How Professors of Practice from TASK are creating a positive impact by enhancing the employability quotient of students

Professors of Practice (PoP) is a unique industry-academia-connect program launched by Telangana Academy of Skill and Knowledge – TASK, Department of ITE&C, Government of Telangana,  to enhance the employability quotient of the students. These experts facilitate knowledge, experience and skill sharing with the undergraduate students of Telangana through short-term programs. By joining PoP, several corporate professionals have contributed significantly in improving the employability skills of students by instilling confidence and encouraging better performance.

• Employability quotient is the combined impact of three skills: personal skills, organizational skills and technical skills. 
• Professors of Practice (PoP) program adopts a balanced teaching method by combining different aspects of holistic learning on personal and organizational skills: 25% concept – 25% case study – 25% practice session – 25% evaluation and feedback.

Who can become a Professor of Practice?

Any one with a minimum experience of 8 years in the industry and believes in  positively impacting students’ careers with knowledge and skills. You could be in private or government service or retired; you could belong to any of the following industries: IT / ITES, Banking, Financial Services, Insurance, Retail, Healthcare, Automobile, Aviation, Pharmacy and so on.Let’s hear it from the PoPs themselves about their pursuit of making a difference in the lives of the students!

With 40 years of experience in various roles, Mohan Rao strongly believes that skill building is the only way to realize one’s potential. His rural background has made him more aware of the need to reach out students in rural areas who are in dire need of coaching and mentoring to make it big in the corporate world. He has also been successful in convincing the faculty to include skill-based learning in regular coursework. He has trained over 4000 graduates across 30 colleges in 4 districts from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.

Vijayanthi Mala, recalls how joining PoP was an impromptu idea and she cherishes the interactions she had with students in various fields. She found it quite rewarding to teach communication skills to prepare them for job interviews. She appreciates the drive and passion exhibited by TASK and how it has motivated her to be a continuous participant in this initiative. She loves to be associated with TASK as a PoP in all future endeavors.

For Satish Garma, business associate from a pharma company, this was a great opportunity to mentor young minds and provide stimulus for self-improvement for cognitive growth. Recounting his best experience, he says that he was able to address a mixed group of students with different levels of knowledge and attitude. The girls impressed him vastly, with their interest in topics being discussed and curiosity to know more with quick responses during questions and answer sessions. He is keen on participating in PoP in future.

When Shanti Swaroop joined PoP, he had no idea that he would be able to handle a class of 100 to 150 students! He believes that PoP has helped him create phenomenal impact on the students and he is looking forward to the next sessions. He recalls how the students were thrilled seeing a government program giving such quality and value addition.

Going by these success stories, we believe PoP is going to have a long lasting impact on the professional future of the students. The program has re-established the industry-academia connect by seeking voluntary help from socially committed individuals who are able to dedicate some of their time to enrich the students with their experience in the industry. In case you share the same enthusiasm as these PoPs, do reach out and plan your sessions with these colleges in various districts of Telangana to make a difference!

Click here to know more about the program.