case study
ICT Training for the Masses www.aisect.org
AISECT, a Bhopal-based organisation, which offers ICT education, training and services to semi-urban and rural India. Through a network of over 8,000 centres spread across 4069 cities of India, the company aims to empower people and generate sustained employment for youth across the country
By Santosh Choubey
T
he NSS 61st Round results show that among persons of age 15– 29 years, only about 2% have received formal vocational training and another 8% have received nonformal vocational training. This proportion of trained youth is one of the lowest in the world. The corresponding figures for industrialised countries are much higher, varying between 60% and 96% of the youth in the age group of 20–24 years. Although this gap was always present in our country, the rapid growth of services sector and more recently the renewed thrust on manufacturing sector has suddenly brought the shortage of skilled manpower and hence vocational education infrastructure in our country to the forefront. Realising that skills and knowledge are the driving forces of economic growth and social development for any country, the government has taken the initiative of launching skill development as a national mission. At present the capacity of skill development in India is around 3.1 million persons per year. It is heartening to see the sudden interest that the skill development and capacity building arena is receiving from all quarters. This only shows that the task that AISECT took up 25 years ago, despite the amount of skepticism that our business model received initially, was not in vain. Since 1985, we have been promoting ICT based training and services in semi-urban and rural India to empower people, generate employment for the youth and unfold entrepreneurship based initiatives thus bridging the digital divide
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www.digitalLEARNING.in
AISECT’s Target Market Segments
and creating an inclusive society. The journey began in the mid eighties at a time when Information Technology was becoming a powerful technological tool in urban India, having the potential to change people’s lives altogether. However, 80% of India’s population living in the rural areas was oblivious to this progress and advancement. Thus, AISECT took up the task of designing an appropriate model for rural ICT intervention; a model that would reflect the demand side of communities rather than the supply push perspective of ICT providers; a model which does not depend too heavily on
Government or donor support but can survive on its own. Initially, we started the mission of spreading IT awareness in schools of small towns and villages of Madhya Pradesh. However, when requests from the local community started pouring in, it was decided to take our initiative to the next level and therefore Computer and IT classes for all, irrespective of age and gender, were instituted by AISECT. The organization was moved beyond schools and AISECT Centers were established at strategic locations in various towns and bigger villages of Madhya Pradesh. Grad-