NOW BOND-DON-RAJ TALKS

Worldwide, resources for HIV/AIDS have increased to over US$ 8 billion a year. But that is still not enough. The estimated need in low- and middle-income countries is US$ 15 billion this year, and that will grow to US$ 22 billion in 2008.

"That widening gap must be filled, and commitment sustained. It calls for more than traditional international development assistance."
 
check this out friends

THESE ARE QUESTIONS ASKED IN IAS INTERVIEW

.01 Q. How can you drop a raw egg onto a concrete floor without cracking it?
A. Concrete floors are very hard to crack! (UPSC Topper)

.02 Q. If it took eight men ten hours to build a wall, how long would it take four men to build it?
A. No time at all it is already built. (UPSC 23 Rank Opted for IFS)

.03 Q. If you had three apples and four oranges in one hand and four apples and three oranges in the other hand, what would you have?
A. Very large hands.(Good one) (UPSC 11 Rank Opted for IPS)

.04 Q. How can you lift an elephant with one hand?
A. It is not a problem, since you will never find an elephant with onehand.(UPSC Rank 14 Opted for IES)

.05 Q. How can a man go eight days without sleep?
A. No Probs, He sleeps at night. (UPSC IAS Rank 98)

.06 Q. If you throw a red stone into the blue sea what it will become?
A. It will Wet or Sink as simple as that. (UPSC IAS Rank 2)

.07 Q. What looks like half apple?
A: The other half. (UPSC - IAS Topper)

.08 Q. What can you never eat for breakfast?
A: Dinner.

.09 Q. What happened when wheel was invented?
A: It caused a revolution.

.10 Q. Bay of Bengal is in which state?
A: Liquid (UPSC 33Rank)

.11 Q: what is the opposite of Nag panchmi?
A: Nag did not punch me.
 
ooopppsssssss.............. my fault i agree......................................................................
 
1.If all the nations in the world are in debt(am not joking. Even US has got debts), where did all the money go? (weird)




2.When dog food is new and improved tasting, who tests it? (to be given a thought)




3.What is the speed of darkness? (absurd)




4.If the "black box" flight recorder is never damaged during a plane crash, why isn't the whole airplane made out of that stuff? (very good thinking)



5.Who copyrighted the copyright symbol? (who knows)




6.Can you cry under water? (let me try)




7.Why do people say, "you've been working like adog" when dogs just sitaround all day? (I think they meant something else)




8.Why are the numbers on a calculator and a phone reversed? (God knows)




9.Do fish ever get thirsty? (let me ask and tell)




10.Can you get cornered in a round room? (by oneseyes)




11.Why do birds not fall out of trees when they sleep? (tonight I will stayand watch)




12.What came first, the fruit or the color orange? (seed)




13.If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oilis made from vegetables,then what is baby oil made from? (No comments)




14.What should one call a male ladybird? (Nocomments)




15.If a person suffered from amnesia and then was cured would they rememberthat they forgot? (can somebody help )



16.Can you blow a balloon up under water? (yes u can)



17.Why is it called a "building" when it is already built? (strange isn't it)



18.If you were traveling at the speed of sound and you turned on your radio would you be ! Able to hear it? (got to think scientifically)




19.If you're traveling at the speed of light and you turn your headlights on, what happens?



20.Why is it called a TV set when theres only one? (very nice)



21.If a person owns a piece of land do they own it all the way down to the core of the earth? (this is nice)



22.Why do most cars have speedometers that go up to at least 130 when you legally can't go that fast on any road? (stupid, break the law)



23. If drink & drive is not allowed why the hell they have parking in Bars?
 
I've noticed this hatred of anyone in an authority position running through a lot of your posts, Patsm. My question is who do you mean by 'authority'? That's a very broad term and can mean anyone from doctors and social workers to politians and clergymen. Anyone who is placed in a position of trust is an authority so who specifically do you fear being treated evil by?

If we're talking about politicians that there are plenty of ways do defend yourself against them in democracies. Peaceful demonstrations, letters to your representive, and forming a lobby group of like-minded people. If you really want people to listen then I must stress the "peaceful" in peaceful demonstrations. In the words of Robertson Davies: "Few people can see genius in someone who has offended them." and most people find violence very offensive
 
Are you a responsible person?

