The Christmas season has arrived at our doorsteps. As the stars and hey lights pour light into a new beginning, we all are eagerly waiting for the arrival of Santa Clause to bless our lives with merry and joy. Meanwhile, November 2022 is ready to bid farewell to us. So far, the month has been an eventful one for the ICTAK family. Let’s go on a journey to the past four weeks to know where we are this late November.  

Unarvu: An artistic pursuit

First November 2022 marked the 66th Keralapiravi, and the ICTAK celebrated it in a classical style.

“We are all speechless!” Mr. Santhosh Kurup, the CEO of the ICT Academy of Kerala (ICTAK), became overwhelmed with emotions after witnessing a live Mohiniyattam performance by Dr. Methil Devika in the ‘Unarvu,’ an in-house event organized by the ICTAK to celebrate Keralappiravi. The danseuse captivated the entire ICTions while divulging the birth of Lord Krishna through Mohiniyattam.

The lighting of the lamp by Dr. Devika, the renowned classical dancer and researcher, Mr. Santhosh, Mr. R. Gopinathan Nair, Dr. Hareesh N. Nampoothiri, Mr. Nidhin Das D., Mr. Riji N. Das, and Dr. Sreekanth D., representing different OUs of ICTAK, marked the beginning of the Keralapiravi event.

A semi-classical dance by Ms. Thejaswini G.M., Ms. Anu Jacob, Ms. Mridula Reghunath, Ms. Anitha B., and Ms. Remya U.L. added an extra flavor to the evening delight. During the interactive section, Dr. Devika enthusiastically narrated all about Mohiniyattam and answered the questions from the audience. Ms. Thejaswini and Mr. Necer Ashraf hosted the show. The event concluded with delicious treats and traditional Kerala dishes.

Tech Talk Series

November has been a roller coaster ride for the tech world. Since Elon Musk took over Twitter in late October, the microblogging company has been facing continuous layoffs, making international headlines this month. Expecting an economic downturn in 2023, big tech companies are laying off their workforce rapidly. Cryptocurrency has witnessed a steep decline in value since its formation, adding fuel to the fire. Macroeconomic headwinds have kept crypto prices low this year, with bitcoin falling more than 70% since its all-time high last November. All this information could have increased skepticism among the young minds planning to build a career in the IT industry. So, from October 26 to November 25, 2022, the ICT Academy of Kerala hosted weekly virtual tech talk sessions helping students understand things better.

October 26 marked the first footprint of the talk show series. Mr. Dhanith Krishna, Manager Pentest and RT Lead, EY, spoke about ‘Cyber Security – is it a myth?’. On November 2, there was another session, ‘Demystifying Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence’ where participants learned about ML/AI. Mr. Abhimanyu K.S., Senior Software Engineer, Artificial Intelligence, QuEST Global, spoke at the session. 

In the third session of the tech talk series ‘How to think like a Data Analyst?’ with Mr. Ashish C., Senior Data Scientist, Reflections Info Systems Pvt. Ltd., the participants deliberated about the significance of Data Analysis techniques. On November 16,  there was a session on ‘A Roadmap to Blockchain Developer’ where participants got a chance to sweep their doubts regarding blockchain development. Mr. Adarsh S., Blockchain Scientist, and Convener, Kerala Blockchain Academy, led the session. On November 23, in the tech talk session ‘Unfolding the Path to Software Testing’ Mr. Subin P. John, the senior test engineer at IQVIA, discussed software testing. 

In ‘Embracing Digital Marketing’ the last session of this season, Mr. Joseph John Panicker, Content Manager, Accubits Technologies Inc., spoke about how digital marketing can be used as an effective way to attract, engage, and delight customers online.

NASSCOM Prime Career Fair

The Kerala Knowledge Economy Mission (KKEM) hosted a job fair in collaboration with NASSCOM, FutureSkills Prime, National Career Service – India, ICT Academy of Kerala, ASAP Kerala, and Kerala Academy for Skills Excellence as part of the Gov. of Kerala’s drive to provide jobs to 20 lakh people in various job sectors and fields.

On the 4th and 5th of November, NASSCOM Prime Career Fair was held at the LBS Institute of Technology for Women in Thiruvananthapuram to help job seekers realize their dream of working.

Around 1520 vacancies in 30 companies in the IT and ITeS sectors were on offer, with starting salaries ranging from 25K to 28K INR and positions in BPOs to high-profile jobs in major IT firms available. Such an offline job fair with the state’s support was held after two years owing to the pandemic. However, just 930 applicants turned up. 

Meetups

ICTAK has organized an Academia Meetup for the institution heads of Polytechnic Colleges at EY Wavespace, Kinfra Film, and Video Park. Along with experts from the fields of IT and education, polytechnic institution heads and placement coordinators from more than fifty institutions attended the event. One of the focuses of the event was to facilitate an industry connection to the polytechnic institutions.

During his inaugural address, Mr. Richard Antony, India operations director at EY, asserted that ICTAK is the first institution to conduct an academia meetup exclusively for polytechnic colleges and discussed the importance of knowing the skillsets required in current industry scenarios. “Students must understand the significance of global language”, he underscored.

The meetup featured an industry round table on Opportunities for Polytechnic Students in the Digital World. Mr. Ajish M.J., Manager, Delivery Excellence, Tata Elxsi; Dr. Anuradha P.V., Professor, College of Engineering Attingal; Mr. Biju Varghese, Global NITRO Lab Leader, Client Services, EY; and Mr. Dinesh S., Deputy Manager, NASSCOM, were the panel members. Mr. Santhosh Kurup, the CEO of the ICT Academy of Kerala, moderated the round table. Following the round table discussion, there was an open forum for sharing experiences and a Q&A session with the institutions’ heads.

Mr. Sajan M., head of academic operations at ICTAK, Dr. S. Jayakumar, director at CAPE, and Dr. Deepa V.T., relationship manager at ICTAK, also attended the inaugural event.

The academy also organized a Startup Meet on November 23rd to connect with startups in Kozhikode and identify potential areas of cooperation. The CEO of ICTAK interacted with the startups at ULCP Multipurpose Hall and discussed the prospects. More than 40 startup founders participated in the meeting, and officials from KSUM, KDSIC, NIT, and TBI were also present.

ICTAK Signs MoU with MCC

ICT Academy of Kerala (ICTAK) and Malabar Cancer  Center (MCC), Kannur, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 23rd November to provide a formal basis for initiating interaction between the MCC and the ICTAK and enable the academy to collaborate in training and skilling in health and information technology. It also promotes interaction between the MCC and the ICTAK in mutually beneficial areas. 

Dr. B. Satheesan, Director of Malabar Cancer Centre and Mr. Santhosh Kurup, CEO of ICT Academy of Kerala, signed the MOU in the presence of Mr. Sreekumar K.V. (Head, Retail Operations, ICTAK).

Physical Sessions

The Knowledge Office (KO) of ICTAK hosted a three-day IoT training for forty students at Christ Nagar College in Maranalloor. The KO has also conducted a one-day orientation associating with Innoval Digital Solutions at Mahatma Gandhi College, Kesavadasapuram, and one hundred students participated. 

As part of the Women’s Day celebrations, ICTAK organized a session titled ‘A Website in a Day’ at Christ Nagar College, which garnered 42 students. In addition, 54 students from DC School, T’puram, participated in a Data Science and Analytics session (Python).

November has been an eventful month for all of us. From company events to team-building activities, we have had the chance to reconnect with one another and make new memories. This month has provided us with an excellent opportunity to get to know our coworkers and learn more about the company. It has been a great way to strengthen our relationships, build trust, and foster collaboration.