The ICT Academy of Kerala kicked off 2023 with a bang, hosting a flurry of events and training programs for students and faculty alike. The academy has made a relentless effort to establish strong connections with students and faculty members through impactful training sessions and industry meetups. With a dynamic approach, the ICT Academy truly made the most of every opportunity to grow.
Employability skills training to win jobs
The ICT Academy of Kerala, in collaboration with the Kerala Knowledge Economy Mission (KKEM), offered free training on the ‘Employability Skills Training’ program to Keralites. To assist job seekers in attending interviews for their future careers, the ICT Academy took the initiative to impart the required skills to gain a competitive edge in any job market.
The program emphasised the techniques for employability skills such as communication and presentation skills, social profiling, resume writing, group discussions and interview management skills, and general aptitude skills. The training was in two sessions. At first, the self-paced learning started on 16th January 2023, followed by live expert sessions from the 23rd and extended to 4th February. After the program, a total of 137 candidates received the employability skill training certificate.
YIP 5.0 kick-started
The fifth edition of the Young Innovators Program (YIP) kick-started their programs in the very first week of January 2023. Various training such as Train the Master Trainers (TTMT), Train the Trainer Program (TTT), Intern Training Program (ITP), Orientation for IEDC officers, and Departmental Workshops were held as part of YIP 5.0.
Train the Master Trainers (TTMT) was conducted as a part of YIP 5.0 across Kerala on the 14th and 15th of January. In the TTMT program, the master trainers got training in various areas like innovation, research, design thinking, Vo’s survey, presentation skills and many more.
Train the Trainer Program (TTT) started on the 16th of January. There were 20 batches in the 40-day TTT programme, totalling about 600 participants from the 14 districts. Intern Training Program (ITP) has been conducted across all districts of Kerala from the 6th to the 15th of January, where 700 interns get training on various areas like real-life problems, problem canvas and VoS.
Orientation for IEDC officers was held from January 13th to February 2nd as part of YIP 5.0. The IEDC (Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Centers) officers from various colleges actively participated. About 100 officers took part in the orientation programme held across Kerala.
Departmental workshops were organised for various government departments in Kerala to collaborate. In the two-day workshop, forty-seven various departments actively participated and made group discussions to curate real-life problems which would be captured in the YIP Portal.
Dr. Manoj A.S. and Mr. Nithin Das from the ICT Academy of Kerala were the empanelled master trainers for the training sessions. Ms. Aseena S., Ms. Anitha M. Koshy, Mr. Vaisakh P.S., and the Academic OU team of ICT Academy provided complete support for organising the events.
Faculty Development Programs and Long-Term Trainings
The ICT Academy of Kerala organised a five-day training program starting from the 5th of January on FDP Addon Course on BI with Tableau. It was held at Nirmala College in Chalakkudy and had around nineteen participants. During the same period, the continuation of the Long-Term Training (LTT) program on Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence (ML/AI) and Cyber Security Analyst and Full Stack Development (FSD) were also held in the same college with up to 50 students’ participation. The classes were for 25 days.
Mr. Gopu Darshan, Lead Knowledge Officer of ICTAK, acted as a guest and judging panel member of the idea pitching competition ‘Ideathon 1.0’ organised by the IEDC Team of Christ Nagar College, T’puram on January 11th was so exciting to ICTAK.
The Faculty Development Program (FDP) on the 18th of January conducted at TKM College of Engineering Kollam on Cyber Security provided the latest information and techniques to keep their systems and data safe from cyber threats. The next day, a five-day FDP on IoT (Internet of Things) at Jyothi Engineering College in Thrissur had thirty-five participants and got insights into the exciting world of IoT solutions.
On January 23, two FDPs on the topics ‘Data Analytics for the new industrial era: Application of ML in Industry 4.0’ and ‘Technical writing in Latex’ were hosted in TKM College of Engineering in Kollam and Sree Buddha College of Engineering in Alappuzha.
On the 27th of January, it started the long-term training on Digital Marketing at Rajagiri Viswajyothi College of Engineering and Technology, Ernakulam. Around thirty-one students got hands-on training in digital marketing. And on the 30th of January, a five-day FDP on Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence with 35 students was held at Viswajyothi College of Engineering, Ernakulam.
Empanelled trainers including Mr. Abhijith Ajikumar, Mr. Vishnu Vijayan, and Ms. Aparna P. Mahesh, as well as associates from ICTAK, Mr. John J. Padamadan, Ms. Maya Mohan, and Dr. Sreekanth D. provided expert guidance and a wealth of knowledge to all participants.
January was exciting with FDPs aimed at providing cutting-edge training in the emerging technology and engineering field to trainers and students. Overall the training programs provided valuable learning experiences and opportunities to further their skills and knowledge.
Corporate Meetup at Kochi
IT Parks’ Liaison Office and the ICT Academy of Kerala held a Corporate Meetup at Kochi to connect with corporates across the state and to support companies with their digital skills demand requirements. The meet was held on January 30, 2023, at Conference Hall, Infopark, Kakkanad.
Mr. Susanth Kurunthil, the CEO of Infopark Kochi, addressed the gathering, and Mr. Santhosh Kurup, CEO of the ICT Academy of Kerala, delivered the keynote address. The meetup discussed various areas of collaboration with companies from IT parks and the Liaison Office support to the state IT ecosystem. Representatives of IBM, Cognizant, UST, Zellis, Acabes International, Acube Innovations, Cabot Solutions, HashRoot, Armia, Naico, Nest Digital, and Trinity Skillwork participated in the meetup round-table discussions. It was the second corporate meetup following the initial one held in August 2022 at Travancore Hall, Park Center, Technopark.
MOU Signing with Apollo Hospital
As part of the corporate hospital tie-up, the Corporate Operation Unit of the ICT Academy of Kerala signed an MOU with Apollo Adlux Hospital during the Corporate Meetup. Mr. Santhosh received the agreement from the Apollo Adlux Hospital executives. As representatives of the Apollo Adlux Hospital, Mr. Joy Donald Gomez, Chief Commercial Officer, Mr. Anil Kumar T.G., Assistant General Manager, and Mr. Prince Francis K., Senior Executive Officer, led a glimpse of talk on the event. Mr. Thomas Joseph, Manager of Corporate Relations, ICTAK and Mr. Crispin J. Fernandez, Project Coordinator, ICTAK provided solid support to the MOU signing.
Startup Meet at Kochi
The ICT Academy of Kerala (ICTAK) conducted a startup meetup at Kochi that brought a dynamic group of innovators and entrepreneurs to explore the potential areas for cooperation. Over ten companies attended the meetup at the Amphitheatre, Integrated Startup Complex in Kalamassery on January 31, 2023.
The event kicked off with a warm welcome from Mr. Sreekumar K.V., Head, Retail Operations. Mr. Santhosh Kurup shared his insights and interacted with the representatives of the startups. Discussions followed exploring the collaboration opportunities for the growth of the industries. Mr. Thomas Joseph, the Corporate Relations Manager of ICTAK, delivered a vote of thanks to wrap up the event.
A summary
ICTAK is making the most of the new year with various academic training, industrial meetups, MoU signings, and other initiatives. These programs aim to grow the organization and support educators, students, and industry professionals. The new year brings new opportunities for growth and development, and ICTAK is taking a proactive approach to achieve success.
