AISECT Multipurpose IT Centre Model
AISECT
INTRODUCTION
AISECT Multipurpose IT Centre Model was implemented to help bridge the skills & ICT education and services gap between urban and rural India. The multipurpose centre model aims to identify and address the multitude of challenges plaguing the semi-urban and rural areas of India. In order to empower the rural masses from varied backgrounds, AISECT recognised the potential of technology to help impart skills training, boost financial inclusion and provide necessary G2C and B2C services under one roof.These centres, equipped with robust technology infrastructure, have been critical in reaching the distant corners of the country and people across different socio-economic groups. Furthermore, they have helped generate employment and create a network of Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) in order to create a sustainable rural economy.
FRAMEWORK AND STRATEGY
AISECT followed a structured approach to create a network of sustainable Multipurpose IT Centres. Leveraging the Group’s industry knowledge and local insights, relevant industry skills were identified for the target regions and curriculum was tailored accordingly. Through the well-equipped centres, skill training was imparted to the youth in their local languages by highly trained teachers. In order to reach a wider audience, partnerships were forged with government bodies and skill academies were set up to offer high quality courses at low cost.In order to strengthen the rural economy, these centres were also used to offer banking services in the unbanked regions. By expanding into G2C and B2C service offerings, these centres were made financially sustainable. AISECT’s expertise across multiple domains in the rural areas enabled it to create a scalable and self-sustainable rural ecosystem by integrating its skill development and business initiatives.
ACHIEVEMENT AND IMPACT
Today, AISECT has a strong presence in 475 Districts, 1500 Blocks and 7200 Panchayats across 29 States and 3 Union Territories of India through a network of over 20,000 multipurpose centres. Of these, 212 centres were set up in 2018. In partnership with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), 12 Skill Academies have been established that offer over 150 vocational programmes. Till date, AISECT 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. Around 1.4 lakh students were trained and 693 VLEs were added to the network in 2018.The organisation has set up 4,000 banking kiosks in 13 states of India. Over 85 lakh bank accounts have been opened in these banking kiosks and transactions worth over INR 15,000 crore have been done in these accounts. In 2018, 481 kiosks were opened across 8 states, where 3,26,457 new bank accounts have been opened and transactions worth Rs 6543.44 Crore were done. Moreover, the AISECT Multipurpose Centres offer B2C services including Mobile and DTH recharge, EMI Collection Centres and E-Store.
AISECT Multipurpose IT Centres have been successful in raising the status of the people by providing skill development, employment and entrepreneurial opportunities across its target communities, including Below Poverty Line (BPL) Youth, Tribal Youth, Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC).
FUTURE DIRECTION
According to the Government’s recent skill gap analysis, 109 million more skilled workers would be needed in 24 key sectors of the economy by 2022.* AISECT has a strong presence in the rural areas of India and it will be looking forward to train more local youth in the target regions to address the rapidly growing need for skilled workers in the country. With its innovative multipurpose centres approach, the organisation is strengthening the rural economy and it will continue to focus on integrating other areas like financial inclusion and expanding its B2C and G2C service offering to further ease the lives of the rural people and generate more employment and entrepreneurial opportunities. AISECT also plans to launch a mobile educational app in regional languages.*https://www.aicte-india.org/sites/default/files/India%20Skill%2Report-2019.pdf
AISECT is India’s leading social enterprise 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.
