A software firm that aims to make rural youth better employable

After passing class X exams, Rajan (name changed) joined Best of Breed Software Solutions (India) Ltd (BBSSL) as an ‘office boy’. His interest and attitude to learn new things caught the attention of S Gnansekaran, founder of BBSSL.

Narrating Rajan’s growth story, Gnansekaran said he encouraged the youngster to attend classes during his spare time.

“Rajan showed good progress. Today he is working for a bank in Dubai,” the BBSSL founder told BusinessLine , sharing some insights about screening and recruitment.

“Most companies merely go by marks during the screening process.

“In the name of consistency, they want to ensure the candidate does not show any (small) slip in his marks right from class X to the final semester in his collegiate programme.

“The exercise is more of an elimination process rather than selection. While companies have the liberty to eliminate and get the best of candidates, they invariably have to be trained and made industry-ready.

“Training institutes and finishing schools impart training and leave it to someone else to recruit and help them gain experience,” Gnansekaran said, adding, “the name BBSSL was a give-away to the line of work pursued by us.”

The company, with a 25-strong workforce, partners with top IT companies and works for multiple clients — both within and outside India — mostly in the BFSI vertical.

It recruits graduates from rural India, invests in them through rigorous a skilling process and methodology, practical assignments and then employs them in the IT industry.

“We are intent on bridging the gap, imparting experience.”

“Over 700 candidates have gone through this channel since its inception in 2004,” Gnanasekaran said.

To extend the benefits of the skilling model, he has promoted Gnosys Skill Bridge Pvt Ltd, a skill development company, primarily focussed on creating a large deployable workforce to BBSSL and other IT organisations, as well as IT teams of banks.

“The skill-development facility is coming up on a 26-acre campus at Krishnagiri in Tamil Nadu. The first phase (about 10,000 sq feet) of this facility will be ready in 6-8 months. We are looking to make at least 2,000 youths deployable a year. Most of them will be from rural areas and Tier III and IV towns.”

“I want to make every candidate deployable rather than creating employable hands, which everyone does,” Gnanasekaran said.

For now, he is set to usher in a transformation in rural India, in changing the mindset of job-seekers that only the cream of the crop can pride themselves of working in top IT companies.

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