The Gujarat government is using very innovative methods to provide employment opportunities to the youth of the African-orgin , Sidi community.They came to India as slaves around 500 years ago. The population of the community is around 10, 000 in Gujarat .The government has planned to create “Little Africa” on the periphery of the Gir forest, which is going to be a theme based resort.

Pallavi Shukla, senior consultant to the state government for the project, said that development work would start by March 2010 and the resort would be functional in three years.

“Around 200 Sidi youth will get direct employment. Besides, there would be plenty of indirect employment opportunities as a ‘gram haat’ to display Sidi handicraft will be set up. Every evening there would be cultural events featuring Sidi ‘Dhamal’ dance troupe, which is very popular,” said Shukl

The IBM on the other hand will support the project . “The Rs 10-crore project, excluding the cost of land, would be fully funded by the Gujarat government. IBM will provide expertise to select a private partner to run the resort. It will also provide consultancy to market this ‘Little Africa’ across the world to lure maximum tourists,” said Per Yorgansen, project manager, IBM Denmark, who is in Ahmedabad for IBM’s Corporate Service Corps (CSC) program.

The resort would typically look like a Sidi village. Care has been take that the resort has the African look & feel. The resort would also have a museum.

Source: 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/IBM-to-help-create-Little-Africa-in-Gujarat/articleshow/5214160.cms

One in three students in India roughly choose engineering program as their graduate course. A report NASSCOM (National Association of Software and Services Companies) says that 75 percent of the Indian students are unemployable. This situation is quit alarming.

In the Indian education system, academics takes over practical experience, leaving the students unemployable by the end of 4 years. However, education experts feel that skill building and practical training must be given equal importance. This will help the students to apply the classroom learning in practical environment. D. Sahasrabudhu, director of the College of Engineering, Pune said that one of the major reasons why engineers, even from reputed institutes, are not easily employed because they lack hands-on skill.

The focus in most institutes here is always on academics and theory. Thus, a mechanical engineer may actually not know how to change a part of a machine. Therefore even if a high scoring student gets placed in a good company, eventually that lack of practical knowledge catches up,” Sahasrabudhu said during a panel discussion at the sixth Higher Education Summit organised by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

From our experience we now know that practical, hands-on training is very crucial in the education system,” he added.

The latest NASSCOM report said that the Indian IT firms reject 90 percent of college graduates and 75 percent of engineers who apply for jobs because they are not good enough to be trained.

Richard Kerly, a Scottish university professor, said: “Just recently I came to know that Citi Bank had started its recruiting process here, but was not going to campuses placement cells.

“The possible reason is that students here, although brilliant, don’t have an edge when it comes to putting theories to practice.”

Sudhir Matthew, Dean, Ecole Hoteliere Lavasa, Lavasa Corporation Limited, Pune said “The scene is very similar in the hospitality industry. Lack of hands-on trained students has forced hotel chains like the Oberoi, Taj and ITC to open their own hotel schools where the students are trained as per their needs.

“Tourism will grow at a rate of 8.8 percent till 2015 in India, making it one of the fastest growing markets but there is a serious lack of skilled hands. Academics combined with practical training is therefore very important to meet this shortage which is estimated at 3.2 million.”

 source: 

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/5207067.cms

What first comes to your mind when I talk about social networking sites? Is it finding old friends? Is it making new friends? Is it keeping in touch with the present group of friends? Well, all of us mostly create a social networking account just keeping the above in mind. On the other hand, 80% of the organizations use popular sites like (Orkut and LinkedIn) for hiring. So now, you know the importance of being present on them.

Step 1. Create an Orkut/Linkedin account immediately

Do not except to be hired as soon you create the account. You will first have to work on building your professional network thoroughly. Add as many people as possible to your network. If you are already doing an internship/Job then do not hesitate to connect with your co-workers, interns, program coordinators, clients/vendors, seniors. However, if you are still in college, start your professional network right from there, which can include your professors who are in charge of placements in college etc.

Step 2. Be more Proactive

Skills matter to an extent in an organization but you will stand out if you are interested and willing to learn more. Find out about different projects within your organization; offer to be a part of it. This will not only enhance your knowledge but also builds your professional network.

Get to know influential employees within your organization, strike a conversation with them about your interests; this will help you in circumstances when just need somebody to guide you on your career decisions or even further employment opportunities.

Step 3. Coffee Breaks!

Being a through professional is good but ultimately only those relationships last, which have a personal touch to it. Catch up for coffee with your co-workers and fellow interns whenever possible, which can be just one option. If your group is young then you should meet up for a game of basket ball (whatever suits your interest) over the week-end. The point is you should be able to make good friends with as many people as possible through the activities you select.