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Summary:
The Global Business Foundation Skills Program, a talent sustainability CSR initiative aimed at aligning
the teaching and course-curriculum at Graduate Schools especially in tier 2 &3 towns to the
industry requirements so the students have an edge as far as employability is concerned. More than
9200+ students have been trained on this course curriculum as on date in FY15 through the 430
academicians trained from 220 colleges.
Background:
The fight for suitable talent at the right cost is now more than ever crucial for any industry. Skills and
knowledge are the driving forces of economic growth and social development for any country. A
recent NASSCOM report states that only 34% of all the graduates every academic year are
employable by the Knowledge Industry. Given the reach and the opportunities available today in the
country, it is disheartening to note this figure against the backdrop of high unemployment in our
country. The crucial missing link here is skill development as India moves progressively towards
becoming a knowledge economy and transforms into a diversified and internationally competitive
economy. Only 10% of the total workforce in the country receives some kind of skill training (2%
with formal training and 8% with informal training). Considering the fact that the academic
curriculum is more or less similar across universities and colleges, graduates from Tier 2 and 3 towns
typically lose out due to lack of exposure and soft skills in the race for employment. All the
stakeholders, the central and state governments need to work in tandem to increase the
employability through skills training. Companies and industry associations across business sectors
are not only creating their in-house training facilities but are also taking steps to make potential
employees job-ready before they join organizations.
Given this background, it was decided that Infosys BPO through its CSR initiatives continued its focus
on Skill Development of the youth in Tier 2 and 3 towns and from the marginalized communities.
While vocational and soft skill training opportunities are available in plenty, their standards leave
much to be desired especially if there is no industry validation of these programs. Hence in
collaboration with NASSCOM and other industry majors, Infosys BPO created the Global Business
Foundation Program. The content of this program was refurbished by Infosys BPO and reviewed and
endorsed by other organizations like Accenture, Convergys, Deloitte, Dell, Genpact and IBM.
Given the scale of graduates in the country, it would have been very difficult for the organization to
train the students on this curriculum directly. Hence to reach the scale, the project has been
designed that Infosys BPO would train the academicians from different colleges and they would
train the students.
The content focuses on the following essential skills required for entry level hiring across various
industries (ITeS/BPM, Retail, Hospitality, Manufacturing etc.).
Last year (Apri14 Mar15), we have worked with various Universities in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra
and with Department of Collegiate Education, Gov. of Karnataka, covering various universities in
Karnataka.
Conclave/Meeting with the University Officials and the Principals: The Principals and
various officials are given an overview of the program and also the content of the training.
This ensures that we have their buy in for the program and implementation can be planned
at the respective colleges. This would also be instrumental in ensuring that the maximum
number of students benefits from the program
Implementation in the colleges: The content has been designed as a 160 hour program to
be rolled out at the convenience of the colleges. Some of the autonomous colleges conduct
this program as a credit course for interested students; some colleges have made it a part of
the curriculum. Many colleges run this program as an additional training for students
especially in the final year of graduation to enable them to be prepared for placement
activities. During this phase, the members of the team travel to as many colleges as possible
and support the training program by either taking some of the sessions or by providing
additional inputs to the trained faculty members. There is also a dedicated portal where
both students and teachers can log in and access more material.
Connect Programs: Infosys BPO also conducts Student Connect Programs for students from
the partnering universities. These are typically one day events held either on campus or off
campus. The premise is to give the students a flavor of the corporate. The students and
teachers get an opportunity to interact with leaders and have a glimpse of the corporate
culture. Last year we had 6000+ students visiting our campuses as a part of this program.
At every stage of the program, the team has been involved to ensure that the correct message
reaches every stakeholder. The team continuously works with the academia throughout the
year to ensure that the program is monitored and reports collected regularly. The team also
travels regularly to the colleges to interact with the students and teachers to set the context,
offer any support required. There is a portal which has been designed exclusively for the
teachers and students where relevant course curriculum and additional course material is
available. It also serves as a vital link between the teachers, students and the organization.
The GBFS program is the first step in building a bridge between Industry and the academia.
Looking at the relevance of the program, more universities and colleges have come forward and
are asking for support to make courses more job relevant. Discussions are underway to
introduce Data Analytics as a credit course in both UG and PG levels. Similar efforts are being
made in other domains such as Finance and Accounting and Insurance. Such collaborative
efforts will go a long way in increasing the employability of graduate students in Tier 2 and 3
towns and help them find gainful employment
Achievements: The following are the details of our efforts in FY 2015 as on date. The singleminded focus is on training students. 9200+ students have been trained so far in FY 15. This has
been possible through the 430 lecturers from 220 colleges who have participated in the Faculty
Development Programs this year. We continue to receive the data with regard to
implementation.
We have received considerable feedback from the academy on the implementation in colleges
and its usefulness to the students
Please refer to the attached document Testimonials for the testimonials from our stakeholders.
Acknowledgements:
NASSCOM appreciated the program during its 11th Governing Executive Council Meeting.
Bharathiar University has presented the project to the Principal Secretary of Tamil Nadu
Commissioner of Collegiate Education, Karnataka presented it to the Principal Secretary of
Karnataka.
The key takeaways from the implementation of the project can be categorized under:
For the organization:
a. Connect with Academia: Too keep up with the latest trends and curriculum in the academic
world
b. An opportunity to share the industry requirements with a deserving group of candidates
For the Universities and other academic institutions:
a. Opportunity to connect with the industry and collaborate for the benefit of the students.
b. Opportunity to explore feasibility of introducing newer courses which could be very relevant
to the needs of the industry.
c. Opportunity for the students to gain invaluable exposure to corporates and take informed
decisions about their careers
For the Teaching community: An association with the industry and to stay relevant as per the
changing needs of the students. There is an invaluable exchange of knowledge between the
teachers and industry during this process
For society: Alleviation of unemployment which prevails in the society. As more and more
students get opportunities to build careers in different industries, the disparity in income and its
related malaises would in a small way be alleviated.