We train students in new age tech to enhance their employability: APITA CEO

Though colleges and universities in Andhra Pradesh are rolling out several thousand graduates and post-graduates every year, they are unable to make a dent in the job market due to lack of soft skills. Value addition is another handicap as the syllabus being offered to them lacks lessons that will make them job-ready. Keeping it in view, AP Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has laid emphasis to improve soft skills as well as knowledge on emerging new age technologies for the job aspirants through a multi-pronged approach, says AP Information Technology Academy (APITA) CEO T Anil Kumar. In an exclusive interview to Bizz Buzz, he said APITA has tied up with several leading IT players and B-schools and professional bodies to improve job quotient among the students before completion of their studies. The courses offered by them are free of cost, mostly online and on successful completion of the course, a certificate is also awarded to them. Identifying the skill gaps in consultation with the industries and taking the initiative to help the youth to improve their skills sets to make getting jobs easy is the theme on which APITA has been working through various interventions, he said

What is the mission of APITA?

Andhra Pradesh Information Technology Academy (APITA) formerly known as Institute for Electronic Governance (IEG), under the Department of ITE&C, Government of Andhra Pradesh, has taken up the responsibility of providing the knowledge inputs by way of training to the prospective graduates and makes them employable as per industry requirements. It mainly aims to bridge the gap between Industry and academia. We on behalf of APITA in association with AP State Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC) are marching ahead in bridging the gap between the IT industry and the engineering and management colleges by facilitating imparting advanced training courses to make our students job-ready once they finish their studies. One of the worrying points of the employers is the time consumed in training the freshers to make them compatible with the requirements of the job offered to them. It not only consumes time but also takes a big risk because many do not rise to the occasion necessitating extension in training.

What is the progress so far in increasing the number of skilled manpower?

We have come to an understanding with the IT Association of Andhra Pradesh (ITAAP), an umbrella organization for IT and ITeS companies spread over Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Tirupati, Rajahmundry and other areas, to offer short and long-term training programmes. APITA has already signed MoU with partner-companies including CSR wings of IBM, HCL and TCS. Naandi Foundation, the CSR arm of Mahindra Group, is also one among 16 partner organisations. Understanding has been reached with Commonwealth Media Educational Centre for Asia (CEMCA) to offer a course in the global market. A month-long course is being introduced on January 2 in blockchain technology. We are also offering courses on LMS (Learning Management System) education mode on go with Google certification with online lab tests using various tools.

Is there any plan to set up a high-end skill development university in Visakhapatnam? What way this will help in overcoming the shortage of highly skilled manpower mainly in management and disruptive technologies?

Yes, the Andhra Pradesh Government is setting up a high-end skill development university in Visakhapatnam. This will help the students to enhance their skills to meet global markets and will create a talent pool in AP, which will attract the MNCs come and establish in AP. It will generate employment in the long run and increase state GDP.

APITA has decided to offer courses in most sought after disruptive technologies as mere engineering degrees are considered in the job market as basic qualifications. Please elaborate...

We are making efforts to offer the following short-term courses: Cloud computing, artificial intelligence and machine learning, data sciences, agile computing, augmented reality, virtual reality technology, full stack python technology, full stack java, IOT technology, NDT testing and cybersecurity. We also facilitate training faculty as part of a faculty development programme in collaboration with industry partners. The training focuses on the emerging technologies required by the industries like Industry 4.0 through activity based teaching methodologies.

Is there any preference for women students?

Women empowerment is one of our thrust areas. To enhance women employment, we are getting sponsorship from the data security council of India and Microsoft for imparting courses to improve their job quotient. We have already trained 120 female students for four months in cybersecurity. We have also conducted classroom training in three beaches at Vijayawada and two batches at Tirupati. This will also be replicated in other parts of the State.

Do you collect any amount from the students for enrolment?

Actually, we don't charge any fees for enrolments. Most of the partner-organisations fund the amount towards expenditure incurred for conducting the courses. In fact, many are coming forward to collaborate with us. We are holding talks to firm up agreements.

What is your success in providing placements?

To be very frank, we don't provide any placement. However, we offer placement assistance with the help of ITAAP and other IT companies. Job melas are being conducted at State and district level to select suitable candidates. As per latest figures, nearly 5,000 trained students have been selected by a reputed firm like Infosys and TCL last year. Our mandate is to provide a platform to train students to participate in placement drives. We provide access to industries to the pool of trained graduates for placements as well as internships. We are now holding placement drives in Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada. In future we want to extend it to district headquarters and other towns so as to explore job opportunities in the rural and semi-urban areas in agro-based and other rural economy-centric housing and other related fields.

How is the response so far from the industry?

The response is quite encouraging. One of our major breakthroughs was in signing MoU for collaboration with Indian School of Business (ISB)-Hyderabad. This helped in enhancing our brand value. ISB is offering a 40-hour course in digital literacy program and entrepreneurial literacy program. ISB inked MoU with APITA and APSSDC to offer skilling programmes such as foundational elective courses in an asynchronous format keeping in mind changes being incorporated in the National Education Policy. The industries have helped us in training 46,352 students since we launched our mission. Infosys tops the list by training 29,222. TCS has trained many too. Following is the list of trainees in various fields: Ninja 260, python 727, digital marketing 1220, cyber security 130, soft skills 6,797, coding and communication skills 7,961 and GRE and IELTS 35.

What is the main challenge before you?

Though digital platforms have become popular during the pandemic, tying up with 350-odd degree, engineering and management institutes is the biggest challenge. We have to involve the training and placement officer of the college concerned actively from the beginning so as to make our mission successful. Most of the 220 engineering colleges are registered with us. We have to regularly take the feedback and monitor the implementation of the programme as at no point of time we can allow slackness on the part of officials involved in execution of the programme.