National Education Foundation Program in India

: Kuttan Kalam

GOAL:
The goal of the NEF program in India is to train, certify and provide job placement assistance for one million jobs-seeking Indian college students/graduates in IT during 2011 -2012 via a nationwide MIITE (Million Indians IT Education) program.

RATIONALE & MISSION:
Indian employers need millions of qualified IT employees. Industry estimates indicate that only a quarter of all college graduates are employable. It is hard to believe that a country, where half of the population is under age 25, is facing a skilled IT labor shortage! Indian employers find it time-consuming and expensive to first select suitable employees and then up-skill them for jobs.

The MIITE project offers high-quality, affordable IT and Soft Skills online training to prospective employees nationally in high-demand IT and Soft Skills certification programs, giving everyone in India an equal opportunity to get good IT and Soft Skills jobs, and help India to maintain its status as a global IT leader – the twin missions of this visionary project.

BACKGROUND:
NEF founder Dr. Appu Kuttan is an internationally-renowned expert in improving national socio-economic programs using Management By Systems (MBS), Happy and Holistic Executive practices and empowerment through digital education. He is the ‘father of Cyberlearning’ (coined the word) and founder of the nonprofit National Education Foundation (NEF), the U.S. and global nonprofit leader in bridging the digital, academic and employment divides.

In the early 80’s, he advised former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in developing India’s vision to become an IT power.

In the mid and late 80’s, as the owner and Chairman of the World-famous Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, he created the ‘Total Tennis’ system, and helped to develop three World tennis champions – Andre Agassi, Monica Seles and Jim Courier.

In 1989, he founded NEF in Washington, D.C Metro Area, USA. In 1993, NEF became operational with the encouragement of President Bill Clinton and Intel Chairman Dr. Gordon Moore, with funds donated by Dr. Kuttan from the proceeds of the tennis academy sale to IMG, the multi-billion dollar sports management global leader. NEF set a goal of training millions of disadvantaged students and adults in IT and business skills via digital education. Having achieved that vision in the U.S. and other countries including training tens of thousands of Mauritians in digital literacy through Mauritius Prime Minister’s Universal ICT Initiative. Dr. Kuttan launched this MIITE project to fulfill a promise he made to former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi years ago — coming back to India to train a million Indians and providing them high quality educational opportunities leading to jobs!

HOW DOES THE MIITE PROGRAM WORK?

1. Partnership with corporations/other entities in India and U.S: NEF will provide complimentary IDs giving access to all its 5,500+ top quality online Web-based IT/Business courses (used by global leaders such as Wipro and Lockheed Martin) to corporations/other entities in India and U.S., followed by proposals for providing online/blended learning (online +classroom) training for their employees at about 30-70% savings in their training costs. NEF would then agree to sponsor an equal number of college students/graduates in an Indian college/locality of interest to them by giving scholarships in their name at a cost of Rs. 1,250 or US $25 per contest participant, paid by NEF. Thus, the sponsors save 30-70% of their training costs, and receive 100% PR and publicity in India at no cost.

2. NEF Grant: The lowest market fee for the 3-exam MOS (Microsoft) or ADA (Adobe) package including course materials on CD/DVD or online, 3 exam vouchers, exam prep access, summary of Dr. Kuttan’s book “Happy Executive- Nurturing Body, Mind and Soul” and assistance with job placement is Rs 6,250 or US $125 per participant. NEF’s current grant provides Rs 5,000 or US $100. The remaining Rs 1,250 or US $25 will be raised by NEF as described above. In addition, NEF has already purchased from Reliance Infocom 400,000 browsing hours to be made available to participants needing computer/Internet access in its effort to level the playing field for all. Participants receiving vouchers for pre-paid hours can go to the nearest Reliance Web World center.

NEF’s current grant total for the MIITE project amounts to Rs. 500 crores or US $100 million. NEF hopes to raise Rs. 125 crores or US $25 million by providing training to companies/other entities as described above.

This way, NEF can fund the whole MIITE project without asking for donations or grants from corporations, governments or other entities.

3. Exam Centers: Currently, NEF has 400 Authorized Certification Exam Centers for MOS and ACA exams throughout India. NEF will set up additional exam centers at participating colleges and IT training centers throughout India. These centers will also provide exam prep courses.

4. Placement Assistance will be provided through reputed consultants/job portals or through participating employers.

5. Students will study the course materials, use exam prep materials at the MIITE centers at participating colleges/training centers and take the exams at the authorized test centers at their convenience.

6. The MIITE website’s database of certified participants in MOS and ADA will provide real time updates on participants, their scores and ranking by locations. With the permission of the participants, this information will be provided to prospective employers.

BENEFITS TO CORPORATE/OTHER ENTITY PARTNERS:

30-70% saving in training cost
Fulfillment of corporate social responsibility (CSR) at no cost
Enormous positive PR and publicity in their area in interest in India at no cost
Enormous national and global positive PR and publicity at no cost

BENEFITS TO COLLEGES/TRAINING CENTERS:

Better employment opportunities for their students
Improved reputation

BENEFITS TO TRAINEE PARTICIPANTS:

Equal opportunity to get training, certification and possible job placement assistance at no fee

BENEFITS TO INDIA:

Preparing and providing equal employment opportunities for a million Indians, especially women, minorities and other disadvantaged segments of the population
Helping to keep India at the top of the highly competitive global IT arena
Improve the living standard for a million Indians, their families and communities
Helping to develop a most cost-effective model for reducing global terrorism by training and providing job opportunities for educated unemployed youngsters, thus preventing them from becoming terrorist thinkers and leaders

KEY DIFFERENTIATORS:

The differentiators of this MIITE Initiative are:

Holistic systems-based total solution (training-certification-employment assistance)
High-quality cost-effective program
Universally recognized certifications
Leveling the playing field for all (bridging the divides)
National focus
An exemplary model of a US-India public-private sector partnership
Win-Win-Win-Win concept: employers win by saving training, certification and recruitment costs while earning positive PR and publicity at no cost; NEF wins by meeting its mission of bridging divides, empowering people and making a difference in the lives of a million persons; communities and India win by improving the living standards; and most importantly a million people and their families win with a higher quality life.

Moreover, this is a replicable model applicable to other IT and non-IT (for example Project Management) certifications and most-in-demand jobs in India.

National Education Foundation

India