Exclusive Interview with Mr. Siddharth Chaturvedi – Executive Vice President of AISECT

We at Business News This Week (BNTW) thank Mr. Siddharth Chaturvedi- Executive Vice President of AISECT for the exclusive interview opportunity. Mr. Siddharth Chaturvedi (SC), discussed various aspects such as AISECT’s mission and vision, collaborations, and also about AISECT’s skill development courses with our Chief Editor, Mr. Neel Achary, BNTW.

BNTW: Could you tell us about AISECT’s origins and founders?

SC: AISECT is the brainchild of Mr. Santosh Choubey. While in the Civil service, continuing his work at Delhi Science Forum in the ’80s, Mr Choubey realized that the need of the hour was to communicate in the local language on key subjects like general science, electronics, agriculture, environment, water and soil management etc. Under his leadership, AISECT was established in 1985 and has been steadily reaching out to the remotest corners of the country to empower people, generate employment for the youth and unfold entrepreneurial initiatives.

It reflects the larger vision of Mr. Choubey to build a social organization aimed at disseminating science and technology (S&T) knowledge, services, and solutions to underserved rural areas in India and generating job opportunities for rural youth.

Over the past three decades, AISECT has grown to become India’s leading Social Enterprise that is working in the areas of Skill Development, Higher Education, Financial Inclusion, e-Governance and other ICT-based services to bring about an inclusive change in the semi-urban and rural areas of the country.

BNTW: What services do you provide and to whom do you provide them?

SC: AISECT has various pillars across Higher Education, Skilling, Financial Inclusion and ICT based education, directed at the youth of our nation.

The AISECT Group of Universities has established five premier universities at locations that were that required a quality higher education ecosystem. These include the Dr. C.V. Raman University in Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh), the Rabindranath Tagore University in Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), the AISECT University in Hazaribag (Jharkhand), Dr. C.V. Raman University in Vaishali (Bihar) and the Dr. C.V. Raman University in Khandwa (Madhya Pradesh).

Under financial inclusion scheme, AISECT works as a National Business Correspondent for three nationalized banks and two Regional Rural Banks. The AISECT Banking Kiosks also offer a host of services under Government schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, Atal Pension Yojana, etc.

In terms of ICT based services, the group has carved a strong presence in 475 Districts, 1500 Blocks and 7200 Panchayats across 29 States and 3 Union Territories through over 20,000 Centres, 12 State Offices and 28 Regional Offices. Till date, it has imparted skills-based training to over 20 lakh people, created employment opportunities within the network for more than 75,000 people and empowered the lives of over 50 lakh people through various innovative products and services.

AISECTMOOCS.com is India’s largest free online open learning platform while RojgarMantra.com addresses the entry level manpower requirements of private and public sector enterprises at the small town, district and block levels.

BNTW: What is AISECT’s mission and vision?

SC: Our collective vision is to be recognized as India’s preferred Skilling and Training organization creating sustained livelihood opportunities for millions of people.

Our larger mission is to deliver a variety of skill development programs to semi urban and rural youth to ensure they become employable.

BNTW: Could you tell us about your collaborations? 

SC: AISECT is successfully executing a number of skill development projects of the Central and State Governments ministries like Rural Development Ministry, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, NIti Ayog, Ministry of Minority Affairs, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Elevation, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy. We are also the affiliated partners of 15+ state skill development missions like (MPSSDEGV, UPFDM, BSBM, RSLDC, GLPC, OSBA, ASBM, PSDM).

We are the implementation partners for Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras (PMKKs), Deen Dayal Upadhyay Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM), National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF), Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA) Project, etc.

We have also collaborated with some of India’s leading corporates and multi-national companies like (SBI, Airtel, Microsoft, Arcellor, IBM, NTPC, Power Grid, JSW and more) Bilateral Agencies like UNDP Educational Tie-ups – Microfocus, Wadhwani Foundation, TCS ion, HP, Dell, to set up Centres of Excellence and provide on the job learning experience for our students.

BNTW: What are some of the accomplishments and awards that you’ve received thus far?

SC: Over the years, my areas of interest have been in the welfare of the rural population of India through various initiatives across different domains. The innovations brought by the organization have yielded great results and have been widely acknowledged as well as awarded by renowned international and national organizations such as World Bank, Schwab Foundation, SKOCH, Manthan, NASSCOM, ASSOCHAM, NSDC, SBI.

In our quest to improve access to financial services in the semi-urban and rural regions the ICT centre model, has contributed significantly towards improving the access to banking in the unbanked and underbanked regions across the country. The scheme has enabled the setting up of over 4500+ banking kiosks and 95 lakh bank accounts that have carried out transactions worth over 35000 crores.

BNTW: What areas have you expanded your services to so far, and what are your future plans?

SC: With a keen focus in the areas of skilling and development, AISECT has forged strong industry relations with corporates and policy makers to provide inroads to the youth. In the years to come, the focus will continue in the areas of job creation and upskilling, especially in the Tier 2 cities that are home to a vast pool of talent. We have been instrumental in parting skills-based training to over 20 lakh people, created employment opportunities within the network for more than 75,000 people and empowered the lives of over 50 lakh people through various innovative products and services. We would like to broaden our horizon to build entrepreneurial opportunities for women and create opportunities to further empower them.

AISECT is developing its online learning portal. In the next few years, AISECT aims to bolster learning in regional languages in addition to offering courses in fields such as health care and humanities. AISECT students, as well as students from India and abroad, can enroll for the courses. There is already keen interest from countries like Ghana for online training on retail, banking and other subjects. The portal is set to go live in April 2022.

BNTW: What kind of skill development do you believe India’s youth require?

SC: India is at the cusp of innovation and entrepreneurial growth as we speak. While there is a large pool of talent in areas like science and technology, bio-tech and information sciences, the need of the hour is to hone soft skills and communications. In order to help students achieve their dreams, the need of the hour is to focus on ‘on-the-job’ training and build overall business acumen to thrive in a highly competitive landscape.

BNTW: Are your skill development courses focused on future or current needs?

SC: The AISECT Model is a multi-purpose, self-sustainable, scalable and entrepreneurial model designed to cater to the industry requirements, while preparing the youth to stay abreast with changing times. With inputs from industry veterans and key policy makers, our curriculum has a keen focus on innovation and skill sets required for the next few years.

BNTW: Is your training practical and certified?

SC: All our Vocational and Skill based training programs are practical. We also provide blended mode of training. All our programs are NSQF aligned and certified by respective government bodies like AICTE, NAAC.

BNTW: Is there anything you’d like to say to the youth to encourage them to prepare for a good future?

SC: The world today is a canvas of opportunities. There are plenty of opportunities for the youth of our nation to explore and create a niche for themselves. Students need to focus on the latest trends of technology and innovation along with working on their communication skills. It is only when the youth is well-educated; the country can prosper and reach new heights.