I think the term "Responsibility" has a broad definition that may be take a form of hierarchy starting from the King or the President and his duties towards his nation reaching to every individual's responsibility towards one another.

The previous words sound logical and comforting, but imagine if selfishness and carelessness prevail...responsibility will drastically vanish leaving great chaos behind.

I tend to analyze Human's attitudes and personalities till suddenly that "Responsibility" topic jumped into my head with many questions that I am keen to share with my friends here:

First: Does responsibilty emerge out of obligation and not a real desire of sincere devotion?
(In other words; are you forced to be responsible only cause you found yourself stuck into certain circumstances that you can't escape?)

Second: Does repsonsibility require domination and manipulation?

Third: Can responsibility act as restricting one's freedom?

Fourth: Is responsibility always reflecting love?

Well I can't imagine myself but being responsible and caring ... It is not a must that I have to be a mother who look responsibly after her children to prove that I am doing my duties however, I can be so by believing in responsibilty itself no matter whatever situation may come...

I do like to see people's opinion about that and many thanks.
 
I do like to refer to that quote:

" Life is a tragedy for those who feel and a comedy for those who think"

Do we have to discard our emotions? Do we have to think rationally

so that we can survive. It is like Feelings versus Thinking. Do all

passionate people seem naive if compared to those who use their

rational way of thinking, Does it shamful to speak out of our emotions

in a world that lacks feelings and true sincere relations....?!
 
I do like to refer to that quote:

" Life is a tragedy for those who feel and a comedy for those who think"

Do we have to discard our emotions? Do we have to think rationally

so that we can survive. It is like Feelings versus Thinking. Do all

passionate people seem naive if compared to those who use their

rational way of thinking, Does it shamful to speak out of our emotions

in a world that lacks feelings and true sincere relations....?!
 
Though I believe there is an underlying text for human beings, it is by no means homogenous or universal. I will say with a reasonable degree of certainty that the majority ( and by no means all) have a proclivity to easily believe what they learned as children ( i.e few apples far from the apple tree).

It is also human nature to fear “the other,” to fear what we do not understand. Many people cannot feel vicariously and are incapable of viewing problems perspicaciously and prudently.

As with all entities in nature ( and arguably life), human beings have a natural order of rank whether it is physically, mentally or whatever. There is very strong evidence purported by sociologist that people in groups unconsciously and fortuitously form hierarchies and structures. Egalitarianism is an idealistic political concept and has many benefits, but it directly opposes nature and life. Don’t get me wrong: I am a strong advocate of the bill of rights, but I am addressing nature here.

The good news is that human beings have self awareness, and can therefore ( under strict conditions) alter their thoughts and behaviors. This is the premise of the entire science of psychology. In the words of Friedrich Nietzsche “ Man is something to be overcome.”
 
the brightest minds or most talented people can not excel without the ability to communicate. This explains why a lot of knuckle heads get great jobs. They communicate better, even if they are full of crap. the same goes for relationships.
puplic speakin problem can be solved
The best way to do anything at all is to throw yourself into it. I don't mean pushinjg yourself t odo something, I mean giving a task full 100% concentration.
By doing this, you eliminate the distractions and pressures of having others around. Practice it. When talking, close your eyes, so that it feels natural. When you're around others, ignore them like you would a little brother or sister. They're there, but you're too focused to care
 



affirmative proposition
A statement whose propositional quality is determined by its assertion that some or all members of one class of things are also included as members of some other class.

Examples: "All spaniels are dogs." and "Some children are people who play word games."

The first affirms that every spaniel also belongs to the class of dogs, while the latter affirms that there is at least one member commonly included among both children and people who play word games.
 
‘The Quality of Mercy’, by Shakespeare



This poem was presented as a ‘cooking show’, a form which was obviously borrowed from television. The presentation was titled ‘Cookers and Shakers’. The ‘cookers’ was used because the poem talked about a recipe for mercy and the ‘shakers’ stood for Shakespeare. One student assumed the role of Shakespeare and his assistant was Agatha Christie, the famous writer of detective stories. The students made use of familiar utensils in everyday use to explain the recipe, and thereby the images used, in the poem.



