TCS, Kashmir Uni join hands to launch skilling programmes

Intending to improve the employability skills of students in Kashmir and make them industry-ready, India’s leading IT firm Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has partnered with the University of Kashmir to launch Education, Skilling & Entrepreneurship Programs. As part of its corporate social responsibility, under this initiative, TCS will train young people in 21st-century skills to make them industry-ready.

Over the next three years, TCS will carry out Youth Employment Program (YEP), BridgeIT, goIT, Ignite My Future (IMF) and Adult Literacy Program (ALP) that have already seen success in other parts of the country. Under the YEP, school and college students will be trained in 21st-century skills that are required to be successful in the digital economy.

According to the information shared by the company, the University of Kashmir will play the role of a facilitator to create linkages for TCS to drive its goIT and IMF initiatives. goIT is a program for school students that increases interest in technology through design thinking, mobile app development, and mentorship from TCS employees.

TCS Ignite My Future Program is an educator training and resource program for transforming the way students learn. The training program covers English communication, corporate etiquette, analytical thinking, and problem-solving, basic computer and technical skills, and self-confidence. The ALP will augment the Government of India’s efforts to address the challenge of educating adults. The ALP will be implemented through the university’s Directorate of Lifelong Learning.

“TCS believes in investing in helping young people to become responsible and productive citizens. We are pleased to partner with the University of Kashmir to empower students and educators in the region with skillsets and mindsets for the digital economy. We strive to create digital social innovators among school children. We are delighted that the University has agreed to play the role of a facilitator to connect us with institutions at the school level,” said Balaji Ganapathy, Global Head, Corporate Social Responsibility, TCS.

Additionally, TCS will pilot an ‘Entrepreneurship in Tourism’ program under its flagship BridgeIT program for promising students from the university’s Department of Tourism, Hospitality and Leisure Studies. The goal of this project is to build the requisite skills to participate in the tourism industry in the valley and elsewhere.

These students will be mentored in key domain functions, portal management, data management and analytics and market assessment. They will also be guided around seed funding and human resources development to establish a tourism start-up. The program will also help entrepreneurs connect with the larger tourism ecosystem, including travel agencies, tour-operators, rural tourism and agri-tourism and adventure tourism.

Prior to this, TCS had partnered with Udaan, an initiative of the Government of India to empower the unemployed youth of J&K through skills training, and TCS trained 869 youth, of whom 782 were offered jobs at TCS.