Skill

Letts CEO Speaks…..

VOLUME 2 ISSUE 2 I’m delighted to write this at a time when the ASAP Summer Skill Skool 2017 has been whole heartedly received by the educational institutions of the INSIDE THIS EDITION State. The high numbers – student enrol- ment for skill courses that crossed 18,000 and more than 300 institutions

that expressed interest for the De-  DISTRICT VIEW PAGE 2 mand, Operate and Train (DOT) Scheme, show the acceptance of ASAP as a credible skill facilitator. The bench-  CAREER POINT PAGE 5 marks in skill training set by ASAP during the last four years due to our deliberate and sincere efforts are here to stay and guide the future en- deavours. Let us all be proud about this.  SECTOR VIEW PAGE 8 Increased acceptance translates into greater responsibilities. Rolling out viable skill batches from the applications and preparing our SDCs, On-the-Job Training centres and Internships centres for success-  ARTICLE PAGE 10 ful completion of the Summer Skill Skool should be top on our agenda for the next few months. We need to reciprocate the faith reposed up- on us by our partners.  THOUGHT WAVES PAGE 12 The increased demand offers us learning opportunities as well.

The preference of stakeholders towards the Summer Skill Skool mode of Skilling should prompt us to strengthen both –regular and SSS –  REFLECTIONS PAGE 13 modes of skilling delivery to reach the target population. This insight comes at a crucial point in the growth of ASAP when Community Skill  CLUSTER NEWS PAGE 14 Parks, are soon going to become our major operational facilities in ad- vanced skill training. Also, I take this opportunity to share with you my joy in the arrival of the latest generation of Programme Managers to strengthen the existing vibrant and committed pool as well as the sterling perfor- VIEWS, VOICE & WAYS OF SKILLS mance of the ASAP-driven Trainers Training Academy that successfully

trained more than 700 Skill Trainers during the current academic year. ASAP’s contributions to the state, I’m sure, will only keep in- An in house journal of creasing in the days to come with the sincere commitment being Additional Skill Acquisition shown by our team. Programme

With love and respects Reju M T Skill Letts VIEWS, VOICE & WAYS OF SKILLS

An in house journal of Additional Skill Acquisition Programme

Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala's capital is a relatively compact but lively city and an easy going intro- duction to urban life down south. The economy of Thiruvananthapuram is predominantly based on the tertiary or service sector. The city is a major IT hub and exporter of software with over 250 companies employing more than 40,000 professionals with Technopark being the epicentre. It also contributes nearly 80% of the state's soft- ware exports. Tourism is the next major contributor to the economy of the city. Thiruvananthapuram is an academic and research focal point too. Thiruvananthapuram was listed as one of the top 10 cit- ies in India on Vibrancy and Consumption Index by a study conducted by the firm Morgan Stanley re- cently. There are around 20 Government owned and 60 Privately owned medium and large-scale in- dustrial units in Thiruvananthapuram. There are also about 30,000 small scale industrial units employ- ing around 115,000 people. Traditional industries like Handloom and Coir are also prominent in the city. Future prospects of the city include Vizhinjam Port, LULU mall and Techno city.

ASAP Thiruvananthapuram - Journey of ASAP started here on November 6th 2012 with the launch- ing of the programme by the then Chief Minister Shri Oomen Chandy at Govt. Womens College. Starting with 21 batches in 2012 ASAP Thiruvananthapuram has had its own ups and downs. The District has maintained a consistency in its performance, with many noteworthy activities like UMANG ( ASAPl Fest) , SKILL EXPO’s, Regular Placement drives, In- dustry linkages with companies like Allianz, RRD, Skempco and SBT . Thiruvananthapuram District has 9 Skill Development Centres. ASAP District Team has vibrant Programme Managers with experience both in managing sector and field ac- tivities. It also has an excellent team of Skill Development Executives and an active SDE Forum led by Shri Vinod Ponnan & Smt. Indiramani . ASAP Coordinators and Principals of Institutions are the pillars of the programme in the district on which ASAP is built . The Team members are Basil Amanullah ( SDC Attingal college), Ruby Ismail ( SDC Venjaramoodu), Lekshmi VR ( SDC Sreekaryam High School), Shameema Hameed ( SDC Thycaud), Deepthy S ( SDC Kamaleswaram) , Lakshmi Mohan ( SDC Venganoor), Nimmy George ( SDC Neyyatinkara), Anjali ( SDC Kattakada) and Binoj Ku- mar ( SDC Nedumangad) , Steaphen Alexander ( DPM Unit ) and Sreevidya ( DPM Unit ).

