Valley girls’ paradise found in Pune IT companies

Thirteen computer science postgraduate girl students from the University of Kashmir (UOK) in Srinagar have been offered jobs by leading information technology (IT) companies in Pune. 
The companies include Mphasis, Cognizant, Zensar, Accenture, and WNS.  

The girls are part of a 30-member-girl team from the UOK who are presently on a two-month tour of Pune’s IT sector. The visit is part of a joint initiative of the Pune-based Global Talent Track (GTT) Private Limited and the UOK.

The girls attended the second national conclave on ‘ICT for inclusive growth’ conference organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) at the Le Meridien hotel in Pune on Thursday.

This is the second group of students from the varsity who are visiting the city under the GTT project. A 50-member boys team had visited the Pune IT industry between October-December 2010.

As many as 20 boys had been shortlisted for jobs by Pune IT companies, pending their results in June.

The GTT-UOK initiative is a fall out of a request made by Jammu and Kashmir chief minister, Omar Abdullah, to the then Nasscom (National association of software and services companies) chairman, Ganesh Natarajan, two years ago in Srinagar. Abdullah had asked Nasscom to help improve the job skills of the University students in Kashmir.

The GTT, whose aim is to improve the employability of students in far-flung corners of India, tied up with the UOK to improve the IT job skills of Kashmiri students.

According to GTT general manager (alliances), Suvopriya Mukherjee, a GTT edu-centre lab has been set up in the UOK and is manned by a seven-member faculty from Pune, who are been in Srinagar since October 2010. 

“These teachers have been teaching Kashmiri students IT skills, soft skills, business communication and financial accounting,” Mukherjee said.

According to GTT chief executive officer, Uma Ganesh, the firm has also set up a panel of IT experts from across the country that are able to coach Kashmiri students using a combination of information communication technology (ICT) methods.
“Our basic aim is to integrate Kashmiri youth into mainland India,” Ganesh said.

The excitement was palpable among the 30-member girls team. UOK’s masters in computer application (MCA) student, Adiba Ashraf, who has been offered a job by IT major, Accenture, told DNA, “Our Pune trip was an eye-opener. It was the first time that we are visiting IT companies. I am looking forward to working in Pune from June this year.”

Aliya Altaf, who has been offered a job by Mphasis, thanked GTT for the training and exposure. “The training has been invaluable. It is for the first time that we have travelled outside of our state to see the corporate India.”