Tamil Nadu - Chennai

ELCOT plans ‘IT finishing schools’

CHENNAI: The Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu (ELCOT), in association with Nasscom and FOSTeRA, will set up ‘IT finishing schools’ in rural districts to train school dropouts to become BPO workers.

The model, similar to FOSTeRa (Fostering Technologies in Rural Areas) in Krishnagiri, will be replicated in 29 rural districts. ELCOT has called upon training institutes to set up training centres in the State.

The training institutes will be selected by the third week of December.

The Adi Dravida Housing Development Corporation will provide Rs.5 crore, while ELCOT has sought Rs.1 crore in assistance from the Backward Class Welfare Department.

While ELCOT will act as co-ordinator, FOSTeRA will provide consultancy and Nasscom will offer the soft skill training. FOSTeRA is a certified rural BPO organisation promoted by the Krishnagiri district administration.

To start with, each ‘IT finishing school’ will train 150 students for three months free.

Later, entrepreneurs will be invited to set up 25-seat BPO centres in any of the village panchayats to accommodate these students.

Talking to The Hindu, ELCOT Managing Director Santhosh Babu said: “We would like to have around three players, who can set up as many training centres as they wish. The centres should be in village panchayats and train school dropouts, from Std. X and above. The students will be taught typing, basic computer operations, soft skills and etiquette.”

“On their part, the students should type at least 75 words a minute, ensure 99 per cent accuracy and have good communication skills. Based on their skills, they will be placed in BPO or call centres. A successful candidate can earn anywhere between Rs.5,000 and Rs. 10,000 a month,” he said.

So far, 500 students have been trained in Krishnagiri and 1,000 youngsters are being trained in the Uthangarai panchayat. It is proposed to train more than 4,300 students through the new initiative.

Mr. Babu said nearly 60 youths had been employed at Sanasandhiram in the Chennathur panchayat in Hosur taluk and another 80 at the Alapatti BPO. Rural BPOs were being set up at the Mittapalli and Madanurpatti village panchayats of Uthangarai taluk, and they would become operational in January.

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