The Hindu Business Line : ‘Bridging the gap’

Headstart
CII is also planning advanced level courses by the summer of 2008, so that students can specialise in skills required for particular sectors

Our Bureau

New Delhi, Nov. 5 “Now I can think of applying for a private sector job on my own steam,” said one of the 74 students who “passed out” of the first batch of special training imparted at the University of Delhi under the Affirmative Action Programme of the Confederation of the Indian Industries (CII).

Called the “bridging the gap” initiative, underprivileged students pursuing or have already finished their graduation from DU are being trained in modules in IT, English and soft skills for three months to prepare them for the corporate job market.

“Earlier, their only option was to look out for a Government job. The focus of this course is on making the socially backward student self-confident and employable,” said Mr Vijay Thadani, Chairman, CII National Committee on Education and CEO, NIIT Ltd. The course, which is to serve as a stepping stone for the students, is aiming to replace the constraints of an inadequate educational qualification, and ability to speak English with enhanced training and confidence building.

“There is a huge demand for skilled labour in the domestic industry. So, what we are trying to do is bridge the gap and make the students capable of getting jobs on the basis of their skills and merits.”

In fact, CII is also planning advanced level courses by the summer of 2008, so that students can specialise in skills required for particular sectors, including IT, auto, healthcare, media and biotechnology.

However, Prof Deepak Pental, Vice-Chancellor of the university, felt that the curricula needed a second look and could be bettered with the collaboration of the Government.