Tahdco ties up with IIT-M, HCL, to train SC students for jobs

VELLORE: In a significant move, the TN Adi Dravidar Housing and Development Corporation (Tahdco) has tied up with HCL, IIT-Madras and a Chennai-based maritime foundation in an effort to provide SC students top quality jobs, according to its MD KS Kandasamy.

Conveying this to DT Next, Kandasamy said, “the agreements were the result of feedback from former students, who attended interviews, but ended up with jobs which were not what was promised to them. For example, those who were promised hotel manager posts were given only waiter jobs.”

Elaborating, he said, “As SC students hail from families with poor economic backgrounds, they are unable to afford the cost of travelling and daily expenditure when they prepare for competitive exams or attend job-oriented courses/training away from home. This led us to work on the idea of tying up with top institutions for assured placements with good salaries to students, besides offering them stipend to meet expenses.”

Hence, Tahdco tied up with IIT-Madras for the world’s first Bachelor of Science online degree in data science and applications where any student who scores more than 60 per cent can get placement and will also be eligible for scholarships. “There is no JEE for this and hence even students from science, humanities and commerce groups can join,” Kandasamy said and added that the Tahdco would bear the expenses for this programme as an educational loan.

Similarly, the institution has also tied up with HCL for a programme where participants will be provided free laptops and an incentive of Rs 10,000 and based on their skills will be absorbed by HCL and trained in top universities.

For those interested in seafaring, Tahdco’s tie up with the Maritime Foundation has resulted in BE graduates from SC being given a chance to join the GME (graduate marine engineer) course with official assistance.

Asked how this news would reach the beneficiary, Kandasamy said, “WhatsApp groups with SC hostels as members and in institutions run by various agencies has resulted in 119 applying for the HCL course, while 10 have opted for the IIT course. The Maritime Foundation course is yet to start.”