Student hackathon
Kaspersky, in collaboration with Hackathons International, will host a student hackathon dedicated to tackling security issues posed by new technologies from October 29-31. Any student between 18 and 26 years, currently enrolled in a university degree, within the APAC region is eligible to participate individually or in teams. Winners will receive $1,500 (AUD) and entry to the Global Secur’IT Cup Final in December, where the prize money is $10,000. To register, visit secureitcup.kaspersky.com
Xebia Academy’s Master Certification courses
Aspirants can gain practical training in Big Data from Xebia Academy and enhance their skills in data engineering utilising SQL, MongoDB including well-known components such as HDFS, Spark and Cloud Computing. The course will include Big data overview, challenges, types of Vs, and more,
Eligibility: Basic knowledge of SQL is required, and prior coding experience will be an added benefit.
Duration: Five months
Deadline: October 30
FLAME University expands its UG majors
FLAME University, recently launched an optional four-year UG honours, and added new majors and minors to its undergraduate programme. It also launched a Master of Science in Economics and instituted a doctoral programme. At the UG level, new interdisciplinary majors in Data Science and Economics, Computer Science and Design, and Design Management will be offered. Minors in Philosophy and Computer Science will now be possible. At the PG level, M.Sc. in Economics has been launched, and will combine Economics and Data Sciences. Additionally, Ph.D. in Data Science, Psychology, Economics, and Management has been introduced. For details, visit https://www.flame.edu.in/academics/ug and https://www.flame.edu.in/academics/pg
IIT Bombay-Coursera partnership
IIT-Bombay, in partnership with Coursera Inc., recently launched two certificate programmes — Digital Transformation and Power Electronics and Motors for Electric Vehicles (EVs). The four-month Digital Transformation Certification, with live lectures, is designed for non-IT managers leading digital transformation initiatives. Power Electronics and Motors for Electric Vehicles (EVs), a 4.5-month programme, which helps build essential skills for advancing careers in the field of EVs.
Blended learning solution
Countingwell recently announced the launch of ‘Countingwell for Schools’, a blended learning solution designed to help school teachers measure and reduce students’ learning deficit in Maths. Teachers to assign simple Maths homework and periodic assessment tests to find out what students do not know, and to accordingly focus on filling the gaps. It allows teachers to create adaptive and personalised assessments and tests, and view personalised reports for each student.
Leap’s LevelUp H1B job portal launched
Leap recently launched LevelUp H1B, a job-matching portal for international students, which allows them to apply directly to a curated list of companies sponsoring H1B Visas. The free portal aims to make the job search process easier for international job-seekers, who have bespoke employment requirements such as visa sponsorship and thus present unique hiring challenges.
BasicFirst goes phygital
BasicFirst recently launched over 300 physical Doubt Clearing Centres for its students in India and overseas. The company aims to build on its phygital module by providing students with online and offline classes to help them study more effectively. It will partner with schools and coaching institutes to establish similar centres and has already signed MoUs. Doubt-clearing sessions can be scheduled on-demand, 24x7, through text or chat messages. The programme will be open for K6 to K12 level students from 22 state boards and 84 competitive exams.
MDI launches new centre, DECCS
Management Development Institute (MDI) Gurgaon, recently launched a new Centre of Excellence on Digital Economy, Cryptocurrencies and Cyber Security (DECCS), aimed at encouraging academic deliberations and promoting research on emerging technology areas. It aims to examine social, economic, organisational, managerial, and political implications of digital economy. It will act as a think tank on issues related to digital economy, cybersecurity and cryptocurrencies, bringing in an India-specific context and discussion.
IMS Noida hosts induction programme
IMS Noida School of Journalism and Mass Communication organised an induction programme, Deeksharambh , for the new batch students of BJMC and MJMC 2021. Smriti Rastogi, senior anchor and producer of Rajya Sabha TV, Somdatt Sharma Media Advisor of Delhi Government, and Manish Kumar Jha, Associate Editor of Foreign Affairs and Defence at Business World were the speakers. The president of IMS Noida, Rajeev Gupta, and Kulneet Suri, Senior Director, were also present.
Scaler Academy acquires Coding Minutes
Scaler Academy recently announced the acquisition of online learning platform Coding Minutes for $1 million. With this, Scaler will focus on building specialised content that effectively engages the beginner-level tech aspirant. Coding Minutes will become a part of Scaler and continue to bring pocket-friendly specialised courses for beginners as part of the acquisition.