A strainer
Mercy is not “strained”

A glass
Pouring water, slowly into a vessel below “droppeth as the gentle rain”

A vessel
“upon the place’ beneath”

Salt and pepper containers
“twice blest” putting salt and pepper, also used for “seasons justice”.

A big serving spoon
Him that “gives” and him that “takes”. It was also used to explain “sceptre”

A Chef’s hat
to show “better than his crown”

A pair of tongs
used to lift the vessel to show “mercy is above this sceptred sway”




Through these actions, the recipe of mercy was ready in a style familiar to students as a result of television shows. Through familiar means, the presentation demonstrated unfamiliar images like ‘sceptre’, ‘crown’, and ‘seasons’. It was a lively show, and through gestures, action and words, it explained much of the poem.



After this initial light-hearted activity, the students were able to discuss the images used by the poet with a better understanding and within the context of the poem. They were better able to appreciate and discuss the beauty of the images used. Another outcome was an animated but serious discussion on mercy as a value in today’s world. A topic which would otherwise appear dry and didactic, became animated, lively and about 60 out of the 70 students in the class took an active part in the serious discussion. This level of participation in an undergraduate first year class was of an unusually high level. Though some of the comments were in a lighter vein (“Mercy is an important ingredient in the recipe of life”, “It makes life more palatable”), the discussion made students reflect on Portia’s speech, her eloquent appeal to Shylock to be merciful, and on the quality of mercy.
 
The imagination of the students really was wild when it came to presenting such a serious poem on religion and spirituality. Again, to create an interest and have some fun, they turned to media for their inspiration and that also to a Miss India contest! Now, what is the relation, and how does it work?



The students chose five volunteers as participants in a Miss India competition. They were called Agatha Christie, Shobha De, Sarojini Naidu, Shabana Azmi and Nissim Ezekiel.



One student was the compere, and adopted the artificial tradition of announcers of such shows. The finalists were asked one question, which was taken from a central image of the poem: “What part of a fruit would you like to be and why?”



The replies were:

Agatha Christie: The branch because it gives support. (Remember, coming from a writer of detective fiction, you are expected to figure out that a branch is not part of a fruit!)

Shobha De: I would like to be the flesh because it is beautiful and full of vitamins.

Sarojini Naidu: I would like to be the seed because another fruit can grow from it.

Shabana Azmi: I would like to be the skin, as it weathers the storm and gives protection.

Nissim Ezekiel: The nothingness in the seed — the secret locked within the seed, because nothingness is everything.



The results were declared and with great pomp and show Nissim Ezekiel was crowned Miss India. There followed a ‘TV talk’ where questions were put about his views on issues like man’s final destination, the need to conquer the ego, the importance of self-realisation and being oneself and the ‘inward eye’, ‘eye of an eye’, nothingness and something, how can one know oneself, the path to God, salvation, and so on. Views were expressed from the Bible, Quran, Gita, Upanishads. Some comments were a conscious declaration on how we get so involved with material pursuits that we forget our spiritual destination and do not pay attention to spiritual growth. The common precepts of all religions were also discussed.



Thus, though the imagination of students does fly high to unimagined heights, it does sober down to an enlightened, intelligent discussion and appreciation of the literary text. The media serve as wings to allow the imagination to soar but then the process can also lead to a critique of the methods employed by popular shows on television. The classroom becomes animated with activity where the students participate in the learning process. Readers are not sponges, passively absorbing the text. They create the text according to their own knowledge and experience within the framework provided by the author. This recreation may prompt many kinds of mental activity: sudden images which flash through the mind, questions and exclamations about aspects of the text. But readers are not completely free to create the text in their own way. They are directed by the writer through the language. The writer guides the responses of the readers, but allows room for each individual to imagine it in his/her own way (Hackman, S., and B. Marshall. 1990. Re-reading literature: Critical approaches to the study of English. London: Hodder and Stoughton). Thus, life is full of possibilities and new technology also provides new ways and means which can be used to make the teaching-learning process interesting, enjoyable and meaningful. One can use the possibilities offered by the media to make students think carefully, critically and analytically.
 