February 2017 Page 2 Skill Letts VIEWS, VOICE & WAYS OF SKILLS

An in house journal of Additional Skill Acquisition Programme

ASAP VIBES -Thiruvananthapuram

UMANG a skill festival to show case student talent was started in the district with the blessings of Dr.K.M. Abraham IAS, the then Additional Chief Secretary for Higher Education during 2013-14, a transformational year for the district . Students got opportunities to exhibit skills acquired through ASAP in competitions which were designed keeping in mind syllabus and skills acquired through the ASAP Skill and Foundation modules. The competitions were multilevel starting from institutions and was a great opportunity and motivation for Students, SDEs and ASAP Coordinators. The Event turned out to be a milestone event for ASAP in Thiruvananthapuram.

Umang is being conducted annually in the district ever since its inception and is eagerly looked upon by the academic fraternity.

FUTURE READY PROGRAMME- Skilling will never be whole-

some with out industry support. Thiruvananthapuram being an IT Hub, it becomes inevitable to have a liaison with IT indus-

tries. Initial connections with ACIS, a leading BPO / FPO in the

capital started for field visit for engagement and ACIS be- came a partner institute for Skill training. ASAP signed a MoU

with , ACIS ( Allianz Cornhill)– for the `The Future Ready

Programme` to train and provide placement support for stu-

dents who are interested to join BPO industry. The pro-

gramme provided excellent opportunities for soft skill develop-

ment for students and offered training modules in the areas of

accent neutralization, improvements in communication and

articulation skills; management tips for interview performance ;

personal grooming and basic corporate etiquette ; improving confidence levels and team skills. Mr. Shine , an ASAP student of KNM College, Kanjiramkulam and Mr. Jayakrishnan

from Govt. Arts College who got maximum benefits from this programme and are presently working with the Allianz.

Allianz have trained 30 students so far.

February 2017 Page 3 Skill Letts VIEWS, VOICE & WAYS OF SKILLS

An in house journal of Additional Skill Acquisition Programme

PLACEMENT DRIVE : Out come of skilling process is that students acquire employable skills leading to employment. Thiruvananthapuram Team has always accorded high priority for student development including their placement. Engag- ing students in skill competitions and providing them grooming sessions are part of this commitment. Success stories are numerous but few are worth mentioning.

“ I would have become a coolie or a driver , if there was no ASAP in my life. ASAP was a God-sent messiah for me . I am ev- er indebted to ASAP and will continue to fol- low the values that ASAP had instilled in me.” Shameer was a student of Govt HSS Poovachal. His father is a coolie and mother a homemaker and the family struggles hard to make both ends meet. He was not a studious student and had no plans to join for a degree programme as he wanted to support his family. He was plan- ning to follow the footsteps of his father when ASAP intervened in his life. After getting selection he chose Plumbing as his skill course. Successful completion of internship helped him to get select- ed as a technician in CERA during the ASAP Place- ment drive. He now earns close to Rs 20,000 and other benefits and has already drawn a road map for the next 10 years . “I wouldn’t have got all these opportunity if Anjali outperformed in her work and is the STAR I had not joined ASAP, ASAP is a blessing for performer in the organisation .The company en- me”. couraged and supported her to join for distance As any teenage gir, Anjali of GHSS Neduveli, also education for further studies. Salary increment dreamt of good education and comfortable life. and incentives were showered followed her as But the poor family of five struggled hard to live result of achievements. Also she got promoted to with the daily wage income of her father. the post of Senior Customer Relation Anjali badly needed employability skills to become Executive. job ready and to start earning to support her fami- ly. She completed the ASAP Front Office Opera- tion Skill course under Hospitality Sector and par- ticipated in the ASAP Placement drive. Happiness knew no bounds when Glue Tech Technologies of- fered her a position as Customer Relation Execu- tive

