The Bangalore-based Indus Trust which has promoted the Indus International Schools (IIS) in Bangalore, Hyderabad and Pune, launched its greenfield Indus School of Leadership (ISL), sited in the Yellagiri hills, Tamil Nadu on August 2. Apart from imparting mandatory six-days experiential leadership training to all IIS students annually, ISL also offers experiential leadership training programmes to corporate managers. The school has designed its Pathfinder programme for young executives and junior managers; the Spearhead course for mid-level managers and Pinnacle for senior managers. In addition, ISL offers leadership retreats to corporates and industry.
“The Indus School of Leadership is India’s first leadership training institute and Asia’s second to be equipped with a Challenge Course certified by the Association of Challenge Course Technology, USA with several mid and low rope courses and many team building simulations. Our leadership programmes examine and gauge different competencies and their underlying behaviour,” says Lt. Gen. Arjun Ray, PVSM, VSM and chief executive of the Indus Trust.
CCEW’s first mechanical engineering graduates
The Cummins College of Engineering for Women, (CCEW, estb.1991) Pune, felicitated its first batch of mechanical engineering graduates at its campus in Pune on August 11. The full inaugural batch of 65 women completed Cummins College’s mechanical engineering programme developed exclusively for women — the first and only such study programme in India.
Until 2006, CCEW offered undergraduate degrees to women students in computer engineering, electronics, telecom engineering, information technology and instrumentation and control engineering. In 2007, supported by the Cummins India Foundation (CIF), the college invited applications for a new four-year mechanical engineering programme limiting the intake to 65 students. This first batch of mechanical engineering graduates were felicitated by Tom Linebarger, president and chief operations officer of Cummins Inc, and Anant Talaulicar, managing director of the Cummins Group in India.
Speaking at the felicitation ceremony, Talaulicar said: “We are delighted that the CCEW’s vision of providing quality education to women has been enhanced with the first batch of 65 women graduating in mechanical engineering. We believe this partnership for bringing higher and relevant education to women students will go a long way in creating the much needed women talent pipeline for industry.”
Schneider Electric-MIT concordat
Global specialist in energy management, Schneider Electric and MIT, Manipal (formerly Manipal Institute of Technology) launched a new study programme titled ‘Advanced Energy Management’ on August 16. The course is designed to promote technical excellence in the fields of electrical, electronics, software and control engineering.
Under the terms of the collaboration agreement, Schneider Electric will establish a laboratory with state-of-the-art electrical and electronic equipment and associated software covering industrial automation, control systems, power monitoring and control systems and switching protection devices. These solutions-based devices developed by Schneider Electric will be installed in MIT free of charge with MIT providing infrastructure and associated equipment to establish the Schneider Electric Centre of Excellence in its Manipal campus.
The three-year agreement includes week-long training for MIT faculty at Schneider’s R&D facility in Whitefield, Bangalore. This will not only ensure active collaboration between industry and academia, but also help to improve the workplace readiness and productivity of MIT students.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Kumkum Garg, director of MIT commented: “Through this association we aim to bring about perfect amalgamation of academia and industry which will give our students an edge by way of hands-on experience and prepare them for industry. Being associated with Schneider Electric — the global leader in energy management — has added to the credibility and value of this programme.”
Elaborating on emerging trends in energy efficiency and management, Daniel Gheno, vice president of the France headquartered Schneider Electric (revenue: Euro 20 billion or Rs.150,000 crore) is equally bullish about the collaborative venture. “The energy management industry has witnessed remarkable growth in the past with all governments, corporates and individuals making energy efficiency their top priority. Through this partnership we aim to equip MIT engineers with the skills for further enhancement of energy efficient technologies of the future,” says Gheno.
Pearson Schools launches EduriteONE
The Bangalore-based Pearson Schools announced the launch of EduriteONE, its VSAT- based engineering and medical prep programme to be piloted in the Gyansagar International School in Sohagpur, Madhya Pradesh via a live link from Pearson Schools’ dedicated studio in Bangalore.
According to a Pearson Schools spokesperson, EduriteOne is a remote delivery education service offering coaching for entrance exams which also enables students to engage in participatory sessions with peers and instructors, irrespective of location. EduriteOne delivers live sessions to schools with state-of-the-art technology and a monitoring system to track classroom sessions and provide student feedback.
Pearson Education Services Pvt. Ltd — the parent company of Pearson Schools — will facilitate implementation of the VSAT-based programme from its Bangalore head office and provide students residing in remote towns and semi-urban centres access to the best faculty. “The EduriteOne programme will help us reach out to students in tier-2 and tier-3 towns so no child is left behind. The introduction of the programme at Gyansagar International School will make high quality exam prep coaching available locally in the institution’s premises. EduriteOne of Pearson Schools is yet another initiative which is in line with our vision of becoming a transformative learning enabler through innovation. Through this initiative, we intend to provide quality learning experiences to school students countrywide,” says Meena Ganesh, the Bangalore-based chief executive of Pearson Education Services.