News Letter Volume 2
April 2012
Employability skills for underserved youth
Geese are birds of valor that never leave
behind one of their kind. Strong
communicators, they forge ahead confident
and brave, synergizing and building on
each others’ strengths.
2
EDITORIAL
Sustaining Social Initiatives
There are many thoughts around sustenance that
have been tried and continue to be innovated
upon. However, I want to highlight a few
perspectives that need to be leveraged more often
and more holistically too to build sustainable
movements in the social sector:
1. Inclusivity: Sustainability of social initiatives is
ensured when we look at inclusivity from both
ends -- for example, a model that focuses on
employability of the poor and underprivileged
youth - works better if we can include the middle
class youth and may be even the rich as
well. Earlier, I had not really thought like this -
was always mentally excluding the better off
people from the initiative. But what stops us
from offering the services to people who can
probably pay more and also value it more at
times? People are already talking about reverse
innovation where innovation for the third world
starts being valued in the developed world. It
brings a different set of challenges to the table -
but ones that are more addressable as well as
make the offering better for all. This is inclusivity
the other way round.
2. Partnerships: Partnerships should be true to the
word - sharing of both risks and gains. This
changes the mind-set from the customer-
supplier relationships that we were getting into.
For all 'partnerships' - of course the challenge is
(a) having partners sharing the gains and (b)
having the partners accept the risks from the
venture. To be able to get into a strong
partnership – addressing these two
challenges one needs to focus on
building trust by – having regular and
open lines of communication,
sharing forward plans pro-actively,
and taking the first step of sharing
the gains. Why do this but? To
leverage partner expertise:
L e v e r a g e P a r t n e r
Expertise: Partners bring some
uniqueness, something special
to the partnership. However,
these are not always tangible and
overtly stated.
So one aspect is to recognize what the
partnerships add to us – then we can look at
leveraging. For example, a partner may be just
providing for space for us to operate but if we
look closely, we find they have a unique ability
to mobilize corporates to support the
initiatives, or have demonstrated successful
placements of students at salaries higher than
most other similar organizations.
3. Balance of Technology: Typical belief today
says using technology reduces costs of
operations. My experience says slightly
different though. Almost invariably,
technology adds costs in the first few years
and by the time it starts to become efficient –
technology changes! What I call balance of
technology is to walk the middle path between
changes in technology and changes in the real
world. When the changes in real world are few
(financial profitability), changing technology is
a good thing. On the other hand if the real
world is evolving fast (how humans learn),
sticking to old technology is a good thing. I
know there would be disagreements on this
one but I am putting it out there for some
more thought and discussion.
Best wishes
Neeraj Agarwal
3
READER’S ANGLE
You too can contribute articles/ stories for spreading understanding
related to employability issues facing the country.
Total NF volunteer hours : 4440
Why Define Indian Employ-Ability ?
By Dr. Anamika Biswas,
Director, Programmes
Indira Gandhi National Centre For the Arts
Every year, India produces almost twice the number
of engineers produced by the US and has one of
the world‟s largest qualified pools of technical
manpower. Yet qualification fails to guarantee
employ-ability, in which India lags far behind. In
other words, our education system is constantly
contributing to educated un-employability.
“Employ-ability”, a global corporate challenge
became familiar in India in the last decade. Yet
there is a general misunderstanding between the
concepts of „unemployment‟ and „unemployability‟.
Un-employment is a state where individuals have
educational eligibility and skills but dearth of job
opportunities. Un-employability arises when
available educated individuals lack the „skills‟ to
execute tasks within a job. So there are vacancies
on one hand and qualified yet un-employable
individuals on the other.
Interestingly, employability-skills definition
differs from country to country. For instance,
American Society for Training and Development
(ASTD) identifies employability as personality
oriented skills like Communication-skills,
Adaptability, Motivation, Teamwork, and
Leadership. In Malaysia, these are ethic-oriented
and humanistic in nature like positive values,
leadership skills, teamwork, communicative skills,
and life-long learning. Australians keep
employability definition work-aligned. They
describe employability skills as “skills required to
gain employment or establish an enterprise, but
also to progress within an enterprise or expand
employment capability, so as to achieve one‟s
potential and contribute successfully to an
enterprise‟s strategic directions.”