February 2017 Page 4

Skill Letts VIEWS, VOICE & WAYS OF SKILLS

An in house journal of Additional Skill Acquisition Programme

CAREER POINT

CHALLENGING CAREER IN DEFENCE……………. Dr.S. Rajookrishnan, State Coordinator ASAP (Colleges) CDS: An entry to the Defence forces for Graduates A career in defence forces offers challenge, excitement and adventure. If that be as a Commissioned Officer, it gives more challenge, excite- ment and adventure and also an opportunity to take out one’s leadership qualities. It is a position of prestige and respect. It opens up a golden opportunity to serve the nation and know the nation. The Defence forces offer several opportunities to Graduates to join the armed forces in the Officer cadre. One such entry is through the Com- bined Defence Services examination, conducted by the Union Public Service Commission. This examina- tion is held twice a year. It is for admission to the various courses at the Indian Military Academy Deh- radun; Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala; Air Force Academy, Hyderabad and Officers’ Training Acade- my, Chennai. At Indian Military Academy, Dehradun some of the vacancies are reserved for NCC ‘C’ Certificate (Army Wing) holders. At Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala, students are usually admitted to the Executive (General Service) course with certain vacancies reserved for NCC 'C' Certificate holders (Naval Wing). At the Air Force Academy, Hyderabad, the entry is for Pre-Flying Training Course. Admission is offered at the Officers Training Academy, Chennai, to men for the Short Service Commission course (Non- Technical) with few vacancies for NCC ‘C’ certificate holders (NCC Spl. Entry) and women for the SSC (Non-Technical) Course.

The admission to the courses will be based on results of the written examination to be conducted by the Union Public Service Commission followed by intelligence and personality test by the Services Selec- tion Board (SSB) of candidates who qualify in the written examination. A person can apply for the different courses through a single application. An applicant has to specify the Services for which he/she wishes to be considered in the order of his/her preference in the online application. For IMA, and INA, applicant should be unmarried males. All applicants will have to satisfy the age crite- rion prescribed. For Air Force Academy, applicants below 25 years of age must be unmarried. Marriage is not permitted during training. Married males above 25 years of age are eligible to apply. However, they will neither be provided married accommodation nor can they live with family out of the premises, during training period. Married and unmarried males can apply for Officers' Training Academy (SSC Course for Men) while only unmarried women, issueless widows who have not remarried and issueless divorcees (in possession of divorce documents) who have not remarried are eligible for admission to Officers, Training Academy for SSC Women Non-Technical Course. Age conditions will also have to be satisfied.

Skill Letts VIEWS, VOICE & WAYS OF SKILLS

An in house journal of Additional Skill Acquisition Programme

For IMA, and INA, applicant should be unmarried males. All applicants will have to satisfy the age crite- rion prescribed. For Air Force Academy, applicants below 25 years of age must be unmarried. Marriage is not permitted during training. Married males above 25 years of age are eligible to apply. However, they will neither be provided married accommodation nor can they live with family out of the premises, during training period. Married and unmarried males can apply for Officers' Training Academy (SSC Course for Men) while only unmarried women, issueless widows who have not remarried and issueless divorcees (in possession of divorce documents) who have not remarried are eligible for admission to Officers, Training Academy for SSC Women Non-Technical Course. Age conditions will also have to be satisfied. For I.M.A and Officers’ Training Academy, applicant should hold a Degree of a recognized University or equivalent. For Indian Naval Academy, applicant should have a Degree in Engineering. For Air Force Academy, applicant should have a Degree of Recognized University (with Physics and Mathematics at 10+2 level) or Bache- lor of Engineering degree.

Those possessing professional and technical qualifications which are recognised by government as equivalent to professional and technical degrees would also be eligible for admission to the examination Those studying in the final year/semester Degree course and have yet to pass the final year degree ex- amination are generally permitted to apply provided they do not have any backlog upto the last semes- ter/Year for which results have been declared upto the time of submission of application and subject to production of proof of passing the degree examination at the time of SSB to the notified authority, by the dates specified in the Notification.

Applicants must be physically fit according to physical standards prescribed. For the written examination for admission to Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy and Air Force Academy, the written test will have three papers, namely, English, General Knowledge and Ele- mentary Mathematics, each of two hours duration and each carrying 100 marks. For Admission to Offic- ers’ Training Academy, there will be two papers, namely, English and General Knowledge each of two hours duration and each carrying 100 marks. More details including the syllabus of the examination is given in the Notice that can be downloaded from http://www.upsc.gov.in/ All papers will have objective type questions only. Each question will have four alternatives. For each question for which a wrong answer has been given by the candidate, one third (0.33) of the marks as- signed to that question will be deducted as penalty. UPSC will prepare a list of candidates who obtain the minimum qualifying marks in the written examina- tion to be fixed by the Commission. Those who qualify in the written exam have to register themselves at www.joinindianarmy.nic.in, to be called for Service selection Board (SSB) Interview.

