The Tech Mahindra Smart Academy and Innovative Change Collaborative (ICCO) joined hands to build careers of the Northeast‘s youths in the healthcare sector which happens to be the fastest growing industry in India today.
This became evident at the programme that was arranged in Guwahati on Thursday in which about 200 prospective youngsters were present to listen to the deliberations and presentations made by officials of both the organisations.
Loveleen Kacker, CEO of Tech Mahindra Foundation, said, “We want to equip youth from low-income families with skills that will help them begin a career in healthcare. There is a huge gap between demand and supply in the field of Allied Healthcare not just in the city of Delhi but the entire country, and the Academy is a small step in the direction of meeting this demand.”
Addressing the audience, Sajid Ali, Head – Direct Implementation Programmes, Tech Mahindra Foundation, said that in the current scenario, the scope of healthcare industry is tremendously widening and bringing in a large pool of employment opportunities.
SMART (Skills For Market Training) is Tech Mahindra Foundation’s flagship programme, with 100 centres providing skill development in 12 cities. With the launch of the first Tech Mahindra SMART Academy for Healthcare in 2016, the Foundation has brought its expertise in skilling to the domain of Healthcare.
Ali added, “Today, besides the doctors and nurses, the healthcare industry looks for well-trained healthcare professionals. The healthcare sector is also growing fast and faces a shortage of skilled manpower.”
Alay Barah, Executive Director, ICCO, said, “The Academy trains professionals through a number of paramedical diploma courses and certificate courses. Well-equipped laboratories, highly qualified healthcare professionals, on-job trainings in leading hospitals along with an array of extra-curricular activities among verdant greenery have created a world class institution.”
Barah said since the Academy lays the foundation of life-long learning as a powerful way to tap into potential employment opportunities for youth in search of professional skilling opportunities, Tech Mahindara and ICCO are exploring all avenues to arrange for sponsorship and scholarship for deserving students of the North East to avail of these courses.
In addition to healthcare-related courses, the students are also trained on communication skills and work readiness to equip them to face the challenges of competitive work environment. Continuous upgradation, self-improvement and strong processes are part of the Academy’s core philosophy.
Tech Mahindra Foundation (TMF) focuses its work on three areas of development – school education, employability and disability.