supporting equipment 4. Closing ceremony

to carry 5. Preparing for return journey 6. Expense projection & signoff 7. Volunteer briefing 8. Collateral to carry 9. Giveaways to carry 10. Journey plan & confirmation


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SPARK PROGRAM

Program Highlights Some of the topics include:

1. Each of the Infosys DCs conducts one RRP per 1. Parts of a computer and its care.

quarter. 2. Starting up a computer and definitions of software

2. The event is program managed by a group of and hardware.

volunteers who identify and communicate with 3. The ability of a computer to manipulate data e.g.

school(s). using application PAINT to draw pictures, copy,

3. The team transports computers and giveaways to paste, rotate, scale etc.

the school. 4. Power of the internet and demonstration of

4. The event is held in one selected school (with e-mail.

participation from neighboring schools). 5. Importance of cleanliness, safety at school and

5. The team sets up PCs ensuring power back-up and how science is making our lives better

other infrastructure required to prepare for the It is also suggested that we share with the school some

event. picture charts depicting computer hardware, the role

6. Lead anchors will brief Principal and teachers of software and databases to enhance recall value for

students. before the start of the program.

7. The team members deliver sessions in the local

Program Collateral language and interact with students.

8. All participating students receive a student kit 1. Student kit

consisting of Spark bag, note pad and pencil. 2. RRP Banner

9. Volunteers demonstrate simple tasks using 3. RRP Presentations

computers to small groups of students and answer

4. RRP Briefing PPT for volunteers their questions. Students have hands on sessions.

10. The team collects feedback and prepares a 5. RRP Checklist

report. 11. Education & Research Admin team

consolidates nation-wide activity statistics.

Program Agenda In order to ensure that students from the rural

Government-run schools benefit from the day long

program, the RRP agenda is designed to be simple yet

effective. The examples chosen will communicate the

power of the computer from the perspective of speed,

repeatable tasks, accuracy of computation and

application of computers in their context.

6 Program Announcement - Version 3.0 - October 2010

SPARK PROGRAM

Catch Them Young (CTY)

Program Description Spark Catch Them Young (CTY), a decade-long

Infosys initiative, has been training high school students

in the basics of Information Technology. Started in

1997, this two week long program aims to expose bright

urban youth to the world of Information Technology by

conducting a summer vacation workshop at Infosys’

campuses. It also raises the curiosity levels in young

students to develop an interest in computer science and

information technology.

Program Outcome On completion of the CTY training program

participating students will be able to: 1. Describe concepts relating to technologies

like the Internet, software development and

application of computers in businesses. 2. Work in teams on computers and software

tools to develop a small software application.

3. Describe an information system approach

to solving simple automation problems.

Target Audience

The intended participants for CTY training are the high

performing students who have completed 9th standard

from local Government-run and privately-run high

schools and are interested in computer programming.

Program Activities

1 Pre-Event

2 During

3 Post-Event

Activities Event Activities Activities

CTY Team @ DC CTY Team @ DC CTY Team @ DC

1. School selection 1. Event confirmation 1. Feedback analysis 2. School communication 2. Facilities & IT Infra audit 2. Reporting 3. Facilities booking 3. CTY courseware install 3. Improvement plans 4. Agenda finalization 4. Food & Beverages 4. Documents updates 5. Technical Infrastructure Plan 5. Agenda/Project work control 5. Review with Sponsors 6. Expense projection & signoff 6. Transport facility

7. Volunteer briefing 7. Batch management

8. Educator briefing 8. Sessions delivery

9. Collateral to carry 9. Special needs and escalations

10. IT Infra support


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SPARK PROGRAM

Program Highlights 1. How is IT used in businesses?

1. Each of the Infosys DCs conducts a CTY program 2. How do modern IT applications work?

annually. 3. How does IT help in your career?

2. The event is program managed by a group of 4. How are IT applications developed with focus on

volunteers who identify and communicate with the following:

school(s). • Problem solving in teams

3. The team selects approximately 40 students in • Software development tools

each location through a selection test, typically

• Approach to application development held in December.

4. The event will be held in Infosys DCs during the

• Programming

summer vacation and the duration of the workshop • Data Management

is two weeks. • User Experience design

5. The team will set up classrooms with independent • Software testing

systems and required software tools. The team

5. Demonstration of tools and applications.

will also take care of logistics, food and transport

arrangements for students for the duration of the 6. Hands-on and team project work

workshop.

6. The team members deliver sessions, guide labs and Program Collateral

hands on exercises and interact with students.

1. Student kit

7. All participating students will receive a student kit 2. CTY Banner

consisting of Spark bag, note pad and pencil.

8. Students work in teams to develop a small

3. CTY Presentations, Lab assignments and Project

statement application and demonstrate it to the audience.

9. The team collects feedback and prepares report.

4. CTY Briefing PPT for volunteers

10. Education & Research Admin team consolidates

5. CTY Checklist

nation-wide activity statistics.