The Department of Design at the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati (IITG) is a new entrant in the field of design education. It is the first department in the country to offer a four-year undergraduate degree programme leading to the degree of Bachelor of Design. The establishment of such a programme is a significant development in the field of design education since there is now a recognition of the design profession as one career option among the mainstream professional programmes in engineering offered by the Indian Institutes of Technology.



Established in Germany in the early 1920s, the design profession made its entry into India in the early 1960s at the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad. Subsequently, in the 1970s, the Industrial Design Centre (IDC) at the IIT Bombay started a programme in industrial design. At present, the NID offers a diploma programme in design and the IDC offers a postgraduate degree.



The credit for instituting a design programme in the north-eastern region of the country should go to an advisory committee of the Government of India, which, right at the time of the establishment of IITG, identified a programme in Design at the undergraduate level as worth introducing. The first Director of IITG, Dr. D. N. Buragohain, invited Prof. S. Nadkarni to join the institute after his retirement as Professor and Head of the IDC, IIT Bombay, and to take charge of setting up the department. This was in August 1997.



The programme in Design attempts to give inputs that blend considerations of good aesthetics, user convenience, ergonomics and socio-cultural factors with pragmatic technological factors in the design of products and systems in the man-made living environment. In contrast to the established educational models of design education like the programmes offered by the NID, Ahmedabad and the IDC, IIT Bombay, the programme at IITG had to face challenges which were specific to the region. The north-east abounds in natural resources. Water resources, good forest cover, agriculture and local handicrafts offer potential for development. The lack of industrialisation in the area and the remoteness of the region from important industrial centres were major disadvantages that the Department had to consider in planning its programme. Added to this were factors related to political disturbances that had slowed down many development initiatives in the region. The Department considered all these issues but decided to go ahead with the hope that young talented people who wanted to use innovative approaches to design activities would be attracted.



At present, the Department has five faculty members. They include an exhibition designer, a graphic designer, an ergonomist and two product designers. The staff include one model maker, one graphics assistant and one cameraman. Studios and computer laboratories have been established and workshops for woodworking, ceramics and plastics are being set up. In addition, there will be studios of photography and video-editing.



The Department of Design commenced its programme in July 1998. The first batch of 12 students was admitted through the IITs’ all-India Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). Successful candidates at the JEE who had opted for Design undertook a Design Aptitude Test at various counselling centres. All the 12 candidates were from outside the state; there were no local students.



The Department is initially concentrating on two disciplines:



Industrial Design: This discipline aims at preparing students to use analytical and methodical approaches to design problems. Issues such as user interface with products and systems, aesthetic considerations in the determination of the form of products and the role of socio-economic and technical factors in design, form part of the curriculum.



Communication Design: Given the need to have knowledge and information transfer in communicable and usable forms, the course structure spans diverse domains in visual design. The communication design aspect addresses a broad range of questions which include social, educational and interactive communication methodologies; it also makes use of media such as publication design, video, multimedia, computer graphics, educational aids, exhibition design and photography.



Although the two disciplines are similar to the ones at NID and IDC, the difference is in the structure of the course inputs. Taking advantage of the technical courses offered by other Departments at IITG, this programme focuses upon inputs from the fields of visual arts, humanities, ergonomics and management. It introduces field work and industrial experience right from the first year of the programme. It gives special emphasis to the area of craft design and development. It integrates theoretical learning and its immediate application in the various projects undertaken during the different years of the programme.



Organisation of the educational programme



The course work for the total programme falls into four categories.



1 Design

2 Science and Technology

3 Humanities

4 Management



The first year is common to both disciplines and is devoted to establishing a broad foundation. Students may then select a major, that is either Industrial Design or Communication Design.



In the first batch, five students opted to specialise in Industrial Design and seven in Communication Design. In the coming years, the Department plans to increase its intake to 15 students in each discipline.



Course content



Year 1

The first year of the course provides students with a sound understanding of the formal elements of visual design. It includes studies in organisation of elements in two and three dimensions, colour applications and visual perceptions. A broad range of design experiences is explored. Theoretical inputs are provided in the science of ergonomics. Practical skills in visual communication using media like drawing, model making and photography are developed to enable the students to have a firm foundation for the rest of the course. The students also undergo basic engineering courses.