Deepinder Goyal joins Unacademy Board of Directors
Unacademy recently announced the appointment of Deepinder Goyal, Founder and CEO, Zomato on the company’s Board of Directors. Goyal is an investor in Unacademy and participated in the company’s Series H fundraise in August.
IMS Ghaziabad’s ‘Sharing My Success Story’; signs MOU with Mata Sundri College of Women
IMS Ghaziabad recently organised an interactive session on ‘Sharing My Success Story’ for PGDM students. Students of PGDM Batch 2020-22 sharef their journey in getting placements in different A-listed organisations such as Deloitte Consulting India, Mondelez International, Dabur, Wipro, Aditya Birla Group, Archer and Bull and CP Milk and Food Products.
The institute recently signed a MOU with Mata Sundri College of Women, University of Delhi, to promote students and faculty exchange programmes, joint research, academic events, and other relevant domains.
Universal Business School organises MUN
Universal Business School recently organised ‘Universal Business School Model United Nations (UBSMUN) 2021’ an educational simulation model of United Nations Conference for its management students. Students participated by creating committees such as World Health Assembly, United Nations General Assembly: Special Political and Decolonisation Committee and United Nations Human Rights Council and discussed policy formulation for Universal Health Coverage with special emphasis on the ongoing pandemic; the situation in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the rights of the LGBTQI community.
Anant Fellowship for Climate Action
The Anant Fellowship for Climate Action recently welcomed its second cohort of 24 Fellows from 13 countries, who were selected after a stringent assessment of 2,703 applications received from 50 countries this year. This year, the youngest applicant was 16 years and the oldest, 63. It also saw an increase in the number of women applicants compared to last year.
Skill-Lync appoints Dr. Amod as Director - Curriculum and Applications; collaborates with Foundation for Excellence
Skill-Lync recently announced the appointment of Dr. Amod as the Director of Curriculum and Applications, and hopes to enable Engineering students in India to think beyond jobs and build deep technical expertise. He will also focus on experience centres across India with state-of-the-art lab facilities for students to get hands-on experience in Automotive, Autonomous, Healthtech, and more.
Skill-Lync also announced its partnership with FFE (Foundation for Excellence) to train and equip 30 FFE scholars with employable Engineering skills through its project-based learning approach. As part of this partnership, 30 FFE scholars from IITs, NITs and other premier engineering colleges in Pune and Bengaluru, will take up courses in Mechanical & Civil Engineering at Skill-Lync.
Life Skills Collaborative launched
Eighteen organisations have come together to launch the Life Skills Collaborative (LSC). In the first phase, it will work in tandem with state governments across Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra and Mizoram to bring contextual, social and cultural inputs to develop life skills among young people. The collaborative will work to deepen the understanding of life skills, design learning tools and develop context-relevant assessments to measure progress, share learnings and inform system change.
KIIT World School’s investiture ceremony
KIIT World School, Gurugram, recently hosted an investiture ceremony to appoint and honour students as Prime Minister, Speaker, Minister of Environment, Minister of Sports, Minister of Discipline, Minister of Health and Hygiene, Minister of Social Welfare, Minister of Property, and the respective Deputy Ministers. Purbangi Banerjee was elected as Prime Minister, Piyush Tanwar as Deputy Prime Minister, Shaurya Vir Singh Pal as Speaker, Pratibha Chauhan as Vice President, Tanisha Khatana as Environment Minister, Yuvraj Gaur as Sports Minister and Chitrakshi as Discipline Minister
Fateh Education announces Dawid Malan as brand ambassador
Fateh Education recently announced Dawid Malan as its brand ambassador and face of its Conquer Your Dreams campaign. The campaign is being launched to celebrate the organisation’s successes since 2004, and further its reach to enable more Indian students conquer their dreams.
Khelo India University Games 2021 prep
KC Narayana Gowda, Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Sericulture, Government of Karnataka, with a host of dignitaries, recently visited the JAIN Global campus and JAIN Sports School, to witness the ongoing preparation for Khelo India University Games (KIUG) to be held in March 2022 in Karnataka. JAIN (Deemed-to-be-University) is the official host of the KIUG’s second edition.
