SKOPE Magazine Vol 01 Iss 01 (Jan-Feb)

SKOPE

Technology Technology that matters that matters

Digital economy is powered and fueled through data and all the new exponential technology is around data and how the data is effectively captured, analyzed, interpreted for decision making”says Dr.

Tony Thomas

APulsating December

The ICT Academy of Kerala (ICTAK) had a smooth December, with events and activities undertaken to engage its internal and external communities. The academy has made the most of every minute, let us take a look at ICTAK’s December journey.

CONTENTS

Technologythatmatters

Dr.ManojA.S.

Forecastingpractices

Ms SnehaSalim

Ensuringsafecyberspace

Adv.MeeraS.Rajan

Avatar:Whencreativitymettechnology

Mr.MohammedSanalB.

ADVISORYBOARD

Dr.TonyThomas Chairman,ICTAK

Mr.SanthoshKurup CEO,ICTAK

Dr.SreejithAlathur Asst Professor,IIMKozhikode

Mr.RobinTommy Head,RapidLabs,TCS

Ms.NavamySudhish PrincipalCorrespondent,TheHindu

EDITORIALBOARD

Editor-in-Chief

Mr.RijiN.Das ManagingEditor

Dr.HareeshN.Nampoothiri

GeneralEditor

Ms.PoojaJayaprakash AssociateEditor

Ms.UnnimayaV.C.

MEMBERS

Ms. Aishwarya L.

Dr. Deepa V.T.

Ms. Jayasree M.R.

Dr. Manoj A.S.

Ms. Meera S. Rajan

Dr. Sreekanth D.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this publication is for general information purposes only. While we strive to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the publication or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained in the publication for any purpose.

DearReaders, HappyNewYearfromtheICTAKFamily!

Wearedelightedtowritetoyouontheoccasionofthisuniqueventure fromtheICTAcademyofKerala,SKOPE,amultidisciplinarymagazine sharing relevant information on skills, technology trends, and employment opportunities Being the state’s largest public-private partnered skills development organisation, ICTAK seems best placed tobringauthenticinformationonthosetopics.

Asyouknow,technologyhasemergedasthebackboneofbusinesses, governments, and society. We are blessed to be living in this era of technology advancements where we are limited only by our imagination It is important to understand how technology is put into action and thereby develop a curiosity to learn more about such use cases or explore job opportunities in such areas. Through SKOPE, we plantobringoutsuchmagicalimplementationoftechnologyandtickle thecuriosityofreaders,toknowmoreonsuchdomains

We have made every effort to cover a global, national, and local perspectivesoneachofthetopicswehavedealtwith,inthemagazine We expect a diverse demography of students, professionals and industryleadersbenefitingfromthecontentsofthemagazine.Forthe firstfeweditions,weplantoreleasethroughcontentsresearchedand developed indigenously, and subsequently we shall be partnering with thoughtleadersandresearchersfromacrossthestateandoutside.

The magazine is developed utilising the modern methods and has a goodblendoftechnologyandcreativity,sothattheuserscanaccessit digitallyandexpandsomeofthecontentswithsupportingaudiosand videosaswell Weplantoreleasethemagazineasabimonthlyoneto ensure that you receive the best quality contents that are thoroughly researchedandcurated.Wearealearningorganisationandwebelieve in continuous improvement through experience and feedback We requesttheuserstosharewithusyourfeedbackandsuggestionsfor such improvements and we shall ensure such improvements are incorporatedinthefutureeditionsofit.

Happyreadingandlookforwardtoyourpatronage.

SanthoshKurup CEO,ICTAK

It is important to understand how technology is put into action and thereby develop a curiosity to learn more about such use cases or explore job opportunities in such areas. Through SKOPE, we plan to bring out such magical implementation of technology and tickle the curiosity of readers, to know more on such domains.

Technology that matters

"Digital economy is powered and fueled through data and most of the new exponential innovation is around how the data is effectively captured, analyzed, interpreted for decision making”

Dr.ManojA.S.

Head,Planning,CompetencyDevt.&Innovations,ICTAK

Dr ManojisaCorporateTrainer,LifeCoach&apracticingManagementProfessionalinHRM&Marketing Managementwithextensiveexperienceofabout23yearsinAcademics&Industry

In the first edition of SKOPE - The Magazine of ICTAK, we present before our erudite readers the quintessence of an Interview we had with Dr. Tony Thomas the Chairman of ICT Academy of Kerala and also the CDIO of Signify. As a global leader and an Information technocrat, he isoneofthesought-afterIndiancorporate leaders who has experience with international companies in framing strategies for business excellence. In this short confab, he shares his wisdom on certain pertinent themes, which found to beworthyforthereaders.