February 2017 Page 6 Skill Letts VIEWS, VOICE & WAYS OF SKILLS

An in house journal of Additional Skill Acquisition Programme

At the SSB Interview, there will be a two stage Selection process. The two-stage selection procedure is based on Psychological Aptitude Test and Intelligence Test. All the candidates will be put to stage one test on first day of reporting at Selection Centres. Only those candidates who qualify at stage one will be admitted to the second stage/remaining tests and all those who fail to pass stage one, will be re- turned. The maximum marks allotted to the written examination and the interview will be equal.

Candidates have to secure the minimum qualifying marks separately in (i) written examination and (ii) SSB test, fixed by the Commission and Service Selection Board respectively. Candidates will be placed in the order of merit on the basis of the total marks secured by them in the written examination and in the SSB tests. A candidate recommended by the Services Selection Board will undergo a medical examination by a Board of Service Medical Officers. Candidates selected to IMA, will undergo a course of training for about 18 months and will be enrolled under the Army Act as Gentlemen cadets. Commission (Lieutenant) will be granted on successful com- pletion of training.

Those selected to the Indian Naval Academy, will join the Executive Branch of the Navy. Cadets will be commissioned in the rank of Sub-Lieutenant after successful completion of 18 months of training.

The approximate duration of training for Flying Branch (Pilots) at the Air Force Academy will be 74 weeks. After successful completion of training, the candidates pass out in the rank of Flying Officer.

Those selected to Officers’ Training Academy under the SSC Scheme, will be enrolled as Gentleman/ Lady Cadets and will undergo training for approximately 49 weeks. On successful completion of train- ing, Gentleman/Lady Cadets are granted Short Service Commission in the rank of Lt. Short Service Commission Officers (Male and Female) in the regular Army will be granted for 14 years- for an initial period of 10 years extendable by a further period of 4 years. Male officers willing to continue to serve in the Army after 10 years of Short Service Commission will be considered for grant of permanent Com- mission, if eligible. The cost of training including accommodations, books, uniforms, boarding and medical treatment will be borne by Government. Stipend will be available for all those joining the training programme. More details will be available in the Notification to be issued on this regard. Websites: www.upsc.gov.in and http://upsconline.nic.in/

February 2017 Page 7 Skill Letts VIEWS, VOICE & WAYS OF SKILLS An in house journal of Additional Skill Acquisition Programme SECTOR VIEW ——AGRICULTURE SECTOR

ORGANIC FASHION INDUSTRY - New avenues for entrepreneurship …….. Despite India’s long history of natural fabrics, the trends and Bhu:Satvva, a success story from Ahmeda- approvals, like much of the rest of fashion, are from the bad in Organic fashion industry west. There is a buzz about eco-friendly and organic clothing Ahmedabad-based organic in the west and now the people within India are realising the importance of it . textile start-up Bhu:sattva redefines organic fashion as Indian Organic Textiles Market more than just khadi, offering an experience it calls “from India is the 2nd largest global textile manufacturer and 2nd field to fashion”. largest producer of natural textile fibers in the world and the The start-up provides eco-friendly classic clothing across major fiber produced is cotton. Other fibers produced in In- India, which are created from organic crops in soil that has dia include silk, jute, wool, and man-made fibers. 60% of also been certified as organic. Bhu:sattva has more than the Indian textile industry is cotton-based 2,000 people directly or indirectly associated with it. Initially The majority of organic cotton produced in India is pro- it started with men’s wear, but Bhu:sattva now has tie-ups cessed in the country and exported only as textile. The de- with designers in diverse locations across the globe, includ- mand for the product within the country is negligible, mostly ing Paris and Qatar. because of its high price. “We are one of a kind since we offer an organic experience through our clothes. From the field to fashion, our products Organic fibres are entirely organic,” says Jainam Kumarpal, founder, Organic cotton has gained popularity the fastest of all the Bhu:sattva . natural fibre and is now is moving full speed into main- The raw material includes organic cotton, jute, bamboo fi- stream clothing production. It has been instrumental in rais- bre, banana fibre, Soyabean fibre etc . They use organic ing awareness and spearheading the change of all fibre pro- dyes derived from beetroot, henna, turmeric and catechu duction to organic methods. extracts. Their products include men’s & women’s wear, bridal collections and accessories. Right from sourcing raw material to ensuring its perpetual flow, backward integration processes including dyeing, weaving, blending of different fibres like banana fibres and pineapple fibre, soy fibre, milk fibre were challenging . Takers of organic cotton are very few and the farmers have to bear the brunt of this. Bhu:sattva encourages farmers to cultivate organic cotton and also provide them a livelihood they deserve. Bhu:sattva also promotes the use of herbs Apart from Cotton, fibres from Bamboo grass is also in- with renowned medicinal properties, for coloring its gar- creasingly being promoted. Bamboo fibre are antibacterial, ments. These natural colors help in rejuvenating the skin of hypoallergenic and sustainable. People who have sensitive the user rather than causing any harm unlike artificial colors skin or who are allergic to fabrics can wear garments made Now, Bhu:sattva has fashion agents across the globe, with from organic bamboo without any problems. Bamboo fabric three agents covering Europe alone. It also claims to have a is often compared to Premium because it is composed of strong presence in Brazil, Mexico, Qatar, Singapore and the luxurious 100% organic yarn that is sustainable, un- Philippines. bleached & untreated soft and smooth material. Bhu:Sattva success story has key learning opportunities for budding entrepreneurs from Kerala who have access to organic fibre sources including banana & bamboo.