PGP in Cybersecurity
RISE WPU recently launched a new PGP in Cybersecurity, in association with Cybint Solutions. The curriculum covers topics such as Network Administration, Malware Analysis, Ethical Hacking, and aims to train aspirants to meet the growing need for Cybersecurity professionals . It covers over 50 tools and uses simulations to teach students in a controlled environment. Along with placement guarantee, RISE WPU has also partnered with CompTIA to provide certification upon course completion.
Surveys and studies
INTO Universities Partnerships recently released the second part of the findings of its global survey on how the pandemic affected Gen Z’s career aspirations and higher education choices. Some key findings are: 67% of Indian students under 25 think that a university’s capacity to give them the skills they need for their future is more important than its global ranking; 89% consider an institution’s track record on social issues (such as LGBTQ+ rights, gender equality, racism, and so on) when applying; 40% care more about unemployment caused due to the pandemic, 49% about climate change, and 36% about discrimination. Over 1,200 students from 93 countries participated.
Western Union recently released a new multi-generational study on Education Overseas: An Evolving Journey to understand Indian family’s experience of their child’s international education and global future. Some key findings: 45% student respondents prioritise self-dependence and opportunities to live on their own terms as key motivations to explore international learning opportunities. One in five (22%) now prefer new and unconventional study destinations like Ireland, Turkey and Spain. Availability of specialisations such as Data Analytics, AI, Digital Marketing, Cybersecurity, Ethical Hacking and Ecotechnology are taking precedence over traditional university courses for 52%. Pandemic-induced hybrid learning is now mainstream with 46% actually preferring such a model. Students now prioritise the opportunity to travel and explore other cultures (43%) over better job opportunities and better education.
CFA Institute recently released results from the survey conducted on the career outlook of more than 15,000 current university students and recent graduates aged 18-25, from 15 markets, including Australia, Hong Kong SAR, India, Japan and Singapore in the Asia Pacific region. Some key findings: 65% of Indian students are still confident of their future career prospects in the wake of COVID-19; 52% are reassessing their career paths; IT and Telecom, Education, Government, Media and Marketing and Finance were identified as the top five most sought-after industries; 55% plan to prolong their time in education while the job market is still volatile; 97% feel having a professional certification will impact their earnings prospects, job fulfilment and opportunities.
Wiley recently conduct an exhaustive digital skills study across several APEC economies including India. Some key findings: 85.3% believe that the most relevant skill in the 21st century is problem-solving, while 80.3% said that most important technical skill isData Analytics and algorithms. Only 4.2% are completely satisfied with the level and availability of digital skills. Nearly half believe that present-day employees are not equipped to handle data in a moral manner. Across the APEC economies, the Education and Training sector has been identified as the sector with the widest digital skills gap.
Deloitte- CII recently published the Annual Status of Higher Education (ASHE) Report 2021. Some key findings are increasing use of Edtech driven by rise in Analytics, ML, for learning effectiveness through content creation, micro plucking, predictive learning, personalisation, and gamification. There is an increased potential to democratise education at lower costs and using flexible educational formats. To make India an attractive study destination, several interventions are required including provision of reliable information, ‘Study in India’ campaigns, addressing structural issues pertaining to dual/joint degrees, eligibility, equivalence, and building flexibility through remedial bridge programs, credit transfer mechanism, among others.
Brainly recently surveyed its Indian user base to determine the impact of study from home on students’ mental health. Some key findings: 75% have noted mental health changes and school performance and preparation emerged as a key contributor to stress and anxiety. One in two students found solace in speaking to their friends and family. Around 63% mentioned that online learning platforms helped reduce stress.
Job fair of Swarnim Start Up and Innovation University
Swarnim Start Up and Innovation University recently organised a job fair where ITI, Diploma, Graduate, and Postgraduate students from the university and outside participated. One hundred and sixty two students were approached for the role of Business Development, Engineer Trainee, Machine Operator, Marketing and Sales, AutoCAD, Software Engineer, and companies that participate included Arvind Limited, Lubi Industries, Career Launcher, Tech Mahindra, First Source Solutions, and TeamLease.
Design Research workshop
World University of Design recently organised a series of workshops for its faculty on building Design Research, Writing and Publishing capabilities. The first workshop was conducted by research advisors Dr. Himanshi Singh and Dr. Rudra Baral. The workshops were intended to be an amalgamation of informational and educational training for the faculty members, helping them convert research observations and data structures into high-impact publications.
