Employability skills for underserved youth

Neem Tree is a symbol of

value. Hard at work from

roots to leaves. Sincerely

making itself useful to all it

connects with.

News Letter Volume 3

July’2012

2

PERSPECTIVE

How volunteering can change the

flavor of an organization

“I always wondered why somebody didn't do something

about that. Then I realized I was that somebody.”

Lily Tomlin

I had been thinking for a long time to connect with

those less fortunate. Things would always come up

that seemed threateningly urgent and I would again

become relentlessly occupied. Last year I finally got the

opportunity through a giving initiative launched in

NIIT. I took my daughters to visit an orphanage where

we spent half-a-day with some very energetic and

zealous kids, generally chatted with them and handed

over to them loads of snacks. These kids enveloped us

in love and gratitude. Suddenly we were the ones who

felt cared for. It was very humbling. Giving changed us

for the better - I realize that this is the formula for

manufacturing happiness!

Giving is up to us, we can choose how. We can give

our time, which is most precious, or the next best thing

- money. However, for the entire experience

of giving to be satisfying, here are some

of my takeaways.

First, we got to concentrate on

‘giving’. When we do this, the

noise of judgment quietens;

we concentrate on

creating value rather than

demanding it. In other words, whether

our time is „best utilized‟ by the

NGO or not, we got to make our

visit count and make a

difference.

Second, volunteering requires us to set aside our

social status and link at a human-to-human level.

This sets us free from the boundaries we have

created for ourselves.

I believe giving trains the mind to stay on the

positive side. Realization that we have done

something good naturally instills a sense of

wellbeing. This boosts not just our mood, but an

entire gamut of things, from self-esteem to

relationships, even competence.

With this conviction, last year we launched the

social giving initiative in NIIT – we call it „I

Give‟. Each NIITian is encouraged to give back to

society through volunteering or donations. NIIT

offers a special type of leave „IGive Leave‟ where

NIITians can take up to four days off to support

their cause! Many are already taking advantage of

this initiative, and I hope many more do this year.

Shampi Venkatesh

Chief People Officer

NIIT Ltd.

3

STUDENT SPEAK

“Bhaiya apka photo chhapa hai paper main” (Your picture has come in the

newspaper), someone cried from the heavy mob that wrestled against

unplastered walls of Narayan Baghel‟s house. Narayan, the eldest son of a

farming laborer, was chosen from all over India for DPE-MSL Global Scholarships

for professional training through NIIT Foundation.

Narayan‟s beginnings were tougher than you would guess from his brave smiles.

Knowing Rs.2000 per month hardly sufficed for his family of five, from an early

age of 12, Narayan spent weekends working on farms earning Rs. 20 per day for

school fees. When school finished, he quietly buried his hopes of being an

Engineer. Concentrating hard on practicality of life, doing B.Com.(Hons.), and

moving to Bangalore with his Aunt seemed like a sure shot way to land a job.

Three years of home tuitions to earn fees, endless chores and errands, nights of

pouring over English books to comprehend what professors talked about and

finally a B.Com.(H.) degree however failed to do the needful. Narayan returned

to Chhindwara, MP his hometown without a job. Just another statistic confirming

that traditional education system does not prepare youth for industry.

Narayan then heard of NF District Learning Center in Chhindwara. Professional

Job oriented courses offered at the center seemed within Narayan‟s reach,

bringing hope of a job. Still, the 5 hours of daily travel, and sheer battle for

sustenance posed a challenge. “But then I would think how I had come a long

way, I was finally learning about computers, professional behavior, and conversing

in English. Ravi Sir supported me a lot at DLC. I would remember my dream of

being an Engineer, to have a computer of my own, and I would somehow find the

strength to go on for one more day”

Narayan‟s dedication and hard work earned him the DPE-MSL Global scholarship

that is helping him fulfill his dream. Today Narayan has his coveted laptop, he is

studying to be a software engineer from NIIT on full scholarship, and interning in

NIIT Foundation Head Office, New Delhi.

From an aggressive kid who had joined DLC Chhindwara, Narayan has now

transformed into a calm, cooperative and responsible young man. His improved

speech, posture, and dressing match his new self perfectly. He says he still has a

long way to go. Being a farmer at heart, he is prepared.

For more information on Narayan’s scholarship story, kindly visit:

http://borntolearn.mslearn.net/dpe_msl_scholarship/b/weblog/

archive/2012/05/17/narayan-s-transformation.aspx

From above:

Top: Narayan at Chhindwara

District Learning Centre.

Middle: In Delhi streets on his

way to NIIT office.

Bottom: At NIIT, where

Narayan studies through his

DPE-MSL scholarship.

