Bangalore, Karnataka, India, Tuesday, July 20, 2010 -- (Business Wire India)



EMC, the world leader in information infrastructure solutions, today announced that it has partnered with SiliconIndia for the BridgeIT Employability Program, which seeks to bridge the skill gap between engineering, technical graduates and the needs of IT employers in India. The BridgeIT Employability Program was a joint-partnership started in 2008 between Junior Achievement India and EMC solely aimed at bridging the gap between engineering students and the workplace. The program prepares and sensitizes students for informed engagement in a fast integrating economy. The program also encourages them to develop an operating level understanding of the workplace and their role in it, the program logically nudges students to introspect on the what, why, how, where and what next of the workplace.

This partnership will help EMC build a BridgeIT Employability Program India 2.0 platform by leveraging SiliconIndia’s extensive reach and technology expertise for online programme modules. Moreover, with SiliconIndia’s online network of over 3 million professionals and more than 50,000 new members being added every week, EMC will be looking at increasing volunteer base who can engage with students using their technology portal. It will also reach out to college students through their AIPEC programs.

Speaking on the partnership, Mr. Sarv Saravanan, Vice President and Managing Director, EMC India Center of Excellence, said, “BridgeIT is a critical part of EMC’s vision to bridge the skill gap that exists between the Engineering & Technical graduates and the demands of the industry, and we are very happy to welcome SiliconIndia as our technology partner. We will fully leverage the reach of SiliconIndia to Engineering colleges through online program modules using their portal and as well as their technology expertise to reach out to students across India to enlighten and broaden their perspective on the industry. Our mission is to empower students to understand their aspirations and unlock their potential. An unlocked and connected aspiration backed by well-developed thought framework creates the condition for holistic learning. It also contributes, in a specific manner, in redressing part of the employability gap.”

The BridgeIT Employability Program curriculum will be available to students across India through www.siliconindia.com/bridgeit. Industry leaders, academicians and working professionals are encouraged to participate in this movement to bring the workplace to the classroom. To make it easy on time commitments of industry professionals the program portal has been enabled with features such as Videos, Communities, Question & Answers, Blogs, and Mentorship.

BridgeIT Employability Program has already engaged several volunteers from EMC India Center of Excellence through live classroom sessions for engineering students aspiring for a career in the Indian IT industry. This initiative has currently impacted 1400 students in 9 Bangalore colleges. The partnership will also leverage EMC India Center of Excellence’s leadership in engineering and services excellence and effective information management and the intellectual property that resides amongst its engineers for classroom delivery.

Mr. Venkat Matoory, Chief Executive, JA India said, “Redressing the Employability challenge in India requires operating the initiative at substantially higher scale. The platform to deliver such scale would require connecting all key stakeholders, across the ecosystem, who impact employability. This partnership helps us build such a platform that also leverages social media, online tools & portals keeping in tune with the pre-dominant youth preference. It helps us reach several potential participants, on demand, in their preferred space. By reaching out to more students, colleges & locations across India we expect to trigger a virtuous cycle of industry-educator-student interaction.”

Mr.Harvi Sachar, Founder & CEO, SiliconIndia said, “We are really excited by this partnership and SiliconIndia's expanding online platform will further facilitate the scaling of the program by taking BridgeIT Employability Program curriculum to over 3500 colleges. There is definitely a big gap between the industry and the graduates and we are keen to help bridge this gap. Our strength in the online medium coupled with our reach to campuses across India and network of 3 million working professionals will ensure that the BridgeIT Employability Program reaches the target audience in an effective manner.”

About EMC

EMC Corporation (NYSE: EMC) is the world's leading developer and provider of information infrastructure technology and solutions that enable organizations of all sizes to transform the way they compete and create value from their information. Information about EMC's products and services can be found at www.EMC.com

EMC is a registered trademark of EMC Corporation. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

About Junior Achievement

JA Worldwide is the world's largest organization dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy. Through a dedicated volunteer network, JA Worldwide provides in-school and after-school educational programs for students which focus on three key content areas: entrepreneurship, work readiness, and financial literacy. JA India (www.jaindia.org), is a member of Junior Achievement Worldwide. Making its beginning in September 2006, JA India commenced classroom operations in January 2007. Since then, it is growing stronger each day, and is already present in more than 200 institutions reaching out to more than 30,000 students in Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chandigarh.

JA India is a not-for-profit Company registered under Section 25(1)(a) of the Companies Act, 1956. The organization is overseen by the Founders Board. Venkat Matoory, Chief Executive, JA India heads the Indian operations.

About SiliconIndia

SiliconIndia.com, an established professional media firm, has emerged as the most trusted source for news and information for professionals. The portal has a global ranking of No.4 in the IT News & Media category. With over 3 million working professional users, SiliconIndia.com is the fastest growing portal and is ranked among the top 200 websites most trafficked from India.