Vacancy in St. Francis Institute of Technology for Workshop Instructor, Workshop Attendant and Lab Assistant

Source: Loksatta dated 13 March, 2019

The teachers who are learning a lot

Teach India’s volunteers feel rewarded when they see the difference they have made to their students’ lives

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

‘He who can, does. He who can’t, teaches,’’ is a saying often used to dismiss those in the teaching profession. Yet Teach India initiative proves that even author George Bernard Shaw could be wrong sometimes. Among the illustrious list of people who volunteer their time for teaching in the programme are corporate executives, homemakers and entrepreneurs who have never taught before.

Like Gurugram-based Pooja Widhani who works in a garment-buying house and has more than 20 years of experience working with international brands. “I had held meetings, travelled the world but never taught. My son said ‘Mom give it a shot’, and I did,’’ she recalls. That was 2014. From training a batch of 20 students Pooja has moved on to training and mentoring teachers for the Gurgaon and south Delhi region.

Despite long years in the corporate sector, the fact that 20 lives were in her hands was a responsibility that made her nervous. The turning point came when 80% got a job. One student touched her feet and said that she had changed his life. “That changed my life. It motivated me so much and has made me feel better about myself than all those fancy jobs I have held over the years.’’ The Teach India campaign this year is in partnership with the American Express and will impact the lives of 1,400 learners who will be given training in communication and English to improve their employability.

Launched in 2010, the programme has had significant success. It has so far trained 80,000 learners over the last eight years. Of these, 52,800 learners have secured jobs. The programme aims to reach 100,000 learners by 2020.

This has been due to the earnestness of people like Pooja Widhani and Pradeep Jain. Jain, 58, spent more than three decades working in operations as a senior VP. After a hectic career, he was looking for a change. “I started working with Teach India in 2014. My thinking has changed a lot since then. I started working with an NGO for differently abled children near Bhikaji Cama Place, as well as an NGO in Mehrauli in a Muslim-dominated area,” he says. He hadn’t seen that kind of poverty before. “You read about it, but it’s a completely different experience to see the reality of it.”

He convinced his wife Jyotsna to join Teach India as well. “My husband would tell me how much he enjoys it, and how content he feels doing this work. I was inspired by him and decided to become a part of it,” says the 63-year-old homemaker-turned- teacher. “Recently, I’ve been working with a Gurugram-based NGO that teaches women who are homemakers. The experience has changed my life.’’ Pradeep Jain adds, “Seeing the willingness of these children to learn and make something of themselves against all odds has been an inspiration.”

More recent volunteers include Gurugram-based designer Aakriti Verma, who joined Teach India in 2016, soon after completing her graduation in apparel export in the UK. “I had just set up my brand and was struggling to establish it,” says Verma, 26. “It was busy but I thought the starting point of my career was the right time to volunteer and it could help me bring a fresh energy to what I did.”

Since then, Verma has worked with NGO Sahyog, Gurugram Traffic Police and Indian Army jawans’ wives. She says the sessions have also helped her become more confident in her professional life. “I have to talk to a lot of people as part of my work, and when you talk to so many people on stage, you become fearless,” says Verma.

She also forged a personal bond with students, and says the programme offered her an opportunity to interact with people she would’ve otherwise never met. “For example, we don’t really interact with the police,” she says. She continues to be in touch with many of her students, such as a Gurugram policeman who tells her how learning spoken English has helped him figure out when people are making fun of him. “Many still call to wish me on my birthday. Even if I’ve made a small difference to someone, it’s been worth it,” she says.

LEARNING CURVE: Volunteers from diverse backgrounds ranging from corporate executives to homemakers are part of the Teach India initiative

Source: The Times of India dated 13 March, 2019

Vacancy in St. Francis Institute of Technology for Professor, Associate Professor and Assistant Professor

Source: The Times of India (Ascent) dated 13 March, 2019 

IOT India Congress 2019 to be held on August 22-23

It will include tracks on segments such as healthcare, manufacturing, telecom, smart cities and agriculture

The Internet of Things (IoT) India Congress, an event which will see digital technology leaders converge to discuss and explore business opportunities in mainstreaming IoT, will be held in Bengaluru on August 22-23, 2019.

The IoT India Congress 2019 will include tracks on segments such as healthcare, manufacturing, telecom, smart cities, energy, retail, cyber security, skills and development, IoT Standards, legal and regulatory, and agriculture.

To read the full article, visit:

https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/info-tech/iot-india-congress-2019-to-be-held-on-august-22-23/article26507640.ece (Accessed on 13 March, 2019)

TCS launches new version of MRT Platform

Tata Consultancy Services has launched a new version of the Metadata Registrv and Transformation (MRT) Platform that helps life sciences companies streamline their clinical data management by automating clinical study design and set up and conversion of clinical data into standard formats for greater interoperability across the clinical trial phases.