ThemetrosinUSstartedacenturyback

and it is started very late in India. So do you think that the new innovations will takeplentyoftimetocometoIndia?

When we look back at what happened in the US a century ago, what’s happening today in the developing world, and where Indiaistoday,wealsohavetolookatwhat drives development, and how long it takes to get there. In those days, over 10,000 years ago, it was an agriculture-based or agrarian economy. Its key characteristic is that the economy, wealth, and society, in general, is centered primarily on agriculture with human and animal labor astheprimarytoolsemployedfor

- says Dr. Tony Thomas

Agrarian settlements were built around water sources and the society created specialized labor that led directly to the development of settlements. Agriculture also boosted trade networks and helped create a larger and more resilient human population. Here we had the Indus Valley Civilization or the Harappan Civilization that flourished along the plains of the Indus river and other affiliated rivers. There are also similar civilizations in other parts of the world like in Egypt that were builtaroundtheriverNile.

But about 2 centuries back when the first wave of industrial revolution started, people started congregating towards places of manufacturing, creating a thriving interdependent ecosystem. For example, meat processing includes transportation of the cattle, the slaughtering process, meat processing, tanning, the leather manufacturing and all these are part of a connected ecosystem where all these industries that are interdependent create the supply chain. Similarly, the automotive industry manufactures and ships vehicles across the globe. The parts and components to manufacture and the finished cars needs access to transportation facilities and hence this industry ecosystem converges around locations accessible to ports that can transport at scale. These industries thrived in the Industrial age and have not changed significantly despite advances in technology. Although, aspects like climate change, mechanization advances in transportationandsupplychainimpacted

the old economy, most of the processes have been the same for hundreds of years, and their pace of change is quite slow.

Now we are in the digital economy, that is driven and powered by data, which means you do not need to be at a very specific geographic location for the work to happen. As we know in India today, we can operate a business branch effectively and seamlessly in Delhi as in Trivandrum or Kochi as long as we have access to the systems of operation. Because we exist today in a world that is fully interconnected, we can access the talent neededtosolvebusinessproblemsfrom

anywhere in the world. In that sense, in the olden days when we were farmers, we needed to work in and around the farm physically, or in the industrial age, we needed to have people working in the factory next to the machines because the controls of the machines where physically attached to the machine. The worker is needed in person there to operate the machine because the controls for the operation are right on the machine. Later that changed to control centers within the same factory, and today we have machines that are remote-controlled and automated. This means we can control a factory from anywhere as we have the control data and controls remotely available. The recent advances in technology have enabled exponential changes and provided the tremendous potential for growth across all parts of the world.

In the past we lamented on the slowness of our developments in various fields. Take the example of telecom, where telecomland linecabled connectionswere scarce unlike the developed nations. However, with the advent of mobile phones, most of India leapfrogged from no telephone connection to mobile phone for all. In that process, we skipped a generation of technology. This means in digital economy we don’t need to sequentially grow, rather we can skip ahead. In recent past we are probably the lowest cost data provider telecom services in the world right now. In this trajectory of growth I don’t see a disadvantage to India. ForexampleIndiaismoreorlessonpar

The recent advances in technology have enabled exponential changes and provided the tremendous potential for growth across all parts of the world.

withthegloballeadersinadoptionof5G. What are the current technology trends prevailing in the world today and, how it benefitssocietyatlarge?

Like I said earlier, we talk about digital economy, which is powered and fueled through data. Most new exponential technology is around data and how the data is captured, analyzed, interpreted for decisionmaking.TechnologieslikeIOTand the related sensor capabilities are about capturing the right set of data at the source. In the consumer industry, a humanbeingisconsideredasaconnected point, that is, one individual, one device, one connection point. However, when we talk about industrial machines and connected devices, we are talking about more devices and machines than human beings. And each of these device or machines have many connection points. All these connected points create large amountsofdata.Withthis datawecando a plethora of things like making cars that drive without huma drivers, connected lights that are beyond providing lights, smart-cities, and all these things that happen through the power of IOT. Aircraft enginesanddronescanbemonitoredand managedremotely,andsoon.

Today, billions of IOT powered devices that are connected create data needed to work in tandem to drive the decisions. Thesedecisionscanbehumanpoweredor Artificial Intelligence driven. So capturing the right data is very important. Machines are sold with sensors in it, that can sense and capture data which is the first part of IoTtechnology.

