Verizon India and Nirmaan Organization launch first-of-its-kind Mobile Career Counselling Lab in Telangana
- MCL is equipped with digital infrastructure and technology-based applications to support students
- In the first year, the ‘Career Counselling on Wheels’ initiative will reach out to 10,000 students and youth in 9 remote districts of Telangana
Hyderabad, March 23, 2023 : Verizon India, an IT & Technology GCC (Global Capability Centre) in association with Nirmaan Organization, a Hyderabad based NGO launched a Mobile Career Counselling Lab (MCL), a first-of-its-kind initiative in Telangana, equipped with digital infrastructure and technology-based applications to offer end-to-end counselling support to students in rural India.
A similar Mobile Career Counselling Lab (MCL) has been operational in Karnataka for more than a year now and has already supported more than 10,700 students. Marking the inauguration of this initiative in Telangana, the MCL van was flagged off today at a Government School in Hyderabad by Mr. Vijayaraman Subramanian, Vice Pr esident & Managing Director, Verizon India and other senior management team members from Verizon India al ong with key representatives from Nirmaan Organization including Mr. Mayur Patnala, Founder & CEO, Ms. U ma Kesani, Co-CEO, Ms Anuradha Pulla, COO, Mr. Nikhil Gampa, Partnerships Lead and Mr Srihari, Operations Lead-Nirmaan Organization and Mr. Niranjan, Head Master, Zilla Parishad High School, Manikonda.
The mobile counselling lab encompasses personal and tele counselling services, psychometric tests, technolo gical infrastructure and mobile applications to equip the aspirants to self-explore and seek out a clear path for a better future. It also offers helpline services, which can be utilised by aspirants to garner any further clarific ati ons that they may have regarding their career prospects. Starting out its journey from Hyderabad, this ‘Career Counselling on Wheels’ initiative in its first year in the region will conduct about 150-200 sessions reaching out to over 10,000 students and youth in about 6-9 remote districts of Adilabad, Asifabad, Mancherial, Bhupalpally, Mulugu, Kothagudem, Khammam, Nalgonda, Nagarkurnool in Telangana. Subsequently, plans are to expand the MCL initiative to other districts, across Southern states and eventually to all parts of the country.
Highlighting the importance of the project, Mr. Vijayaraman Subramanian, Vice President & Managing Director, Verizon India, said, “At Verizon, we are committed to creating meaningful impact in the communities we operate in, and are thrilled to partner with Nirmaan to launch this unique initiative in Telangana. By bridging the digital divide for students and empowering youth in rural areas, we believe we can unlock tremendous potential and he lp build a brighter future for all. We are proud to bring our experience and expertise to this project, building on the success of a similar initiative we had launched in Karnataka a while back, impacting the lives of 10,700 plus youth. Together with Nirmaan, we are excited to make a real difference in the lives of young people and their co mmunities.”
The launch of Mobile Career Counselling Lab re-affirms this commitment as we aim to bring about a positive change with the power of technology.”
Highlighting the unique aspects of this initiative, Mr. Mayur Patnala, CEO, Nirmaan Organization, “We thank Ve rizon India for this continued support in expanding the Mobile Career Counselling Lab to Telangana after su pp orting us in Karnataka. This association will help us to take the MCL program across multiple remote districts. O ur aim is to help these students, get access to right information and guidance on various career re lated aspects. Counselling sessions will be conducted by well-trained career counsellors who will be part of the lab throughout the journey”.
“Students can also reach out through the Nirmaan Vidya helpline to get all their queries answered. We aspire to support 10,000 students to get access to right information on careers, enrol students and youth for courses, trai ning institutes, colleges, jobs and scholarships with the help of the career lab”, he added.
Due to the lack of internet penetration in the interiors of rural India, many students from these regions do not h ave access to information or the relevant platforms for guidance on how they can explore further education or c areer opportunities. Results from a need assessment survey conducted by the Nirmaan Organisation brought to the fore some key findings like low career aspirations and lack of awareness amongst these youngsters as nea rly 77% of the respondents took random decisions as there was no one to guide, many were aware only about 5 or le ss than 5 career choices, and most of them being unaware of a single scholarship and unable to apply for any. Th is unmet need is what spurred the idea of the mobile career counselling lab to help provide access and support to the young aspirants from the rural hinterland.
The mobile counselling lab is equipped with 10 Tablets installed with mobile apps and psychometric assessment including space for personal counselling. The van will be on the move from an identified site to another, enabling students to connect to a tele-counselling center with a toll-free helpline 18004252425 for queries. The lab also has a TV screen where the counsellors will conduct career workshops and showcase audio and video files for bet ter understanding. Students can self-explore the digital infra-available and can also enrol themselves in a career outreach program where they can get all the updated information on various career opportunities.
With the support of government departments, local NGOs and village leaders, the mobile lab will be visiting sch ools, gram panchayat offices and will be stationed at places where people can benefit the most. To ensure sust ai nability of this initiative, Nirmaan will also be identifying and building Career Mitras in these villages and em po wer them with latest information and tools who in turn can support the young aspirants in their learning journe y.
About Verizon India
Verizon is an American multinational telecommunications conglomerate and a global leader in next generation communications technology, including 5G and the Internet of Things. Verizon India (Verizon Data Services India) is an extension of the global Verizon teams working on varied systems, applications and initiatives to help deliv e r the digital experiences that are vital to customers’ lives and businesses’ success. As an innovation-hub, Veriz on India plays a critical role in both the development of new technologies and the day-to-day operation of Veriz on’s business.Established in June 2001, Verizon India has a 6000+ strong, diverse talent pool that operates out of Ch en nai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. Verizon India has been recognized for its innovation, people practices and cult ure of diversity and inclusion, including being featured among the top 100 in the 2022 Best Companies to Work list by Great Place to Work Institute, receiving the NASSCOM GCC Award for Innovation Excellence, winning se ven categories in the 2022 DivHERsity Awards, and being recognized as one of the Top 100 Best Companies for Women in India (Working Mother and AVTAR rankings) to name a few.
About Nirmaan Organization
Nirmaan Organization is a registered NGO, started by students of BITS Pilani in 2005. We work in the areas of E ducation, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and Social Leadership. In the past 17 years of journey, we have impacted the lives of 2.5+ million beneficiaries with the support of 500+ full time employees and 1000+ strong v olunteer network, generating 250+ Crore (pa) worth of Social Impact through 12 Flagship Programs & Social Le adership Initiatives benefiting Children, Women, Youth and Farmers from diverse social backgrounds across 22 States of India while partnering with 200+ Corporate, Government and Philanthropic partners.