The MRT platform is part of TCS' Advanced Drus Development (ADD) suite of cloud-based clinical platforms, which are powered by a cognitive engine.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Source URL: https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-cm/tcs-launches-new-version-of-mrt-platform-119031100477_1.html (Accessed on 12 March, 2019)

IBM Recognizes Accenture as IBM Watson Customer Engagement Partner of the Year

New York: Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has been recognized by IBM as a top-performing global partner at the 2019 IBM Beacon Awards ceremony, held recently in San Francisco. For the second year in a row, Accenture Interactive was recognized as the IBM Watson Customer Engagement Partner of the Year.

The award highlights Accenture Interactive’s ability to deliver extraordinary commerce experiences across all customer touchpoints on a flexible, scalable platform that puts control over experience and commerce in the hands of the business teams.

To read the full article, visit:
https://www.martechadvisor.com/news/customer-experience-2/ibm-recognizes-accenture-as-ibm-watson-customer-engagement-partner-of-the-year/ (Accessed on 12 March, 2019)

How former Microsoft, Accenture execs joined hands with Samarthanam Trust for an accelerator to help startups making solutions for the disabled

The Assistive Technology Accelerator focusses on startups building tech-based solutions for the differently abled

See a problem, solve it – that’s the mantra that most startups set out with. And in doing so, they come up with solutions that makes things easier for a wide audience. The same goes for startups working in assisted technologies. However, most often, these startups can find it difficult to reach out to the intended market and target audience. 

“In fact, people with disabilities are one section of the society that are the least exposed to technology when the fact is that they would be able to make the most from it,” says Prateek Madhav, CEO of Assistive Technology Accelerator (ATA). 

This was the genesis for starting the ATA, which focusses on startups that are building assistive technology for the disabled. For close to two decades now, Prateek has straddled the two worlds of corporate and non-profit organisations. Having worked with Accenture, he was earlier an advisor with the Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled before he joined full-time. 

Why an accelerator for assistive technology

Prateek says technology and startups can transform the lives of the differently abled. However, the primary problem for startups looking to create and develop technologies to help these people is taking them to the market. 

“This is the problem we set out to address with the Assistive Technology Accelerator,” says Prateek. Quoting a WHO report, he says that by 2030, close to 2 billion people in the world will need at least one assistive technology product. He adds, 

“There are 70 million people with disability in India, and over 1 billion, or close to 15 percent of the world’s population, lives with some form of disability. It is important that we start using our advanced technology and products to make life easier for them.” 

He joined hands with Ravi Narayan, who is well-known in the venture capital and startup accelerator space. For over two decades, Ravi has mentored startups, helping them build, grow, and scale. He was the global director at Microsoft Accelerators, and is the CEO of T-Hub today. 

“When I first came to India two decades back, there wasn’t much of a startup ecosystem - hardly any mentors or investors. In over a decade, the ecosystem has grown and evolved. After years of building for-profit startups, I felt it was time to look at startups in the assistive technology space,” he says.

The ATA is housed in the premises of the Samarthanam Trust, and is actively supported by Mahantesh G.K., Founder and Chairman of the trust. Prateek says the trust helps give startups access to the target market, space, and allows them to test their products. 

The team at the soft launch of the Assistive Technology Accelerator

What it offers

“In addition to all the facilities that an accelerator provides such as mentorship and funding, the ATA also offers a ready ‘market’ right here for assisted technology startups. Any technology or product they develop can be immediately tested and applied,” says Ravi.  

The accelerator had a soft launch in November 2018 and applications are now open for startups to apply. Once the cohort is formed, the chosen startups will receive guidance and mentorship for six months with respect to product-market fit and in setting up a business model.

The focus of the accelerator is to help existing assistive technology startups scale their business across India and find a global audience and also assist them in funding as well. Ravi says they are now looking for startups that have a basic minimum viable product in place, and have had few tests in the market. He adds,

“In the next phase, we will also look to incubate early-stage ideas and finally, we also aim to help startups solve larger disability issues through collaboration among startups.”  

The accelerator will also provide mentorship in terms of growth, investment strategy, product design and management. It will conduct workshops, sessions from industry leaders and disability experts. ATA will also give startups access to beneficiaries, NGOs, and experts, and help them with distribution channels for assistive technology solutions. 

The ATA also provides a subsidised seating space for startups and hosts other startup workshops. 

“Today, there are many college and university projects and assignments that are simply lying waste. And the primary reason for that is lack of market access or lack of building a solution that can actually be utilised by people. At ATA, we want to change that,” says Prateek.

Source: https://yourstory.com/2019/03/startup-accelerator-disabled-solutions-microsoft-accenture-samarthanam-5tavt5p75b (Accessed on 12 March, 2019)