Year 2

During the second year various techniques of problem solving in two and three dimensions, and skills required in the practice of industrial design and communication design, are taught. The students develop a high level of skill in presentation of graphics and model making. A designer’s concern for the improvement of the physical environment of people is introduced during classroom projects. Students are also introduced to computer-aided studies.



The third and fourth years of the programme will begin shortly. The plans for these two areas are as follows:



Year 3

More complex and system-oriented projects will be designed to improve the students’ capabilities to tackle real design development problems. The projects will be related to manufacturing, marketing and related areas. In Industrial Design, areas to be covered will include furniture design, public transport, household appliances and a range of machinery and equipment for forestry, the tea manufacturing industry, fisheries and handicrafts. In Communication Design, projects in graphic design, multimedia and video for areas such as primary health and education, and agriculture, are being planned.



Year 4

Major projects will be undertaken both within, and in collaboration with outside organisations. The students will assemble a folio of design work compiled during the complete course work. This folio will enable them to demonstrate to prospective employers or clients their professional abilities in product design and communication design.



The aspects of this new programme which enable it to be compared favourably with the established models of design education are the following:



(i) Integrated approach



The organisation of the educational programme has been kept extremely flexible. Given the project orientation, students are encouraged to undertake projects in a diverse range of subjects. The project and its related theoretical areas of influence are not treated as separate aspects, but are proportionately integrated so that the students can experience their relevance immediately.



(ii) Work internship



The knowledge of realities of design can be gained only by observing and working in industry. This experience is cultivated gradually so that at the end of the programme the student becomes professionally confident to take any complex decisions as a part of his/her design activity. The student will undergo training throughout the four years at the Institute, initially for one month every year (mostly during the vacations) and for 3 to 6 months during the third and fourth years. Students are encouraged to undertake projects sponsored by industry.



(iii) Integration of craft and technology



The vast potential that the craft sector offers in this region has been included as an integral part of study in the curriculum so that an attempt is made towards design and development of contemporary ideas which can be initiated with the artisan communities of the region. Tremendous possibilities exist in the textile, cane and bamboo crafts of the north-eastern region.



The experiences with the first two batches of students in this new discipline may be of interest to readers.



Peculiar difficulties are being faced in establishing the studio and model-making facilities. The diverse range of materials required for such activities are not easily available in the local market. Therefore, the Department is educating local suppliers about its requirements. For the time being, the materials needed, like material for art work, model-making and photography, are being sourced from outside the state.



Since the curriculum is structured differently from the more conventional programmes offered by the other departments within IITG, the assignments in the courses offer open-ended possibilities for interpretations, encouraging students to find creative solutions. However, the students undergo an initial phase of struggle in reorienting themselves to this spirit of self-learning.



Courses in visual design also invoke the artist within, an aspect which is very often dormant as a result of the stifling pattern of school education. Trying to blend art with technology provokes sceptical responses from student peer groups of the other departments whose programmes are more structured and follow the rigour of the examination systems. In design, the approaches are rigorous but more flexible. The environment of interaction and learning is more informal.



Contact with industry was established at an early stage and the first batch of students has undergone its first industrial exposure for a month (during the vacations) with some of the leading industries, at locations close to their home towns. Such first hand exposure has been appreciated by the students.



There is already a visible change in attitude and perceptions among the initial batches of design students who have been able to overcome their initial anxieties regarding the nature and scope of this young profession. The response seems optimistic and encouraging.
 
Managers today have fewer ways to influence employees and shape their behaviour (being coercive or authoritarian is no longer an option). To be effective, today’s managers must increasingly be like a coach, colleague, counsellor.

They must create a supportive work environment that uses indirect means of influence to obtain desired behaviours and outcomes. For example, in my research I’ve found the top motivator for today’s employees to be Support & Involvement : Providing employees information they need, asking them for ideas or their opinion , involving them in decisions (especially ones that affect them), and supporting them when they make a mistake are critical to keeping people excited about the job they are doing.

Meanwhile, the pace of business is ever increasing, making it more difficult for managers to take time to focus on people. The increase in speed at work minimises contact between employees and managers.

