QCI to focus on Manufacturing and Services
The Quality Council of India (QCI) on February 8 said it would focus on manufacturing and services sectors and infuse improved quality standards and target 10 lakh small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the next three to five years. QCI signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with American Society for Quality (ASQ), a global leader in quality improvement and standards, recently. The strategic alliance between QCI and ASQ would roll out quality-driven programmes in the country, as part of its strategic plan to implement and boost Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ initiative. The QCI partnership with US body will enable institutionalization of new quality paradigms in the field of training and delivery processes in manufacturing, healthcare, education, service industry and also in public service delivery processes.
“The prime objective of this alliance is to focus on quality of goods and services. We will be targeting manufacturing and services sector and want to improve quality in one million small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the next few years. In addition, QCI along with ASQ offerings would like to fundamentally improve the quality of the government services delivered to the citizen,” said QCI Chiarman Adil Zainulbhai.
The MoU between QCI and ASQ India would act as an integrated catalyst to initiate the joint activities in the domains of processes in manufacturing, education (for skills development), healthcare, to begin with, in Indian enterprises.
The ceremony was marked by the QCI seminar on how to blend quality into processes and manufacturing, education and healthcare projects. These would automatically take care of the other two sectoral glitches — governance and service delivery system — in the country.
Centre of excellence for VET Delhi NCR with Australian support
National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), TAFE SA (the largest VET provider in Australia) and Heraud Training & Education (India) on February 4 signed a tripartite agreement that will see the establishment of a vocational college in Delhi / NCR. The college will be a centre of excellence, showcasing the very best in vocational education in a range of fields, which can mass train 8000-10000 students a year and move to train 80,000 students per year in a wide variety of areas, thereby significantly contributing to the skills target under the Prime Minister of India’s vision to create a ‘Skilled India’. The MoU was signed in he august presence of Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (I/C) Rajiv Pratap Rudy along with the Gail Gago, the Minister for Employment, Higher Education & Skills (South Australia) along with the at the Ministry’s office in the capital. Under the MoU signed, NSDC shall provide the project with up to 75% funding by way of loan as per NSDC funding guidelines whilst TAFE SA and Heraud will provide capability and management abilities to run the centre. The course offerings for the college will be proposed by Heraud with the support of TAFE SA and in consultation with NSDC. All the courses will be developed and delivered as per TAFE South Australia model to suitably address the specific industry skill gap in India while at the same time enabling pathways and increased employability of students. The underlying objective of running these courses will be to provide globally recognized skills and certification to students while producing skilled resources for India. In addition, all the courses will endeavour to operate in alignment with the Indian skill development frameworks of national agencies acting in the vocational education space in India. Heraud will be responsible for arranging, providing and managing localized staff in India to coordinate between NSDC, TAFE SA and Heraud. It will conduct further industry research to establish demand and enrolment interest.
Rudy mentioned, “Our Prime Minister Shri Modi has been the first PM in the last fifty years to visit the Australia and that too within the first six months of taking charge. We would like to leverage this relationship and take this ahead by adopting transnational standards in training for meeting the requirement of skilled manpower in both the countries.” . Gail Gago said, “The Australian Government is committed to extending full support on India’s skilling agenda. We already work with the Kalyani Group in India and are also supporting the Smart Cities project through our partnership with CISCO where we have committed a fund of USD 250,000. We will be happy to engage with the Indian Government creating internationals standard in higher education for increasing employability in today’s youth.”
TAFE SA forges partnership with Kalyani Skills
At an exchange of a Memorandum of Understanding in Pune, Ms. Gail Gago, Minister of Employment, Higher Education and Skills, South Australia welcomed the development between TAFE SA, the largest provider of vocational education and training in South Australia and Kalyani Skills, part of the Indian multinational conglomerate The Kalyani Group.
“India has a skills shortage in a range of areas where TAFE SA has expertise that is recognised by employers in Australia and overseas as being of the highest quality,” said Bhavin Shah, Director Kalyani Skills. TAFE SA has a great record in helping organisations with evolving needs to improve the skills of their staff in South Australia and they will now work with Kalyani Skills to bring that same know-how to India.