February 2017 Page 8 Skill Letts VIEWS, VOICE & WAYS OF SKILLS

An in house journal of Additional Skill Acquisition Programme

FROM BANANA FIBRE TO BEAUTIFUL ARTIFACT… A success story !

Murugesan refers to himself an 'ordinary farmer'. "I own two-and-a-half acres of land where we used to harvest rice

and bananas. Due to lack of rain and fluctuating crop prices, we were not making enough money," he said.

Five years ago, Murugesan realised there was a lot of waste generated every time bananas and rice were har- vested. Murugesan extracted banana fibre with a machine developed with the support of IIT and made five different products, but he was not able to market them. “In order to market these products, I took the guidance of the experts from IIT Madras who under the village development scheme are supporting me,” says Murugesan, whose products now get exported to England, France, Singapore and Malaysia. Bangalore-based Indian Handi- crafts company gave his first big order to produce 50,000 pieces within three months. There was no looking back. Murugesan manufactures products worth Rs 3.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh every month, employs 80 people and has set up a unit in Thanjavur just to stitch bags. His products are exported to UK, Korea and France. Murugesan is a recipient of a number of national awards for excellence and innovation in agriculture. He has received the best PMEGP (Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme) Award from Khadi and Village Industries Commis- sion under the Ministry of Micro, small and Medium Enterprises, Best Agri Entrepreneurship Award from Chief Minister of Gujarat, National Farmer Scientist Award from Union Ministry for Agriculture and Best Entrepreneur Award from Krishi Vigyan Kendra at Jabalpur. His success has motivated many others to start similar banana rope making units in other districts also.

(

For more details on production cost and requirements to start a business http://365days365businessideas.blogspot.in/2014/02/start-business-in-banana-fibre.html

Excerpts from articles published in Financial Express Jan 17 2017 edition, Hindu and Times of India on Organic farming February 2017 Page 9 Skill Letts VIEWS, VOICE & WAYS OF SKILLS

An in house journal of Additional Skill Acquisition Programme

SKILLOPATHY– Is Mechanization a threat to employment! Senthil Kumar (SPM)

In recent months two things surprised me, one was the Victory of Donald Trump as 45th President of America and next revealing of the Indian IT giant “Infosys” that it had fired 9000 employees because of intro- duction of Artificial Intelligence in low end jobs. The second for me an unusual piece of information because in last two decades IT industry is hiring people in large numbers and now is it reversal of that trend. They have started automation in lower end Jobs , which is an indicator of wave of change happening in the Industry and employment. The victory of Donald Trump according to pollsters is largely attributed to the anger and support of job- less, blue color white men who were less educated and unskilled or semi-skilled. Many lost Jobs in last few years due to shifting of manufacturing from America to Latin America, China and India where labor is available at low cost. As Trump promised, even if he bring back the manufacturing in few years from now to America it will be a more automated and jobless manufacturing. Considering the trend of automation in industry particularly in auto- mobile industry, it is likely that the promise of Mr. Trump will be an empty one. In 20th Century world over economic growth happened due to increase in output and creation of Jobs. But the future will be different, there will be economic growth but proportionately with little jobs. We must understand that Artificial Intelligence is changing business and blue color jobs will never be available in large enough scale in India, America or elsewhere. In future any country cannot afford to give jobs or grow with un- educated and low skilled population be it India or America.

"The Nobel Prize-winning economist Wassillie Leontief states that 'the role of humans as the most im- portant factor of production is bound to diminish in the same way that the role of horses in agricultural produc- tion was first diminished and then eliminated by the introduction of tractors'."