It is the need of the hour that India comes up
with a definition of her own, because she suffers
more from unemployability than
unemployment. A defined employability skill set
that is India specific will put the country on a
growth trajectory not just in terms of
productivity but also social equality. Since
employability remains the privilege of the
„informed few‟, a widely broadcast, holistic
definition will be a powerful tool in the hands of
the underserved and over served alike. The
need, of course, is to step beyond the academic
domain, encircling both education and industry
while deciding the parameters.
Perhaps the most apt description is by Peter
Hawkins: “To be employed is to be at risk, to be
employable is to be secure.”
4
When NIIT Foundation opened a center in Nizamuddin
with Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) and offered courses in
Personality Development, English, and IT, Massooma
was thrilled. “I spared no efforts in pleading with my
parents. I knew if they listened to Ma‟am (NF Centre
Head), they would let me (study)”. After repeated center
visits and discussions with the NF Nizamuddin team,
Massooma‟s parents allowed her to join the course.
Massooma was diligent and took full responsibility for
her learning. We were elated when Massooma was
selected by Café Coffee Day and Pantaloons, both huge
brands. Although, this was something that she couldn‟t
imagine before since her parents were not comfortable
with her working outside the basti, she couldn‟t take up
the jobs.
What was heartening though was her zeal to find a
workaround. For Massooma, a job meant more than just
a salary - it was about feeling independent, about taking
responsibility for her own life. So she continued to visit
the NF center looking for local opportunities and for
ways in which she could contribute and learn. In fact,
she happily volunteered to be a surveyor for her basti in
the sweltering June heat. As they say, Massooma's will
finally found a way. When a position for a remedial
trainer opened up at the Aga Khan Foundation,
Massooma was the first choice. She is now employed
full time and earning every one's admiration along with
a good salary.
STUDENT SPEAK
Massooma’s Dream
Above: Massooma interacting with
students
NIIT Foundation works in
partnership with Aga Khan
Foundation in Nizamuddin
Basti for youth
employability.
Millions of girls like Massooma cannot afford even the subsidized employability courses.
Sponsor a career for youth, a livelihood for a family and hope for the nation!
Get in touch with us at: [email protected]
Above: Massooma on her way to
work
Above: Massooma enjoying her day at
work
5
PARTNER SPEAK—PLACEMENT
Total Placed : 4034
Number of Partner Employers : 250
Salary Range : 6000 to 15000 Per Month
The idea of inclusive society goes beyond CSR. It extends to actually making the less fortunate
feel included. Your organization too can join us in this mission towards mainstreaming
underprivileged India.
Take the step. Write to us at [email protected]
Since the inception of NIIT Foundation (NF), our placement partners have played a crucial role in
providing livelihoods to our beneficiary underserved youth. One of the reasons behind this strong
connect with them has been the NF training, which looks beyond the technical aspect. Apart from
English, IT, job-oriented courses in Service Industry, Accounting, Technical Support, Data Entry,
Multimedia and Entrepreneurial courses like Hardware and Networking, students are also polished
through activities like life skills training, industry visits, surveys taking, event organization etc.
Counseling forms an essential part of this 360-degree grooming of NF students, from the time of
enrolment to the time of placements. Being underprivileged means much more than just lacking
monetary resources. Often, social difficulties in the lives of the underprivileged lead to the growth
of deep-rooted distrust in their hearts. The vulnerability is especially evident during the first three
months after placements when a youth steps out into the world for the first time. Therefore,
focused and continuous counseling becomes essential.
Ritu, an NF Center Head, shares - “A placed student from our center was furious that his friends
referred to him as a table cleaner because of his job at a fast-food restaurant. Naturally, he wanted
to resign. I had to show him that during rush hours, his manager also cleaned the tables.
Thankfully, he understood and I am happy to say that last month he completed two years on that
same job.”
NF has been blessed with partner organizations who have given these youth a chance and taken
the trouble to understand their background and rejoiced in their successes.
“It has been a good experience to have candidates educated and groomed by your organization. We
appreciate your efforts in honing the skills of underprivileged youth to make them disciplined and
industrious!” Balpreet Kaur, Deputy Manager-HR, Costa Coffee India
“I must say NIIT Yuva Star students are full of energy and enthusiasm. They work very hard and enjoy
with other fellow colleagues. This makes our store the Best place to work! “ Davesh Tomar, Asst.
Manager - HR , Devyani International Limited
“Students from NIIT Foundation placed within our organization are no different from the mainstream
candidates. They mix very well with the team and work with dedication. Their inclination towards
learning and becoming better at their job is a factor that we appreciate very much.” Dinesh Kumar Jha,
Operations Manager, Suman Computers Pvt. Ltd.