Narayan Baghel : No Dream Too Big

4

Dr. Nutan Bharati, Commonwealth of Learning Educational Media Centre For Asia (CEMCA), New Delhi

I had an opportunity to visit one of the career

development centres (CDC) of NIIT Foundation some

time back. NF is making an effort to address

employability issues for urban underprivileged youth by

providing industry linked skill-sets. In the following

paragraphs I am sharing my experience of that day when

I was at CDC Gharoli along with my friends from other

countries.

Gharoli Settlement

Gharoli is a settlement near the city dump at Ghazipur

off the National Highway 24 from New Delhi. If we were

to ignore trying realities, this dump encircled by vulture

in the grey sky, actually presents an art surrealist‟s image

of human existence looming larger than human

dwellings, hopes and aspirations.

The resettlement, Mullah Colony with well measured

streets, has materialized around high tension

transmitters. These big electric transmitters provide

unique relief to the topology of this colony, as

sometimes, they appear like mini towers underneath

which motorbikes can easily pass through somewhat like

everyday traffic crosses bridges and tunnels.

Some other towers offer a roundabout

chance to narrow lanes. The towers

stand there tall and very inclusive.

This is a monument of human

capacity and a will to adjust to

environmental hurdles!

Another spacious feature

that attracts attention

because of its potentially

beautiful architecture is a mosque

housing a Madrasa, a place of learning.

NI I T F ou nda t ion ‟ s ca re e r

development centre called NIIT

Yuva Star is housed close to this

building.

Guests from NGO-Kamalini

A visit by guests from NGO- Kamalini, represented by

Claudia from Peru, Paolina from Brazil and Anu Thomas

from India, created a chance to interact with local

students registered with CDC. This interaction was

valuable as it generated

stories that can be shared

across with like minded

people.

Rahul, a young

shy boy in the soft

skills class, was

game for the

„Jeevan Chakra‟ activity. He chose the area of life:

physical environment as an important part of his life.

Physical environment was rated eight on a ten point

scale. According to Rahul‟s observations, eight meant

an acknowledgement to what has already been done

for locality‟s environmental cleanliness. He aspired for a

rating of ten which would mean more cleanliness

around the houses. He made a commitment to himself

to speak to his landlord to allocate one container for

household garbage so that it is not strewn all over the

place. Rahul‟s face was beaming at the possibility of

meeting his commitment.

Puja, a young lady, expressed concerns over health

issues for women and committed to mobilize her

community for a health awareness mela. Rohit felt he

cannot bear to see the poor suffer; he has committed

to share at least one skill with people he wishes to help

in order to search for ways to achieve freedom from

poverty.

This class of fourteen, predominantly dreamt, planned

and committed to take steps for improving

communication and computer skills to earn a

certification and achieve financial freedom for

themselves and their families. They are truly

unstoppable!

Disclaimer: Views expressed are from writer's personal perspectives and do not

necessarily represent viewpoint of CEMCA.

READER’S ANGLE A Visit to CDC Gharoli

5

EVENTS

Civil Lines CDC Delhi, celebrated completion of one year in

operation. In the picture: Chief Guest Purnima Rai and Sapna

Moudgil (Implementation Head, NIIT Foundation)

Parent Awareness workshops were organized to address

inhibitions associated with employment of their daughters

and problems encountered in feeling the connect with

children once they become young adults.

The Industry visit to VRPL, Pitampura was a first visit to

a retail outlet for most of the fresh students of our CDC.

The Store Manager showed a realistic picture of the

work culture, growth path and the technicalities of the

job to the students.

Volunteer workshops were conducted across

CDCs to build mass awareness on issues like

Health, Domestic Violence and Women's Rights

On the eve of CII Center inauguration in Chhindwara, Hon‟ble Minister Mr. Kamal Nath presented WIPRO job offer letters to NF

students. Mr. S. Ramadorai, Mr. Adi Godrej, Mr. Pradeep Bhargava, and Mr. Deepak Saxena also graced the occasion with their

presence.

6

SPECIAL MENTION Rag Picker Project

NF Rag-Pickers‟ Project is entirely funded

by individual donations. Two batches

have already passed out of Gharoli center.

In Sangam Vihar the entire batch was

placed in Lord Krishna Public School.

Students Impacted through rag-picker’s

project: 118

Students admitted to schools through this

project: 52

Sangam Vihar and Gharoli are two rag-pickers‟ colonies that have sprouted

around the prominent garbage dumps of Delhi city. Rag-picking remains the mainstay of inhabitants whose daily

concerns are as much about meeting the goals set by local Kabadis (Scrap Shops) as they are about communal

tensions, diseases and crime.