In my village a women’s cooperative printing press started during the year 1993-94 with around 10 wom- en’s from socially backward section. The press was using labour oriented process in composing and printing. It was a success somehow until 2000. In the first half of 2000 the decline started due to introduction of offset printing technology in nearby areas as it was convenient, faster and cost-effective. The women’s printing press completely stopped business in 2003, around 15 lakhs investment of Government went idle and women were job less in 10 years. Jobs in services industries from personal and household services, automation of more routine sales roles, such as cashier and telemarketers, and from prefabrication of buildings to construction jobs, jobs which are routine and repetitive are likely to be substituted by computers.

February 2017 Page 10 Skill Letts VIEWS, VOICE & WAYS OF SKILLS

An in house journal of Additional Skill Acquisition Programme

Brynjolfsson an economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and coauthor of “Second Ma- chine age” says. "The computer processor doubles in power every 18 months, 10 times greater every five years which is a very different scale of advancement that’s affecting a broader set of the economy than the steam engine did. With the faster pace of technological advancement now what made the women’s in printing press to lose jobs in 10 years will happen in less than 5years.

There are predictions that in next decade the waves of automation will wash away jobs in transportation and logistics occupations, bulk of office and administrative support workers and labour in production occupa- tions. Researchers say cooks, gardeners, repairmen, carpenters, dentists, and home health aides are not about to be replaced by machines in the short term. All of these professions involve a lot of sensorimotor work, and many of them also require the skills of ideation, large-frame pattern recognition, and complex communication." Occupations that require social skills like teaching, healthcare, sales and management have bright future as it is difficult to be replicated by machines. Technological change demands stronger and more continuous connection between education and em- ployment. Today Robotics and Artificial Intelligence call for another education revolution. Countries need long- term overhaul of education systems. The advancement of technology at a greater speed is a tough Jallikattu for not only to Mr. Trump but to all Governments in providing jobs and educating the youths.

Amazon - The e-commerce giant snapped up Kiva Robotics in 2012 now has 30,000 fulfilment robots working in its warehouses worldwide and the company is expected to replace all employees who perform repetitive tasks with machines.

Uber- The ride-sharing app is testing self-driving cars on the roads of San Francisco aiming to replace all human drivers with robots.

Master card/Pizza hut - MasterCard has teamed up with Pizza Hut to roll out cashier and customer service robots at the firm's restaurants in China.

Marriot hotels - Robot helps human hotel staff check in guests at the Ghent Marriott Hotel in Belgium

ING -A major Dutch bank, is replacing 5,800 human staff with robots.

February 2017 Page 11 Skill Letts VIEWS, VOICE & WAYS OF SKILLS

An in house journal of Additional Skill Acquisition Programme

THOUGHT WAVES MY INSPIRATION …..

Nishi Babu (SDE)

Stephen Hawking, Nic Vujicic and Deepa Malik are familiar names. We know them by their names, by virtue of their per- sonalities and by their glorious achievements. But do we know them personally or have we ever felt the pain which they have gone through. This is not to make any comparison but I am using it as a prelude for one of my student who is as special to me as my own kid.

Pranoy John ,a student of computer science always bubbling with energy, is a vibrant student who participates in all the activities and tries to achieve more. In fact he’s the leader of his team and name of his team is ‘winners’ itself. The introductory activity which I did with my class was to give themselves an adjective to add with their name and guess what did he select for himself?? the word “ positive” and that made the whole class clap for him.

You might be wondering why I am focussing on this one particular boy - it’s because Pra- noy can’t move. Yes! he is paralysed. He can write only if a pen is handed over to him. He comes in his wheel chair which is electronic and he can manage that himself very easily. He used to keep his vehicle in the staffroom and go home but Since the ASAP class is at 9.00 am, he has to keep that wheel chair in the classroom itself because he doesn’t want to trouble his teacher to open the staffroom early morning. An ideal student who wants everything to be done on time and makes others also do that.

His presence is very much felt in the class because what ever work is been given to the class, he makes sure that each and every member of his team participates and influence them to be as involved as well as dedicated as he is. I never made him move from his place for any activity but I have made others move around. Recently I had a class on tableau for which I wanted everyone to perform in front of the class suddenly I realised that it would be a problem for him. I went to him and asked “Pranoy would you be able to move here , in front of the class and perform ??” His answer made me stiff and pale for a moment, he said ‘Madam do you ask this question to other kids!! So please treat me as one of them even if I cannot move please ask me as you do to other students. Although I am slow but I’ll obey all orders ” We always say that we should treat special students like others but , still we are scared to do so. We think that they may get hurt. Pranoy made me realize that people should start doing what they feel.