The Second part of IoT technology is the way we can move or transfer data. Today we are working with 5G and other advanced technologies. 5G technically can be 100 times or more faster than 4G and even in India, today's testing we are 15+ times faster than the prevailing 4G technology. When I started programming many years ago, we had to be very conscious about the amount of data we capture as both data storage and the transfer was costly and immature. Today, becauseoftheabilitytocapture,storeand transfer data cheaply and with relative ease,wecancapturewhateverdatawe

Today, because of the ability to capture, store and transfer data cheaply and with relative ease, we can capture whatever data we want.

want.

The third aspect is about how you store and how you compute. Here, we can talk about cloud, edge-based computing, quantum computing, etc. The fourth type of technology is how we analyze the data thatwehavetakenand,alsowetalkabout AI, ML, etc. For decision-making, we program a computer. In the past, we did this to do a certain activity or operation and it is a black-and-white decision based on a decision logic. In today’s world, we can make machines think, so computers cannowlearn. Itcanunderstandthelogic behind a decision that is being made and itcanmakethedecisionitselfwhichisvery powerful. I am sure you all have heard of Chat GPT which is an example of an interestingconversationalAItool.

Next aspect is about how do we produce material. 3D printing, is a major growth area right now which is happening across theworld.Previouslymanufacturingis

Continued on Page #25

FORECASTING PRACTICES

Forecasting is always a key component in planning and decisionmaking. The article is based on research on how the forecasting process has aided in developing appropriate policy recommendations for agricultural production and consumption in Kerala.

Forecasting has always been at the forefrontofdecision-makingandplanning. The uncertain future might seem exciting and challenging as individuals and organizations strive to minimize risk and maximize profit. Many forecasting applications require different forecasting methods to meet real-world challenges. This article provides a non-systematic review of the theory and the practice of forecasting. The main objective of the studyistoanalyzetheagriculturescenario of Kerala by examining the trends in production, productivity, and area for cultivation and to make suitable policy suggestions.Thestudyispartlydescriptive andanalytical.

Dwindlingagriculturalland

Paddy cultivation is an essential part of Kerala's proud culture. However, the picture is now changing. Agriculture in Kerala is going through drastic changes. God's own country is facing a significant food security challenge due to a low base in food production. Changes in land use patternsandthesizableevolutionofcash

Ms.SnehaSalim StudentIntern,ICTAK

WithherexpertiseinbothMathematicsandData Science,Ms SnehaisworkingasaProjectIntern, bringinginnovativeideastothetable

crops and non-agricultural land are pushingKeralaintofoodinsecurity.

This study has analyzed the Kerala paddy production from 1955 to 2020 and used that information to make predictions using 'Time series analysis,' which is a relevant topic from Statistics. As per the findings, the area under paddy cultivation in Kerala was 8.7 lakh hectares in 1970-71. But in 2012-13, it became 1.97 lakh hectares. During this period, the production declined from 12.92 lakh tonnes to 5 lakh tonnes. As per the predictions based on the Forecasting Process, the production rate of paddy from 2020-24 will steadily decrease. This finding is in the ground of an analysis study of the agriculture scenario of Kerala by examining the trends in consumption, production, and productivity of paddy. This study has used forecasting techniques to analyze agricultural production in the state and consumption and make suitable policy suggestions for foodsecurity.

Forecastingtechniques

Forecastingisapartofstatisticalmodeling predominantlyusedinvariousfields

because of its benefits in decision-making. The purpose of forecasting is to predict the future values of certain variables that vary with time using their previous values. Many forecasting applications require variableforecasting methodstomeetrealworldchallenges.

Timeseriesanalysis

Time series analysis is a forecasting applicationusedtodiscoverobservations and forecast future values. Time series analysis helps to understand the underlying causes of trends or systematic patterns over time. Using data visualizations,businessusersseeseasonal trends and dig deeper into why these trends occur. Since time series analysis includes many categories or data, analysts sometimesmustmakecomplexmodels.

Forecasting is focused on the creation of models and methods for producing accurate forecasts. With the advances in computers, forecasting methods from stochastic models to soft computing continue to develop and extend. Soft computing for forecasting can provide more accurate results than traditional methods.

ENSURINGSAFE CYBERSPACE

Adv.MeeraS.Rajan LegalAssociate,ICTAK

Adv MeeraS Rajan,alawgraduate,worksasaLegal AssociateattheICTAcademyofKerala Sheiswell-versedin corporateandcommerciallaw

All of the crimes and threats in the real world exist in the virtual world too. Cyberbullying and cyberstalking are major concerns in this regard. This article will look at how it affects users and how we can ensure a safe environment for everyone.

We all live in a world where none of us can’t carry out our daily routine without relying upon the Internet. There is so much traffic in cyberspace that the place isn’t inclusive anymore. Even with all the advanced social media guidelines and regulations, people have taken a regressive path of being fair to all their fellownetizens.

