IEEE Computer Society Launches Social Responsibility Program For Rural India - Offers Corporate Sponsorship Opportunities

SWEBOK-centered Program Bridges Gap Between Schooling and Employment Requirements in the IT Industry

News provided by

May 14, 2015, 07:55 ET

BANGALORE, India, May 14, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- IEEE Computer Society, the world's leading membership organization for technology computing professionals dedicated to forwarding innovation and social responsibility in technology, today announced an opportunity for corporations and organizations to play a key sponsorship role in fueling the growth of India's information technology industry and helping launch the careers of the next generation of engineers in India. The program focuses primarily on advancing the software development and software engineering education in India, with a special consideration for advancing the careers of people, particularly women, in rural areas. Sponsorship of this unique and humanitarian program may qualify sponsors for the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program under section 135 of the Indian Companies Act, 2013.

"India is poised for significant growth in the IT and ITES sectors. One of the challenges expressed by many companies to achieving this growth is to prepare students with the focused sector skills and hands-on training that industry requires. The country's continued growth as a leading provider of IT development and services depends on the education of the India's young men and women. Many of the young people, particularly women, in the rural areas do not have access to the kind of IT education they need to be employed. Some of the most important skills they need are in the fields of software engineering and development, and we are pleased to offer educational programs to help address this gap," said Angela Burgess, executive director, IEEE Computer Society.

To meet this need, IEEE Computer Society conducted extensive research of industry requirements in India and has created a course, based upon the widely accepted SWEBOK (Software Engineering Body of Knowledge) that addresses the gap between graduation and employability in the IT industry. This unique program, designed by industry experts, provides students with the training and applied skills they need to complement their academic learning.

Major multinational and Indian corporations and organizations have endorsed the SWEBOK-based certification program and have employed young professionals trained under this program.

IEEE CS has also worked with the Indian government's National Skills Development Corporation (NSDC), which is part of NASSCOM, an industry consortium of the software industries in India. NSDC has certified five IEEE CS course alignment documents that help graduate/trainee engineers to become industry ready. The courses include technical subjects, communications skills and corporate etiquettes.

IEEE CS is working with industries to consider trained women engineers in rural India as candidates for employment.

Sponsorship of this program provides organizations with an opportunity to develop the next generation of software developers and engineers in the rural areas as well as the cities. Organizations are invited to demonstrate their support of India's technology industry and the young people of India through a variety of sponsorship levels. These various sponsorship levels offer the chance to sponsor training of anywhere from 500 to 2,000 or more students. Sponsors will have the pleasure of following the progress of their sponsored students and their support will be made known to the students and throughout the world via IEEE Computer Society.

About IEEE Computer Society
IEEE Computer Society is the world's leading membership organization for professionals in all aspects of modern computing – from cloud to big data, security to mobile, robotics to software defined systems, wearables to IoT. A true community for technology leaders, Computer Society provides resources to keep its members current in technology and moving forward in their professions – publications, a renowned digital library, a vast program of conferences, technical committees, and much more. The Computer Society also serves the profession at large through establishment of standards, professional qualifications and certifications, training and education programs, events on leading-edge technologies, conference publishing, and a wealth of other services and programs focused on advancing the science and art of computing. More information on IEEE Computer Society can be found at www.computer.org.

SOURCE IEEE Computer Society