Earlier I thought other students would get jealous if I gave him an extra care. One day I told the class to draw any pic- ture with their own favourite number and they did it. I selected 10 pictures randomly and then I looked at each picture and called all those students who drew the pictures. I simply asked them to explain .Everybody narrated a good story with their simple picture. One of the selected picture was of Pranoy’s, I could not even recognize what number he had used. He drew a bird with number 5. It was like an original sketch of a bird. He said that “a bird looks beautiful when it flies because birds are meant to fly ,in different ways with different colours but just imagine if they are kept in a cage. We would be able to cherish their beauty on the first day but from second day we would not find anything new in it. Everyday I try to do something new so that I can inspire everyone like nature is doing. So why we are trying to keep the nature’s beauty in our hand rather we should set them free and allow them what they want”. Entire class stood up and clapped for him.

Then I understood that my class has the most amazing students. The love they have for each of them is completely true and pure. And the smile he had on his face made me proud that I am their Trainer…………...

February 2017 Page 12 Skill Letts VIEWS, VOICE & WAYS OF SKILLS

An in house journal of Additional Skill Acquisition Programme

REFLECTIONS LUCK Sruthikrishna, GHSS Pettah

Stand still my luck ....

And run not ….away from me..

When I reach close to you , you run away from me….

I waited for you to grow up, to forget your playful pranks!

To start the chase again ….And catch you by your chin.

Days rolled by ……...

My luck never grew ! I couldn't stop her race, nor could I settle her down.

So here we go again, My Luck and I , In life’s race on a wild goose chase

SKILL UPDATES

 The 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD 2017) held in Bengaluru from 7th – 9th January 2017 saw an I mportant announcement about skilling the youth for overseas employment. Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi stated that “Pravasi Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PKVY)” would be an exclusive program to train Indians seeking jobs abroad.

 ‘Skill Council for Persons with Disability’ (SCPwD) organized an International Seminar on ‘Skill Training for Persons with Autism – Way Forward’ on Tuesday, 10th January at the India Habitat Center, New Delhi.

 Telangana Academy of Skill and Knowledge (TASK) has come up with various programs to improve the em- ployability quotient of the students of Telangana. In collaboration with technology MNCs like SAP, Oracle, CISCO, Autodesk, IBM , Salesforce , Certiport and Samsung, TASK has been offering innovative training pro- grams for skill-based certification in urban and rural regions of Telangana.

 CII – Southern Region, is organizing the 29th CII Regional Work Skill Competition from 8th to 10th February 2017 at Chennai.

February 2017 Page 13

Skill Letts VIEWS, VOICE & WAYS OF SKILLS

An in house journal of Additional Skill Acquisition Programme

BRIDGE 2017 Workshop on promoting internship

Additional Skill Acquisition Programme and FICCI Kerala Chapter jointly organized “Bridge 2017” – a workshop on promoting students internship and apprenticeship with a view to strength- en partnering for student internship with the industry. The event was held at The Center Hotel, Kochi on 13th January 2017. The objective of the workshop was to sensitize employer industries about the Internship opportunities and impress upon the opportunities in the Industry led training and its benefits.

The event was officially launched with a welcome address by Ms. Suseela James, Head- Technical, ASAP. Shri. Deepak L. Aswani, Chairman, Lachmandas Group & Co-Chair, FICCI Kerala State Council, shared the opening remarks and details about the operations of FICCI and its engagement with ASAP. Dr. Prashant Deshpande, Vice President – HR Strategy & Planning, Reliance Industries Ltd. delivered the Keynote Address. Decoding apprenticeship Rules & Guidelines was the sub- ject he spoke about, which gave insights about the apprenticeship rules that exist in the country today and the need to per- fect the already existing norms.

Shri Paul Antony IAS speaking on relevance of giving internship by industry

The Workshop was inaugurated by Shri Paul Antony, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Industries and Com- merce, Government of Kerala. He emphasized on the need of industries to take the initiative to recruit interns on a continu- ous basis and underlined that it is the need of the hour. Dr. Reju M. T, Chief Executive Officer, ASAP, set the context for the need of the workshop. The basic structure of ASAP, expectations, and the need of Internship were the topics detailed upon. Shri. Stephen Mascarenhas, VP, Prime Focus World .com on behalf of the industry contributed views of the industry on in- ternship. The huge difference between supply & demand of workforce specifically in Media & Entertainment was compre- hended on. The complications of apprenticeship policy was stated as one of the reasons that the Industry takes a back step in providing the Internships. The Role of FICCI in strengthening Internship and overall Skills Scenario was detailed by Ms. Shobha Mishra Ghosh, Senior Director & Head Skills Development & Higher Education, FICCI. She spoke about the need for the role of apprenticeship to be made aspirational like many other countries like Germany. After the context was set for the meeting, the cluster discus- sions began sector wise. The Cluster discussion provided input to the development of comprehensive internship protocol for the state of Kerala. Dr Reju M. T. IAS, CEO presented the concluding remarks. Shri. Savio Mathew, Head FCCI FICCI Kerala State Council, proposed the vote of thanks.