Most managers are so busy focusing on their own work and what’s urgent that they have no time left to focus on their people and instead tend to “manage by exception ,” only dealing with problems , mistakes, and complaints about their employees to the point where their employees don’t want to see their manager since he or she always tends to have negative.

Managers may say people are their most important asset, but unless they show that belief through daily interactions, employees won’t feel important. The less time employees have with their manager, the more positive and meaningful that time needs to be. So whether it’s a simple thank you in the hallway or at the beginning of a meeting, a note or letter of thanks or an email – it is critical today to highlight the things people are doing right in a positive , proactive way.

Employees have always had a high need for security, but today that need is fulfilled by knowing one is doing a good job and is in a good organisation that is doing well. Sharing the mission and purpose of the organisation with all employees and how the company makes and loses money gives people a larger context they can connect their job and efforts to. Allowing them autonomy and authority to pursue their ideas and take on challenges that can help the organisation be more successful and competitive needs to be done with every employee.

Technology in the workplace has caused worker alienation as more time is spent processing work through technology and less time interacting with ones manager. The more “connected” employees are through technology, the less connection they tend to have with others. You can counteract this tendency, however, by using technology to improve and strengthen the human element in your relationships .
 
Don’t just use technology to dump more work on employees, use it also to thank and acknowledge individual and team performance when it occurs. In my research 67% of employees say they like getting positive emails forwarded to them. And if you send someone a thank you email, copy their manager as a way of leveraging the good news to better build trust, respect and commitment among staff.

Employees are increasingly being asked to be autonomous and responsible for their own work, all the while acting in the organisation’s best interests. It’s those employees that are doing a job that are in the best position to do it better, to improve processes, cut costs or enhance service to the customer.

Discuss the results you are looking for, but give employees a say in how to best achieve those results in their jobs and you will increase their buy-in to do their jobs better. If someone has an idea for improving things, allow them to pursue that idea. After all, who is likely to have more energy for an idea than the person who initially came up with it? We all need employees to be looking to contribute more, to help us adapt to changing times and increased competition.

If you ask for this and – more importantly – systematically reinforce it when it occurs , you are bound to create a work environment in which people are excited about digging in and making a difference on a daily basis.

Workers today increasingly expect to have more meaning in their jobs from Day One – not after 10 or 20 years. They expect more balance in their jobs and family life – work for them is part of broader goals, not an end in and of itself. Meaning can be provided by one’s manager, who serves as the linking pin between the employee and the overall organisation.

Explaining how things are done and why, how an employee’s job links to broader goals of the department and organisation, taking time to be available and answer questions employees have are all important elements for defining meaning in one’s work. Most companies have an “open door” policy, but if a manager doesn’t have an open mind when approached by employees, the result will be detrimental.

Traditional incentives from salary and benefits to bonuses and promotions are less available in almost all organisations today, so we need a wider range of potential ways to reward and recognise employees when they perform well. One size no longer fits all and you can’t have a couple of formal recognition programs such as years of service or employee of the month and expect that to do it for everyone.
 
Motivational needs vary from individuals vs. teams, age, gender, culture, and personality type. Fortunately , there are lots of proven things that can be done, starting with the simplest forms of recognition. 99.7% of employees say they expect thanks and praise in their jobs when the do good work.

Rewards, recognition and praise really do work to motivate individuals and produce desired results. Most studies on the topic indicate that employees often prefer recognition and praise even over money. As times have changed, employee expectations for recognition have increased and at the same time become more intangible, personal and real-time.

More than anything, motivation occurs within the relationships of those we work with, starting with our manager. Employees today expect their managers to care and to show that they care daily.
 
It’s always nice to begin a new year with a note of real hope and inspiration , and here’s the story I have to tell of the Rural Retail Academy, a vocational training initiative from Andhra Pradesh.

The first batch of 700 rural youth have “graduated’ from three academies, with 90% placement in large and well known retail companies like Future Group, McDonald, Food World, Spencer’s and Reliance, at salaries of Rs 3,000 plus per month. What is even nicer is that this is a government initiative which is built around the mantras of “being totally market driven” and “private sector partnership”. And nicest of all is the gender ratio of the graduating class — 40% women!