NSE certified Post Graduate Certificate Program in Financial Economics
National Stock Exchange has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mumbai’s K J Somaiya Institute of Management Studies & Research, Mumbai (SIMSR) to launch a Post Graduate Certificate Program in Financial Economics (PGCP-FE). The nine-month long course will commence from the 2015-16 academic session, and classes will be held on weekends at the institute campus from second week of April, 2015.
The course has been jointly designed by NSE and SIMSR. Students can study the course in three modules that will deal with essential subjects that provide a sound foundation and the fourth module will give exposure to a specialised subject on application of economics, finance, including econometrics and quantitative methods. The nine month programme also comprises of two-months of project work.
Dr. Satish Ailawadi, Director, SIMSR says, “Today we find ourselves at a stage where Management education has reached an inflection point and management courses are getting more specialized. K J Somaiya Institute of Management Studies & Research has identified the need in students for diversification to pursue niche courses such as Financial Economics. Therefore one of the areas of opportunity envisaged by the Institute was to launch a Certificate Program in Financial Economics and it only made sense to collaborate with the best in the sector, National Stock Exchange.”
It may be mentioned that NSE has launched several MBA and PG Diploma courses in financial markets in association with various institutions across India, to meet the growing need for qualified and skilled professionals in the financial sector. It is estimated that 47 lakh professionals will be required by the banking, insurance and financial services sector by 2022 and these courses will help to address the shortage of skilled professionals.
Free MOOC on Global health
In a unique partnership to promote comprehensive learning and build awareness about the current challenges in global public health in the context of sustainable development, the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), a notforprofit initiative, working towards a healthier India and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), a global initiative of the United Nations have joined hands to launch a free Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) on Global Public Health. The MOOC on Global Public Health is led by Professor K. Srinath Reddy of the Public Health Foundation of India and features a number of prominent international and national experts from the field of Public Health. The course introduces students to the science, practice, and policy environment of global public health, and highlights its centrality in the broader framework of sustainable development. The 10-week course is structured around a series of pre-recorded lectures, readings, quizzes and an interactive discussion forum. Each of these course components can be completed at a time that is convenient for the student.
All students who successfully complete the course requirements will receive a digital certificate of completion signed by Professor K. Srinath Reddy. Students whoparticipate actively on the forum discussions will receive certificates of completion with distinction.
LM Thapar School of Management to develop eco-friendly business models
In one-of-its-kind centre of excellence in any business school north of India, LM Thapar School of Management (LMTSM), the business school of Thapar University, Patiala, has started the Centre for Strategy, Sustainability and Society at its Dera Bassi campus to enable organisations to adopt business practices that maximise returns while protecting environment, safeguarding social interests at the same time. LMTSM Director Dr Padmakumar Nair said, “This centre will emerge as a vibrant research and consulting group, a catalyst for encouraging informed policy dialogues and implementing business strategies driven by sustainability initiatives to address the challenges confronting businesses and society alike.” The inauguration which coincided with a seminar on “Clean IndustryGreen Industry”, saw participation of representatives of the Dera Bassi Industries Association and expressed their support to the centre.
Prof VK Damodaran, Director General, INGCORE, Thiruvananthapuram, delivered the keynote address on “Elevating Energy Efficiency for Greener Industries and Larger Profits”, Prof A Sivathanu Pillai, a distinguished scientist of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and former CEO and MD, Brahmos Aerospace, who expressed his views on “Ignited MindsPowering National Development”, and Prof Lakhwinder Singh Gill, Coordinator, Centre for Development Economics and Innovation Studies, Punjabi University, who spoke on “Pathways for Industrialisation”.