Program Agenda

In order to ensure that students from the high schools

benefit from the 10 day long program, the CTY agenda is

designed to focus on concepts relating to ICT and hands-

on lab work. The examples chosen will communicate

the application of information technology and how they

could leverage the same to build their own career. Some

of the topics that will be part of CTY training are:

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SPARK PROGRAM

SPARK GURU

Program Description As it is rightly said that “A teacher can never truly

teach unless he is still learning himself, a lamp

can never light another lamp unless it continues to

burn its own flame”. We at Infosys believe that

teachers who are continuously learning help

shape multi-talented students. Spark GURU is an

initiative which will help teachers to enrich their

knowledge and enhance their teaching skills. The aim of this program is to motivate teachers from rural

areas (from Government-run and Government Aided

schools), by bringing them into an informal environment,

conduct sessions on introspection, teaching effectively,

usage of computers in teaching and inculcation of habits of

safety, security and hygiene.

Target Audience The intended participants for the Spark Guru

program are school teachers from rural areas from

Government-run and Government aided schools.

Program Outcome The core purpose of Speak Guru program is to: 1. Provide faculty with an opportunity to

visit Infosys and observe the best in

class learning environment. 2. Network with teachers from other

institutions and introspect. 3. Discuss among peers and find solutions

to common challenges faced in schools

in areas of safety, security and hygiene. 4. Enhance awareness about the use of

information Technology in teaching.

Program Activities 1. Event similar to Spark event at DCs

with teachers as audience. 2. Senior Infoscions expose the participants

to computer concepts and applications. 3. Senior security staff conducts

sessions on safety and fire hazards. 4. Campus tour and demonstration of

education facilities at DCs. 5. Facilitated brainstorming and networking

opportunities for participants.


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SPARK PROGRAM

Frequently Asked Questions 1. Who can accompany students from invited institutions for the SPARK Program?

A team of permanent members of faculty, working with the institute and having 3-5 years

of experience may accompany the students of the institute for the Spark program. 2. How many members of faculty should accompany the students?

Typical ratio is 1 faculty per 10 students. 3. What are the registration fees for SPARK Program?

There is NO FEE payable to Infosys for attending SPARK. 4. Is the SPARK Program conducted at Infosys facility?

Yes. Spark events will be held on Saturdays at the Infosys Development Centers, nationwide. 5. Can I as the institute SPoC nominate only male/female faculty and students?

No, please include both male and female students and members of faculty unless specified otherwise. 6. What is the duration of the SPARK Program?

One Day (typically on Saturdays). 7. Will the faculty/students receive a certificate for attending the program?

No. 8. Who will arrange my travel and accommodation?

Travel and accommodation for the nominated members of faculty and students is

the responsibility of the respective institute. 9. Will my travel be reimbursed?

No, Infosys will not reimburse travel costs for faculty or students. 10. How can one share suggestions / feedback about the program?

Your feedback and suggestions could be sent to [email protected]. 10


SPARK PROGRAM

TERMS AND CONDITIONS 1. Participants are expected to make their own travel arrangements to and from the Infosys campus for the

various Spark programs. Infosys shall have no further liability thereof with respect to such travel. 2. Participants are expected to maintain decorum, and follow all applicable rules and regulations,

especially with regard to safety and security of Infosys, while at the campus. Participants are

required to obtain necessary permission from their parents to visit Infosys campus. 3. Participants are not allowed to bring any magnetic media, CDs, pen drives, laptops

while visiting under the Spark program. 4. Participants shall be liable for any loss or damage suffered by Infosys and attributable to the participant.

5. Participation in the Spark programs by the participant is not an endorsement by

Infosys of either the participant or the participant’s school or college. 6. Neither the participant nor the participant’s institution shall get any additional remuneration or any

special preference with respect to recruitment into Infosys, by virtue of participation in this program.

7. Infosys shall have no liability arising out of conducting of the programs or the participant’s participation

in the same.


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Program Contacts

Infosys Development Centre Infosys Point of Contact Email ID

Bangalore Anoop Singh [email protected]

Trupthi A Narayan [email protected]

Swati Jain [email protected]

Bhubaneswar Bhupesh Deka [email protected]

Nirmalya Chaudhuri [email protected]

Sumesh Khatua [email protected]

Chandigarh Manisha [email protected]

Neeraj Garg [email protected]

Anuradha Verma [email protected]

Renu Vadhvani [email protected]

Chennai Veerappaji Bittanakurike Shivanna [email protected]

Abhishek V Paul [email protected]

Hyderabad Srinagesh Chatarajupalli [email protected]

Sudheer Reddy K. [email protected]

Bhanu Prasad TV [email protected]

Mangalore Rithesh Kumble [email protected]

Mysore Vani K N [email protected]

Pune Soudamini Patil [email protected]

Swapnil Diwakar Pande [email protected]

Trivandrum Hari S. [email protected]

http://campusconnect.infosys.com/spark