Three things stand out for me in this initiative — one, the programme design is innovative and totally flexible depending on the needs of the market. Two, the private-public partnership model actually is a constructive, mutual respect partnership and not the usual case of reluctant bed fellows and struggle for power. Three, the entire eco-system has been worked on, and getting the youth and the community to buy in and see value in this programme has been given as much importance as getting the job providers to see value and get enthused.

Usually such programmes are either imperialistic in the way they transact with beneficiaries (we know what’s good for you) or condescending in the way they transact with the private sector partners (you merely make money, we change the world — so your participation in shaping programmes is not useful) or stuck in the government’s eternal bureaucratese (we are surprised that you don’t know this is the way the government does things around here, and are even asking for a new set of processes!).

The strategy is exciting because it is both holistic and flexible, and because it is extendable with easy tthe media proliferates, ignore the scary facts that the demographic data reveal. IRS data (Hansa Research, Media Research Users Council) shows that of the 122 million 20-to-25-year-olds in the country, 70 million are rural and poor, 35 million belong to the lowest socio-economic (SEC) class of R4 (i.e., kuchha houses and chief wage earner has not got past Std 9, mostly illiterate or literate but with no formal schooling).

The remaining 35 million are SEC R3 (i.e., semi pucca houses, and about half the chief wage earners have finished SSC). Incomes and exposures are closely correlated to the SEC. The most high risk for social tension, Naxal movements, etc., would presumably be the 20% of this age group (25 million, 10 million urban and 15 million rural) who are HSC/SSC passed, and have been raised with the aspiration, but no access to economic opportunity.
o make changes, for different employer requests and different community
constraints. Standard 10 pass, 18-to-25-year-old youth is who this programme targets. It has been run in three districts of the state in the first round and will move to another three in the next round. Appropriately named as “youth 4 jobs” initiative of the “employment generation and marketing mission”, the philosophy of this programme is that the most sustainable livelihood option is to ‘provide’ jobs for youth, by giving them market relevant skills for markets where recruiting such youth as a value proposition makes sense; and by ensuring that ‘buyers’ from the market are involved in co-creation of these programmes to make them “value right”.

This business case here is not built around CSR but around the demand supply gap that exists for appropriate quality - affordable price manpower. In this case, as retailing spreads into smaller towns, large town youth are not ready to go and are over-priced. A similar sort of thing applies to labour-intensive manufacturing activity as well. In the absence of appropriate capability building initiatives, companies tend to hire over-engineered talent, causing problems not just of cost push but also of retention and of attitude.

Meera Shenoy, the director, birth mother and nurturer of this programme already has employer cost savings data to show, and also enquiries from non-retail employers, asking for customised academies to be created. The life of an academy is flexible too — depending on the language needs and the geographic needs of potential employers and the needs and preferences for relocation of the local community, academies are set up and dismantled, or “moved around”. Some could be short- term ones or two-crop giving in a location, some could me permanent.

The curriculum is anchored around two generic modules of English skills, life and generic work/employability skills, and trade specific skills. In the case of retail academies, the trade specific skills include customer care and basic computer skills, and are developed in partnership with the industry. Teachers’ training is another equally well addressed element of this programme. Pedagogy is innovative, has lots of role play, etc., and also on-site training modules.

Since the community is an important stakeholder of this programme, building community conviction and active support is a critical leg of the strategy, and done in many interesting ways. For instance, a month after placement, taking parents to visit the recruits at their work place! Counselling youth gives them the “I can” confidence, and the window to another world so that they have informational resources to aspire to a better life. A facilitation period offering short-term dormitories for youth who relocate is part of the customer centricity of the programme, a little thing that builds staying power.

So what is the metric of success of such programmes? Meera convinces me that my ‘for profit’, educational entrepreneurs driven model is flawed. The only way to build scale she convinces me, is with the government, and the only way to build effectiveness and long-term sustainability is with partnerships from private sector, and with market relevance, which such partnerships build.

So, if the model works, embrace it no matter which side of the eco-system you are on, and experiment with it, and customise it, but definitely use it. That’s a powerful new year message for all of us!
 
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