February 2017 Page 14

Skill Letts VIEWS, VOICE & WAYS OF SKILLS

An in house journal of Additional Skill Acquisition Programme

ASAP UPDATES the workshop module across the state was conducted successfully. SUMMER SKILL SKOOL 2017 Launched

As part of Summer Skill Skool Campaign activities that started in January 2017, district wise RDD/Principals meetings was conducted. SSS targets to train 15,000 students during this summer .

WORKSHOP FOR DEVELOPING QF FOR INTERNSHIP

To ensure timely internship for all courses offered through ASAP and a proper Quality framework for con-

ducting internship, sector wise workshop was conduct- A stall of ASAP was exhibited at Kerala Kalolsvam 2016 ed at ASAP Annexe, The workshop was organized by at Kannur. The stall was managed by Kannur team, Zonal Programme managers in coordination with Sector they also took part in Samridhi Expo conducted in the Programme managers and Training service providers. District.

BLOOM TRANSFORMATION TRAINING FOR PROSPEC- First meeting of "BLOOM" a development initia- TIVE SKILL DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVES ( FM) tive of ASAP for Skill Hub in agriculture was conducted on19th January 2017 at Kottayam. ASAP and Prowins Four days transformational training for Skill Develop- agri systems jointly propose a plan on entrepreneur ment Executives was conducted from 28th January to development for ASAP students who have completed 31st January. The major thrust areas were platform skill course under agriculture sector. skills with specific emphasis to the use of English Lan- guage. Tools for the English Language Training and IT Training were delivered. Professional ethics and etiquette, student management, organization-process- and-frameworks of ASAP, aspirational aspects of a trainers career, healthy behaviours were included in the training module.

TTA -WORKSHOP FOR HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS Trainers Training Academy developed a module for two day life skills development workshop for the girl students of standard IX for the RMSA pro- ject. Two day Master Trainers Workshop for 24 select- ed school teachers to empower them to implement

February 2017 Page 15 Skill Letts VIEWS, VOICE & WAYS OF SKILLS

TIPS & TRICKS

Using less battery on laptops

Battery life is important to anyone who regularly uses a laptop, tab- let, or smartphone, and of course Windows 10 can be used on all three of those devices. Microsoft recognises this - as shown by the marketing of its Edge brows- er as being battery-friendly - and has built several tools into Windows 10 to help cut down on excessive battery drain. All apps that run in the background can be toggled off, for example, which stops them from sucking up precious juice. And as we saw in an earlier tip, a metered internet connection option can also be used, which cuts down on background data usage. Windows 10 also includes a dedicated set of power options, which you can find via Settings > System > Power & Sleep. From here, display sleep times can be set and under Additional Power Settings you can select a power plan that means a lighter load for your battery.

Managing multiple email IDs

Most of us have multiple Email Ids ! At times we need to sign in to more than one mail ID. But issue is , on signing out from one account , you will get automatically signed out from other accounts . Here is one way where you can sign in to as many email account and also sign out with out signing out from all Press Shift - control and N … A new tab opens and sign in l & sign out of mail box with out affecting the already opened mails. QUOTES

Peter F Drucker (Founder of modern management, inventor of concept known as Management by objectives and self con- trol)

“ Successful Careers are not planned. They develop when people are prepared for opportunities because they know their strengths, their method of work, and their values. Knowing where one belongs can transform an ordinary person – hardworking and competent but otherwise mediocre - into an outstanding performer”

. February 2017 Page 16

Skill Letts VIEWS, VOICE & WAYS OF SKILLS

An in house journal of Additional Skill Acquisition Programme

Listen to what Paul has to say …………..

Eager to hear from you……………..

[email protected]

Compiled by

Smt Preetha Shri. Arun Prabhakar

Editorial Team

Shri. Vivekanandan Dr. K.P. Jaikiran

For private circulation only February 2017 Page 14