Microgravity Supports Skill IT Mentorship Programme for Upskilling Underprivileged Students

Microgravity Ventures Private Limited, a facilitator of world-class gaming hubs and e-sports tournaments in India announced support for ‘Skill IT’. It is a mentorship programme designed & curated for upskilling students from semi-urban and rural areas by the students of Shiv Nadar School Noida. Their objective has been to enable exchange of ideas on leading edge concepts like innovation and critical thinking. Run through a series of online zoom sessions & webinars this initiative got the necessary support from the Kutumb Foundation, Delhi and the Panchsheel Balak Inter-School, Noida. Tanveer Singh Bakshi, Manager Strategy and Business Development at Microgravity brought in the required strategy & logistical support from the company for the noble cause.

This was an attempt to bridge the gap and bring all students at par on their understanding of the future of the work. Essential skills through various Technology, Communication and Creative thinking sessions were discussed. The initiative has not only helped students get an experience of skill-based learning but also educated their parents about the importance of these new age concepts. The entire programme is a stepping stone which will help in mobilizing the right foundation and exposure to these students while empowering the youth with the relevant industry skills eventually securing better job opportunities.

The Technology sessions have helped the students learn the basics of Python programming that has diverse applications in many fields such as data science, deep learning, artificial intelligence and web development. By using the concepts, students were able to create “a basic calculator”, “the rock-paper-scissors game”, “a prime number checker”, “a number guessing game”, and much more. The Communication sessions were aimed at improving verbal, listening, and writing skills. Students have learnt the art of properly introducing themselves, drafting crisp emails & spotting grammatical errors through a wide array of activities, such as story writing & narration. The main objective of Creative Thinking sessions has been to convey the fact that imagination should have no boundaries. The classes were planned in a manner so as to help students understand the value of retaining individual styles while thinking through interactive activities. Topics such as Design Thinking, Convergent and Divergent Thinking have been covered, which focus on equipping students with skills that would help them streamline their thoughts and think more productively and efficiently.

Talking about this programme, Samrat Das Gupta, Head of Marketing and Communication, Microgravity said, “In today’s fast paced world, technology is rapidly changing, and business models are shifting. To compete in a future-ready world, people need to prepare themselves with more than academic learnings. This needs to be developed from a very young age. Keeping this in mind, we have introduced the ‘Skill-IT’ initiative which will help students from economically humble backgrounds get quick exposure while enhancing their skills required to tackle the challenges of the future. The students from Shiv Nadar School Noida have organized training sessions for 75 students to start within the areas of Technology, Communication and Creative Thinking. With this programme we aim to provide both knowledge and exposure to the new-age working structure, thus helping them with skills they need to meet the demands of the rapidly-changing industry.”

As per McKinsey Global Institute’s study, the future of work will shift drastically post-COVID and with changes in consumer behaviour and business models, in India, more than 18 million workers may need to find jobs in new occupations by 2030 and the shift will require more advanced and evolving skills.