Corporate India zeroes in on classrooms
S.C. dhall

WITH the Indian economy growing at a high speed, the ‘catch them young’ mantra is gaining momentum in almost each and every industry, be it information technology, auto companies, retail or the banking sector.

There is a growing need for talent in the information technology sector and leading players have realised that the shortage of skilled manpower can be met by collaborating with educational institutions to produce "ready graduates".

A number of big players have started making contacts with the educational institutions which will impart networking education to 25,000 students a year. Over two dozen institutions have signed MoUs with big IT players for this purpose.

For instance, The EMC, a leader in information infrastructure solutions, has just inked a deal with the IIT-Bangalore to offer a course in information storage technology to second-year postgraduate students.

This will enable students to gain a cutting edge knowledge of information management and storage, one of the fastest growing segments within the IT industry and the IIT-Bangalore will produce ‘ready graduates’.

It will provide and develop courses which will bridge the gap between the current engineering curriculum and the industry’s requirements. Autodesk’s first MoU was with the IIT- Madras.

In another case, CISCO has tied up with a number of institutions to build and maintain computer networks and features hands-on, project-driven training in high-demand job skills.

It has currently over 4000 students who will be imparted IT knowledge as well as networking skills, so that those graduating are useful to the knowledge economy.

Similarly, retailers are facing a shortage of skilled staff for their day-to-day work.

The 40,000 to 50,000 retail stores require a minimum of 100 people and the scene is set for large-scale employment creation.

Retailers are targeting Class XII students, who usually wind up in college since there are no job opportunities or training available to them. Retailers want sales staff at the counters and also sales executives. MBAs are overqualified for these jobs and also the retailers do not want to pay higher salaries when they can get Class XII students for Rs 5000 to 9000 per month.

Auto companies are also on a ‘catch them young’ mission. Engineering students in the country who dream of designing tomorrow’s cars have never had it better. Already, over 400 to 500 engineers are under the scanner of some of the nation’s leading auto companies and the cars they churn out might just be the forerunners to some innovative designs that could hit the road in the years to come.

A number of auto companies are forming teams on which they spend around Rs. 2 lakh to give youngsters a real-world engineering project and get them excited about the manufacturing industry. It is with the idea to teach them to roll up their sleeves and learn how to design car. Most of the companies are sponsoring youngsters on these teams by providing financial help.

Banks are also not far behind in this game. With a view to inculcating saving habits and the practice of money management in young children, they have started visiting schools to open accounts of students. Bankers say it is equally important that parents teach their kids how to perform basic banking transactions.

Now, even debit cards are being issued to students aged just 10.