College Connect, a pilot programme to connect mentors from the industry with the engineering students mainly from rural and backward areas launched in Andhra Pradesh last year, is all set to go global.
College Connect programme was initiated with overwhelming support from the industry leaders to enable youth to get sustained mentorship and acquire skillset to face the global challenges in the disruptive age. The motto of the mission is to strengthen demographic dividend of the young and energetic youth and mould them to become global leaders.
After the decision of the State government which launched the initiative and its chief mentor and IT Adviser J.A. Chowdary, it has been decided to make it an apolitical programme by implementing it under an NGO.
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Vikasa Varadhi, an eight-day old bus yatra across the State from Puttur in Chittoor district to Visakhapatnam along with the mentors and the students last month to give them a first-hand experience of various industries including KIA Motors, AP MedTech Zone, Brandix India Apparel City and Innovation Valley, also turned into a big hit.
Now the organisers have been received requests to replicate the success story in the United Kingdom, the United States and Poland. Confirming this, Mr. Chowdary told The Hindu on Saturday that he was planning to visit London on the invitation of some of the mentors who offered their expertise to the students to explore the replication of College Connect initiative.
Earlier, a decision was taken to open branches in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, New Delhi and other cities in the country.
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During the feedback from the students, a student from Bullayya College from the city had said” “When I wanted to take part in the bus yatra, my parents were reluctant. I was known as introvert before and after the exposure, I have become very confident of getting a good job on my own.”
One of the mentors Shameer Dharmavaram said College Connect and Vikasa Varadhi were great initiatives aimed at improving employment quotient of the students. Founder and CEO of Hyderabad-based Techno Hub Software Solutions, Mr. Dharmavaram said the mentors who donated their time had unanimously felt the need to make it a global movement.