6
SPECIAL MENTION Noida Deaf Society
Synergy is infectious, an evidence that all life is connected. Synergy is also visible; one could see it on the
faces of NIIT Foundation team, when Ruma Roka, head of Noida Deaf Society (NDS), hugged and thanked
our team members for their all-out support to NDS. In no time, an informal gathering had turned into a
brainstorming session of how NF centres could give hearing-impaired youth in their communities a better
chance at life through centre-level NDS tie-ups. Reminiscing about the beginning of NDS-NF partnership,
Ruma spoke with her signature gusto," I had to do something about sustainable livelihood for the hearing
impaired youth. That is all I knew. I began training five such students in my small flat. Then a friend
connected me to NF. Our two organizations have worked with deep trust, in a win-win relationship ever
since. This is how the world will change”.
Since the beginning of this partnership, NF and NDS have together figured out their way around many
challenges. Collaboration has worked in the following ways:
Providing volunteer expert faculty to give NDS a jumpstart: Leveraging the high visual aptitudes among
hearing impaired, NF urged the NIIT multimedia experts to support NDS students over the weekends. The
graphic designing skills, involving minimal hearing
requirements, meant a feasible employment option.
Interestingly, one multimedia expert has been
continuously mentoring NDS students regularly
now for the last 5 years!
Creating formal courseware: To ensure scale and
consistency of content delivery, NF helped create,
possibly India‟s first structured multimedia course
for the hearing impaired. Multiple NDS batches
have since then graduated and been placed with
well-known organizations.
Providing employment: NIIT is one of the proud
employers of NDS students.
Leveraging connections: In the true spirit of
partnership, NF and NDS are leveraging each
other‟s connections and other resources for a win-
win situation.
The aligned NDS and NF goals of skilling and
meaningful employment have become the
common language that reaches the hearing
impaired as well as the urban slum youth. We
would encourage other organizations to explore
this connect. If your heart beats for the masses, let‟s
meet over a cup of tea and explore our directions.
As change makers join hands and extend whole-hearted support, hope swells forth for not just them, but
for the entire society, the country and finally the whole world. When building the world, synergy is, no
doubt, very reassuring.
Above: NDS team and students clapping in sign language.
Above: NDS Trainer teaching using sign language and
structured courseware.
NF - NDS Impact : 417
Current NF-NDS Batch : 120
Number of NGO Partners : 67
Total Impacted through NGO Partners : 1025
7
NIIT Foundation Booth at NGOIndia2012
Exhibition. We received an over whelming response
from corporates, NGOs and Individuals from all
sections of society.
Coke representatives‟ visit to Coke Dasna Center.
Visitors were impressed with how confident the
students looked post training.
EVENTS
Online classes for District Learning Centers students in
Chhindwara by expert faculty from Delhi.
Career fair organized by NIIT Foundation in
10 locations across Delhi. More than 2000
students attended and over 750 students
registered.
HCL HR Manager interacting with Chhindwara
Students during campus interviews Batch Graduation Ceremony at Chhindwara DLC
Some glimpses of events at NIIT Foundation
8
GET CONNECTED
Sponsor a career for youth, a livelihood for a family and hope for the nation!
Get in touch with us at: [email protected]
“Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) has sponsored 100 under-served girl
students at NIIT Foundation for Service Industry Certificate Training at Delhi.
Training would empower these young girls with confidence, life skills and jobs to
pull them out of poverty. We appreciate the efforts of NIIT Foundation in
promoting the cause of under-served girl students for an equitable society.”
Sudhir Bhalla, Director (HR), IOCL
Twenty-year old Meena has six members in her family. Her life had taken a
turn for the worse 6 years ago when her mother passed away and her father‟s
right hand was crippled in an accident. Meena wanted to ease the burden on
her father and brother who work as hawkers. Her financial situation did not
allow her to afford the NF centre‟s subsidized fee. IOCL stepped forward to
sponsor her and today she is contributing to the family expenses.
There are multiple ways to connect with NIIT Foundation
More than 20 corporate s and 200 individuals have extended merit-based and need-based scholarships
ranging from partial to 100% fee concession to NIIT Foundation students over the past 4 years. More
than 1100 students have benefited from these scholarships.
