More than 30% of economically disadvantaged students, who received complimentary coaching for engineering and medical entrance exams through a Delhi government initiative, have successfully gained admission to prestigious institutions, including the Indian Institutes of Technology, according to Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam. Speaking at a press conference, Gautam disclosed that approximately 13,000 students enrolled in the “Jai Bhim Mukhyamantri Pratibha Vikas Yojana” in the last cycle, with around 4,000 benefiting from complimentary coaching for engineering and medical entrance exams.

Of these, 1,303 students have secured admissions to esteemed institutions such as IITs, NITs, Delhi Technological University, IP University, and others. The Delhi government allocates a maximum of Rs 1.4 lakh for the free coaching of these students, and each participant receives a Rs 2,500 allowance to cover miscellaneous expenses.

Launched in 2019, the scheme initially targeted students from Scheduled Castes and was subsequently expanded to encompass all Delhi students who have completed classes 10 and 12, with an annual family income below Rs 8 lakh.

Under this program, students can prepare for exams conducted by the Union Public Service Commission, Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board, Staff Selection Commission, Railway Recruitment Board, banks, insurance companies, as well as medical and engineering pre-examinations. In the 2019-2020 period, 4,953 students benefited from the scheme, with the classes disrupted due to the Covid pandemic until October 2020.

To bridge the skills gap and empower the Indian workforce for a cybersecurity career, Microsoft has unveiled a cybersecurity skilling program aimed at equipping over 100,000 learners by 2022. This initiative is crafted to provide learners with practical experience in the essentials of security, compliance, and identity.

Collaborating with strategic partners such as Cloudthat, Koenig, RPS, and Synergetics Learning, Microsoft will deliver these courses. The program’s modules are structured to cater to learners at various stages of their cybersecurity journey.

As part of this effort, Microsoft has introduced four new certifications in security, compliance, and identity. The certification for Fundamentals, recognized and accredited, will be offered at no cost for individuals participating in the associated training through this program. Moreover, Microsoft, in conjunction with its partners, extends discounted offers on other advanced role-based certifications to foster in-depth skills for tackling cybersecurity challenges.

On Monday, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCEAR) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on a skilling project in schools. NCEAR will conduct a research study in two phases to offer guidance for the implementation of skilling programs in alignment with the National Education Policy 2020.

During the first phase, the study will scrutinize inputs from CBSE, comparing existing teaching and learning patterns to identify gaps and issues in the current programs at CBSE schools. It will particularly focus on assessing learning outcomes, the relevance of skills, and their impact on future education and career pathways.

In the second phase, the study will concentrate on identifying steps and corrective measures to address the identified constraints and reinforce the factors highlighted in phase 1. The objective is to make skilling programs in CBSE schools more pertinent and impactful. This involves an assessment of the courses taught, available resources in schools for effective implementation, and the initiation of a regular monitoring program in the near future.

The MOU was signed in the presence of Anita Karwal, Secretary (School Education & Literacy), Praveen Kumar, Secretary (Skill Development and Entrepreneurship), and Manoj Ahuja, Chairman CBSE.

As part of Bharat Petroleum’s (BPCL) Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, the NGO Bisnouli Sarvodaya Gramodyog Sewa Sansthan (BSGSS), under the guidance of former civil servants Nandita Bakshi and Vijay Kumar Jha, has inaugurated a new training session at its Skill Development Training Centre for Women. Operating in the Haryana region for the past two decades, the NGO offers programs in four disciplines for women: cutting-tailoring, beauty culture, computer operation, and English speaking. According to the organization, these programs have empowered beneficiaries to acquire new skills, boosting their confidence to realize their potential and explore employment and income-generating opportunities.

B.V. Gokhale, Chief Manager-HR, and Rajesh Kashyap, Executive (Ben-Admn) NR of BPCL, engaged with 30 beneficiaries from previous batches to assess the project’s effectiveness at Dorangla in the Gurdaspur district. They reported that over 90% of the first batch beneficiaries have secured employment.

Anup Kumar, Director Operations of BSGSS, highlighted that the training center, being the first of its kind in the region, received an overwhelming response. The District Administration, CDPO, local BSF unit, and the village sarpanch appreciated these efforts. Kumar also emphasized that the training has contributed to enhancing the knowledge and awareness of trainees on various issues, including education, health, nutrition, livelihood, entrepreneurial initiatives, women empowerment, and financial literacy.