CRICKET ICON Sachin Tendulkar launched the Kaspersky Kids internet safety programme of Kaspersky Lab India — a subsidiary of the Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab — at the Ryan International Group of Institutions (RIGI) campus in Mumbai on July 23.

Under a RIGI-Kaspersky agreement, Kaspersky Lab will deliver online safety education through various touch points, including a daily blog (Kaspersky Daily), online newsletters created specially for youth, training modules administered by RIGI’s computer instructors, and on-ground engagement events and contests in RIGI’s 128 schools countrywide.

“Our mission is to save the world from all kinds of cyber-threats. We want to make the internet — the greatest innovation of our time — safe for everyone. This means making it secure for children, protecting them from harmful content and teaching them to use it wisely. This is why we have introduced our programmes in India. We want to reach students through their schools, educate them and increase their awareness of online threats,” said Eugene Kaspersky, chairman and CEO of Kaspersky Lab, the world’s largest privately held vendor of endpoint protection solutions.

Also speaking on the occasion, Ryan Pinto, chief executive of RIGI, expressed satisfaction with the RIGI-Kaspersky India partnership. “We are really pleased that Kaspersky Lab has chosen to launch Kaspersky Kids from our campus. Today almost all children, regardless of age, either play on their parents’ smartphones or access the internet on their own laptops, iPads and other devices, but they rarely have any formal training about what to click and what to avoid. That’s why it is vital that children get a basic understanding of the principles of internet safety,” said Pinto.

Manav Rachna’s cloud campus

THE DELHI-BASED Manav Rachna International University (MRIU) together with Skillvue.in (an initiative of Bapna Tech) launched its cloud campus — a skill development and digital library platform which provides globally acclaimed and industry designed cloud-based learning systems — in Delhi on July 15.

According to MRIU sources, cloud campus will provide a comprehensive yet flexible learning management system, compatible with multiple devices such as desktops, laptops, tablets and smart phones which will enable students and faculty access to a world-class digital library with over 50,000 titles from 634 publishers covering business, management, engineering, finance, IT etc in sync with 7,500-plus skill development courses. Moreover training in over 100 certification programmes with cost and operational efficiencies will also be available on the cloud campus.

“The vision behind the MRIU cloud campus is to deliver globally acclaimed digital learning resources to promote educational excellence and develop industry accepted, skilled and employable people,” said Dr. M.K. Soni, executive director of MRIU’s faculty of engineering and technology, speaking on the occasion.

“The cloud campus will help to bridge the gap between academia and industry by providing students an environment to learn and upgrade their soft as well as hard skills. Such platforms are currently being used only by Fortune 500 companies and Ivy League universities, setting MRIU apart from other universities in the country,” added Vikram Bawa, president of Bapna Tech.

MaGE-Google training programme

THE BANGALORE-BASED Manipal Global Education (MaGE) and Google India announced the launch of a digital marketing training programme for students and professionals on July 28.

The three-month programme will address the growing need for trained professionals in the digital marketing space. The programme comprises a blend of classroom sessions, e-learning and hands-on learning through a live project. Students who successfully complete the programme will be awarded a joint certificate by MaGE and Google India.

“We are delighted to partner with Google India to train people to meet the growing need for professionals in the digital marketing domain. This association reflects our deep interest and commitment to developing course curriculums designed by industry experts,” said V. Sivaramakrishnan, executive president of Manipal Global Education, speaking on the occasion.

Sandeep Menon, director marketing of Google India, is equally satisfied with this partnership. “As the Indian internet market continues to show robust growth, we believe a capacity building programme to help young professionals gear up is the need of the hour. We are happy to work with MaGE and contribute towards creating a qualified resource pool,” he said.

Cargill Global Scholars Program

THE US-BASED Cargill (annual revenue: $136 billion or Rs.816,000 crore) — the world’s largest agri-products corporation which has 143,000 employees in 67 countries around the world — and the Institute of International Education announced the Cargill Global Scholars Program covering five countries, India included, in Gurgaon on July 22. The programme will provide financial support, leadership development and enrichment opportunities to 200 talented and high-performing undergraduate students in the five countries over three years, selecting at least 10 students in each country every year. Awardees will be chosen based on  demonstrated high level of academic performance and leadership potential. Cargill has committed $6 million (Rs.36 crore) to fund the three-year programme.

“Organisations in India’s fast-growing economy face unique leader development challenges. Initiatives like the Global Scholars Program will help develop the critical skills leaders need to drive growth in India,” said Siraj Chaudhry, chairman of Cargill India, announcing the scholarship programme.

Under the programme, first-year scholars will participate in a variety of technical learning and volunteering opportunities in their own countries. Meanwhile, the group selected the previous year will travel to Cargill headquarters in Minneapolis to participate in a workshop on food safety, a crucial discipline for helping the world maintain a safe, affordable food supply.

NPCIL-Aptech CSR initiative

THE MUMBAI-based Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd’s Kaiga Atomic Power Station and the Mumbai-based Aptech, the well-known education solutions company, have jointly promoted a computer training centre in Mallapur (Andhra Pradesh). This joint CSR (corporate social responsibility) initiative, christened Project Pankh, will provide IT literacy and training to educated youth in villages within a 16-km radius of the Kaiga nuclear power generating station. The skill development programme with Aptech is a new CSR initiative which acknowledges the dire requirement of educated unemployed rural youth of Kaiga and its surrounding environs.

“Under our new CSR initiative, NPCIL Kaiga and Aptech are bringing valuable, career-oriented training programmes to the doorstep of youth. They should make full use of this golden opportunity for career building and shaping their futures,” said H.N.Bhatt, site director of the Kaiga atomic power station, addressing the media in Bangalore on July 30.

Added Pravir Arora, executive vice president of Aptech: “We are honoured to be part of this noble project of NPCIL, through which we are helping educated, unemployed youth get IT training to make them employable. We hope this project helps all young men and women obtain jobs and support themselves.”

Tata Sky Scholarship Quiz

TATA SKY LTD announced the launch of its Tata Sky Scholarship Quiz on July 24. Under the rules of the competitive quiz programme, members of Tata Sky subscriber households are eligible to participate in the scholarship quiz by answering questions on television with a click of their Tata Sky remote controls.

“The varied range of learning channels and interactive services for children on Tata Sky makes it an apt medium to deliver edutainment and knowledge-based content,” says Vikram Mehra, chief commercial officer of Tata Sky.

On Independence Day (August 15), Tata Sky will award scholarships valued at Rs.2 lakh each to ten winners of the quiz.