In a powerful collaboration with the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE), Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), and AT & T Global Network Services India Pvt. Ltd. (AGNSI), Tech Mahindra Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of Tech Mahindra Limited, a Mahindra Group Company, has established the SMART Academy for Digital Technologies in Delhi. The SMART Academy was inaugurated on October 4, 2024, showcasing the potential of collective efforts in shaping the future of education and employment.
The Tech Mahindra SMART Academy offers a diverse range of intensive, high-quality vocational courses, equipping India’s youth with the right skills and knowledge to become an integral part of the allied healthcare services, digital technologies, and logistics ecosystems. The Academy provides quality education through career-oriented certificate courses like Graphic Design, Digital Marketing, AWS re/Start, Java Full Stack Development, PHP Full Stack Development, UI/UX Development, and more, sparking excitement about the diverse learning opportunities. It also trains students in foundational courses such as English, IT, soft skills, and personality development to help them become job-ready before completing their respective courses. The SMART Digital Technologies Academies are already operational in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam.
Sharing his thoughts on the momentous occasion of the Academy launch, Prof. M. Shakeel, Vice-Chancellor, Jamia Millia Islamia, said:
The need for new age skills and developing the entrepreneurship mindset focussing on enhancing the employability of the country’s youth is of extreme importance. This intervention makes high-quality training designed for the sector accessible to underserved youth. We at Jamia Millia Islamia are happy to contribute to the overall economic growth and progress of the country.
The Chief Guest for the occasion was Arun Karna, MD & CEO of AT & T Global Network Services India. M. Nasim Haider, Registrar, Jamia Millia Islamia, was the Guest of Honor, and the inauguration function was presided over by Prof. M. Shakeel, Vice-Chancellor, Jamia Millia Islamia. Prof. Rihan Khan Suri, Director, CIE, JMI, Prof. Mini S. Thomas, Dean, Faculty of Engineering & Technology, Jamia Millia Islamia. Chetan Kapoor, CEO, Tech Mahindra Foundation, and Sajid Ali, COO, Tech Mahindra Foundation, were also present at the inauguration, along with distinguished guests from the industry and academia.
Arun Karna, MD & CEO, AT & T Global Network Services India, said:
With its diverse and young talent pool and thriving start-up ecosystem, India has the potential to bring about significant global transformation. Together with Jamia Millia Islamia and Tech Mahindra Foundation, we are reimagining the skilling ecosystem to empower the next generation of workers with the necessary tools to build a sustainable future. The SMART Academy for Digital Technologies is an essential addition to equipping our youth with advanced skills and promoting a culture of innovation that facilitates our brightest minds to dream, explore, and create.
Adding to the initiative, Chetan Kapoor, Chief Executive Officer of Tech Mahindra Foundation, stated:
We align all our initiatives with market trends and nurture youth accordingly. Our course offerings interweave new-age technologies with the requisite soft skills and personality development.
Founded in 2006, Tech Mahindra Foundation has worked tirelessly in education, employability and disability, focusing on corporate volunteering. With its vision of ‘Empowerment through Education’, the Foundation has been trying to bring social changes across the communities through various programmes. It aspires to see children who are purposefully engaged, constructively employed youth and a society that provides equal opportunities to people with different abilities. The Mahindra Group commits itself to this through its corporate social responsibility initiatives.