MBD Group launches 3D learning solutions
New Delhi, 14th February 2015: MBD Group, has launched 3D Learning solutions for K-12 segment. The MBD group will provide cutting edge experiences to the school student’s by offering 3D printers which has the ability to turn ones ideas into something that is physically tangible. The ability to solve real problems in the physical world is one of the key strengths of 3D printing. 3D learning solution is perfect for project-based learning for subjects like Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, History, Geography etc., MBD believes that once 3D becomes a part of a classroom, it becomes a part of how students think and solve problems. Typically, students are not allowed to handle fragile objects like fossils and artifacts; 3D printing shows promise as a rapid prototyping and production tool, providing users with the ability to touch, hold, and even take home an accurate model. Monica Malhotra Kandhari, Senior Director, MBD Group said, “ This is for the first time that 3D printers will be introduced to the k-12 education system. We would be engaging with schools to bring this technology to their doorstep; initially we would be reaching out to schools in metros and then will take our initiative to other cities”.
Just about every subject within a school curriculum could benefit from 3D printing technology. The MBD Group will also be providing the softwares through which this technology can be integrated with the current K12 curriculums across state and national boards. The group will also be offering 3D learning solutions to higher education institutes in the fields of medicine, engineering, technology and arts.
Kidzee Launches Interactive pre-school curriculum ‘iLLUME’
Kidzee, the largest preschool chain in Asia, has launched Interactive iLLUME, a specially devised curriculum and pedagogy which aims to provide children with development that is continuous and cumulative. Interactive iLLUME is a unique methodology covering an ‘English Readiness Programme’ where reading, writing and comprehension are all fully addressed to help children learn oral and written English. It includes a specially designed ‘School Readiness’ programme enabling the child to acquire language, mathematical, cognitive, social and emotional skills at an early age. The phonic programme, as part of this new curriculum, will help children learn through a multisensory approach by using VAK (Visual, Audio and Kinetics) methodology. In the first phase, approximately 20% of Kidzee Centres will move to this new curriculum and it will be gradually established in all 1350+ centres in India.
KVS Seshasai, CEO, Zee Learn Limited, said, “Having touched the lives of more than 4,00,000 children in India, Kidzee, a decade on, remains focused on nurturing the unique potential in every child.”
GMAC launches GMAT enhanced score report
The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), owner and publisher of the GMAT exam, recently announced the launch of the new GMAT Enhanced Score Report, providing test takers of the GMAT exam with access to an in-depth analysis their overall performance on the GMAT including their performance on the various sections and subsections within the exam.
The report provides metrics that describe everything from the test taker’s average time to answer each question type, to overall time management relative to other test takers, and provides insight and analysis about how students might use the report to talk about or improve their score. This new GMAT Enhanced Score Report, which is delivered to a test taker following their sitting of the exam, joins the GMATPrep Enhanced Score Report introduced in 2014 with which students can guide their study and practice when using GMAC’s official GMATPrep.
Both Enhanced Score Reports and the Score Preview feature provide test takers with greater control over how and when they report their scores to the schools to which they are applying. In 2014, GMAC introduced the Score Preview feature for the GMAT exam that allows test takers to cancel a GMAT score if it isn’t up to their standards or expectations, before sending it to a school.
Rockstand Mobile App collaborates with leading publishers
Rockstand, the leading free mobile App for eBooks, eMagazines & ePapers, recently announced the availability of ebooks from leading publishers like S.Chand & Co, Jiwan Publishing House (JPH Books), Full Marks, MBD Group, TERI Press, Lakshmi Publications, Har Anand and Jagran Josh to provide the finest quality CBSE study material to students across the nation. Rockstand Digital is now fully equipped with high quality CBSE preparatory material on its application and aspires to tackle and simplify the most difficult subjects of Classes 10 & 12. Student anxiety levels can now be reduced by adopting a smarter and convenient way of preparing for exams. Praveen Rajpal, Founder, Rockstand said “For the student community, selection of the right study material for major exams is critical and with these recent tie-ups we will be able to up our ante by offering an extensive range of content for exam preparation. A 30%-40% upsurge witnessed in app downloads during major exams is a testimony to the fact that m-learning is gaining popularity and benefitting students.”