“We had available capacity in the centers. Moreover, centers are there for the benefit of the community. It was hard

to ignore that (some of) these (rag-picker) kids had never been to school. They will become the youth of tomorrow.

We gathered kids of all ages (6 to 13 years) in the center and began with basics. Alphabet, grammar, maths, and

Weekly Schedule at NIIT Foundation Center

for Rag-Picker batches

Day Activity Resource

Monday Listening & speaking Books

Tuesday Speaking & Writing Notebook, White Board

Wednesday Oral Test Trainer

Thursday Written Test Computer Software

Friday Dancing, Alphabet games Trainer

Early every morning, a half asleep Muskan is piled on to a rickshaw on which her father

drives her to work (picking broken glass objects) on the pahaad (Garbage dump) at 7.30

am with her parents and younger siblings. Her first meal of the day comes only after half

past noon. On the days that they are not able to meet the required pick, they work longer.

After coming back from the pahaad, while her parents set about sorting out the garbage,

she was left to her own devices on the basti streets for rest of the day.

On talking to Muskan, we learnt that she had never been to school. Within a few sessions

at NIIT Foundation Center, Gharoli, she has bloomed into a bubbly talented child. Her

natural urge to learn and participate in class discussions have won her first place in

alphabet reading, basic arithmetic and multiplication table tests many times.

“I love computer and dancing. I wait every day after reaching home to come back the next

day”- Muskan

Muskan 10 Years Old Gharoli Rag Picker

Mampi

7 Years Old

Ragpicker

Mampi could not understand anything except Bengali.

She did not come for her classes at NIIT Foundation

(NF) Center for a week because she got scared by the

strange things called alphabets.

Thanks to contributions of NF individual donors, she is

now in school learning those unfamiliar things.

7

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‟s

beneficiaries.

PROJECT UPDATES

District Learning Centers

(DLCs) focus on imparting

employability skills to under-

privileged, non-working graduates

in rural areas. DLCs are currently

functional in Madhya Pradesh.

Synergy Project set up in

partnership with CII and Delhi

University, focuses on building

employability skills of the Distance

Education students at Delhi

University, with a special focus on

Career Development

Centers (CDCs) cater to the

skilling needs of the vast employable

population residing in urban slums.

CDCs are currently functional in

Delhi-NCR, Jaipur, Mumbai, UP and

Urban Slum

NReach builds capacity among

NGOs by providing structured

courseware, training NGO trainers

and providing trainer and student

certifications. This program is

offered nationwide.

Rural Youth

NGOs DU SC/ST

Sponsor a career for youth, a livelihood for a family and hope for the na-

tion!

Performance Areas Total

No. of Students Impacted 36031

Percentage of girl students 43%

Percentage of placed students 78%

No. of NGO partners 84

No. of partner employers 250

100% Scholarship for SC/ST Students this quarter 47

100% Scholarship for Girl Students this quarter 41

Volunteer hours 6580

8

(Above from Left) - Smita, Deepak, Neeraj, Wasim, Devendra, Amit, Amin, Manish,

Chhavi, and Rahul

DLC

Bar

ku

hi T

eam

GET CONNECTED

This change in

students can happen in

as short a period as six

months or up to a year, with

the right mix of technology,

training, industry input and

experienced faculty.

Join our mission by sponsoring

a needy student, volunteering

to spread awareness in

communities, or connecting us

to your network. You can start

by sharing this newsletter with

all your friends. We look

forward to meeting you.

DLC

Ch

hin

dw

ara

Te

am

(Above from Left) - Dharmendra, Aaradhna, Vikram, Dinesh, Garima, Pankaj, Piyush, Saba,

Deepak, Vijay, Rita, Manoj, and Pratiksha

NIIT Foundation District

Learning Centers (DLC)

in Chhindwara, Madhya

Pradesh started on the

hypothesis that it is

possible to bring a rural

or semi-rural graduate

to the same level of

proficiency as the urban

student by providing

focused and high-quality

training.

Corporates, individuals, NGOs

and funding agencies can

connect with us in varied ways.

Please do write to us at

Partner@niitfoundation.org

to explore synergy.

9

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 317, Chauhan Mohalla, Manshukh

Singh Marg, Near, Anglo Indian Public School, Madanpur Khadar, New

Delhi – 76, 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; Jawahar Nagar: 2/600, Jawahar Nagar, Opp. Sanatan

Handa Ki Gali, Near Satya Sai College, Jaipur, Ph: 0141-2650554;

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

Website: www.niitfoundation.org

Email: niitaffirmativaction@niit.com,

Giving@niit.com, Partner@niitfoundation.org

Facebook :http://www.facebook.com/NIITAffirmativeAction

Office: +91-11-4167-5000, FAX: +91-11-4167-5178