100% Sponsorships for SC/ST Students : 210
100% Sponsorship for Girl Students : 100
9
ABOUT US
Meet our Indefatigable Foot Soldiers – officially known as center managers - who toil away at the
grassroots. Most have given up lucrative careers in the corporate world to serve the cause of
impacting society along with NIIT Foundation. Balancing minimum resources with maximum
creative impact in rural villages and urban slums, our NF foot soldiers march on, transforming
limitations into success stories every day.
From knocking on every slum door to networking with NGOs and corporates to coming up with
innovations for greater impact and sustainability, no work is too big or too small for them. You can
join our heroes by sponsoring the communities they hold responsibility for. You can start with
sharing this newsletter with all your friends, as any new connection may have the possibility of
bringing hope for an at-risk youth. You could also visit our centers and capture stories of personal
victories accomplished, through words, photography or videography on NF initiatives, or spread
the word through your media connections.
From left: Pallavi, Alpana, Nilabh, Ayesha, Sucheta, Pooja, Smita, Vandana, Deepak, Ritu, Saquib, Intekhab
NIIT Foundation (NF) is a not-for-profit education society that makes critical interventions towards
upgrading the skill base and employability of the marginalized youth in urban slums and rural
areas. In addition, it works with other NGOs to offer NF certification to the NGO beneficiaries.
10
CENTERS
Noida-51: Lavkush Market, near Post Office, main road Hoshiyarpur, Sector 51, Noida -201301, Tel:
9811597208; Begumpur : Basti Vikas Kendra, Behind Begumpur Bus-stop, Malviya Nagar, Begumpur -
110017, Ph. 40580305; Paharganj: 9329/1, Gali No.7, Multani Dhandha, Paharganj- 110055, Ph. 47506874,
47506873; Prem Nagar : I-180, Prem Nagar II, 70Ft Road, Kirari, New Delhi -110086, Ph. 25185560;
Gurgaon : Vishwas Vidyalaya, Sector 46, near Unitech Cyber Park, Gurgaon -122001, Ph. 7838177728;
Mangolpuri: L-625, DDA Flats, (near Mother Dairy) Mangolpuri, Delhi Ph. 011-27918987; Sangam Vihar :
Green Aravali School, I-4/35, Ratiya Marg, Sangam Vihar, New Delhi -110062, Ph. 26043709; Sunder Nagri:
N-25/26, Sunder Nagri, New Delhi -110093, Ph. 22597745; Madanpur Khadar: H. No. 272, Chauhan
Muhallah, Madanpur Khadar -110076, Ph. 29947891; Civil Lines: No. 2 Raj Niwas Marg, near Shah
Auditorium, Civil Lines, New Delhi, Ph: 23982620; Ghaziabad: Gram Niyojan Kendra, Adhyatmik Nagar,
Opp. IMS Engg. College. Dasna, Ghaziabad, Ph: 7838177728; Nizamuddin: MCP School, Hazrat
Nizamuddin Basti, Delhi -110013. Ph: 9818942279; Gharoli: C-548, Harijan Basti, Gharoli Extension -
110096, Ph. 22628857; Brahmpuri : C-185/36, 1st Floor, Above MTS Office, Main Brahmpuri Road Delhi -
110053, Ph. 22560344; Shastri Nagar: DD-82, Vishvakarma Colony, Nahari ka Naka, Shastri Nagar, Jaipur,
Ph: 0141-2309699; Jajpur: JSL Institute of Industrial Training, Trijanga rehabilitation colony, P.O. Danagadi
Jajpur 755026, Ph: 07735565556; Mumbai:FSC-1,1st floor shopping complex, opposite Airport high school,
New Airport Colony, (opposite Hanuman road) Airport Authority of India, Vila Parle East Mumbai- 400099,
Ph: 09619619074; Hisar: JINDAL INSTITUTE OF INDUSTRIAL TRAINING, (Formerly Stainless Skill Training
Institute - Prerana), 126 Green Square Market, Hisar - 125 005, Ph: 07206790140;
Chhindwara DLC: NIIT District Learning Center, near FCI warehouse Seoni road, Chhindwara Madhya
Pradesh- 480002, Ph: 0716 2232228, 0716 2232229; Barkuhi DLC: Barkuhi old VTC building, near SBI
Barkuhi, Madhya Pradesh- 480447, Ph: 0716 1263334
Project Director
NIIT Foundation
8, Balaji Estate, Kalkaji, New Delhi - 110019, India
Email: [email protected], [email protected],
Facebook :http://www.facebook.com/NIITAffirmativeAction
Office: +91-11-4167-5000, FAX: +91-11-4167-5178