Whatamountstocyberbullyingand cyberstalking?

The term means targeting, harassing, and bullying an individual or a specific group of people using technology. Cyberstalking, ontheotherhand,isamuchmoreserious threat and is a penal offense punishable undervariousIndianlaws.Cyberstalkingis

usually perceived as something harmless at first, and in many cases, the victim doesn’t even know they are being stalked. Cyberstalking is considered an add-on to cyberbullying. Usually, cyberbullying and cyberstalking are not contained within the virtual world; they flow out when the wrongdoers intimidate the victim in the physicalworld.

Since we live in an era where one can acquire the personal data of any person, the internet is becoming a vulnerable place. Hence the increase in both of these issues.Whatamountstocyberbullyingand cyberstalkingisamatterofdiscussion.

Scenario#1

There is an organization that focuses on providing training courses with the prospect of employability for the candidates who register with them. For the candidates to enroll, they need to provide their personal information, such as their mobile number, address, date of birth, and email address. These candidates are contacted by the organization’s assigned employee for employability, which they have consented to by giving their contact information. Since there is no unwanted interaction, thisdoesnotqualifyascyberstalking.

However, if an employee contacts a candidate for reasons other than official needs through their mobile number, email, or any additional personal information given during registration, and the other person feels uncomfortable or intimidated,itisconsideredcyberstalking.

The recent arrest of the director Sanal Kumar Sasidharan for posting on social media about the actress Manju Warrier without her consent is a clear example of cyberstalkinganditsconsequences.

Online interactions should always be consensual and comfortable for all parties involved. The level of comfort varies from person to person, and one has to be cautious about their activities in the cyber world.

Cyberbullying&Cyberstalking:One followstheother

After analyzing both these threats, we understandthattheyareconnected.The

common factor here is that the perpetrators' actions make the target extremely concerned for their safety and cause some form of distress, fear, or annoyance. There have been instances where people have taken their own life

duetoseverecyberbullying.

The sad story of Ryan Halligan showed ushow theboy wasbullied both in the virtual and the online world. In October 2003, he took his life by hanging because his schoolmates started a rumor that he was gay. Unfortunately, no one was prosecuted because cyberbullying is not punishablebylaw.

Similar circumstances exist in India, but there is no open database that documents actual instances of cyberbullying. Then too, we know for a fact that vulnerable groups like women, children, and the LGBTQ+ society are victims of both cyberbullyingandcyberstalking.

What can we do?

Creating awareness of what amounts to cyberbullying and cyberstalking would develop a clear distinction between the dos and don'ts in cyberspace. We can be less judgmental and support the victim by not blaming them. We have several helplines available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for victims of cyberbullying and cyberstalking. The victim or any person on the victim's behalf can approach the courts of India under the Indian Penal Code (S. 354 D). These are the small but significant steps that can be taken to prevent these cyber threats and ensure a safe cyberspace.

Avatar: Whencreativitymet technology

Mr.MohammedSanalB. FacultyAssociate,ICTAK

Mr SanalMohammedisaFacultyAssociateatICTAK Heisstudiousand passionateinshapingthemindsoftomorrow'sleadersandworkingtowards asustainablefutureforall

Set a decade after their last clash with humans, in Avatar: The Way of Waker, Jake Sully, the protagonist of the first movie, Avatar-one, has a family with Neytiri and has two sons, a daughter (born from Grace Augustine's avatar) and an adopted son (the son of Col. Miles). They had always fearedthedaywhenhumans(SkyPeople)wouldreturnwith even better technology and sophisticated machines to colonize Pandora and make it habitual for earth humans to settlethere.(Pandoraisanimaginativeworldbrimmingwith life, which glows luminescent at night and is as majestic in sizeandscaleasitisrichindetails).

Avatar:Thewayoftechnology

The use of performance capture and motion capture in Avatar: The Way of Water left the audience in awe of the characters-the same kind that brought all those characters tolifeinAvatarone.Withperformancecaptureandmotion

Avatar: The Way of Water takes full advantage of modern technology to give an exciting, immersive experience. It offers a unique look at the world, its inhabitants, and the environment. New and advanced tech is used to make the story more interactive and engaging. Let's learn more about it from the article.

capture, they transformed actors' actions into a digital format using specialized equipment and sensors built into their suits, which are then enhanced using computer graphics and simulations. However, this was not a new technology. Inspired by Golem characters in Lord of the Rings II, Avengers, and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, James Cameron made his mark by introducing underwater motion capture. He purchased a 3400-liter tank and surrounded it with sensors and a motion camera that revolutionized the underwater sequence in a new way. Furthermore, every minute detail was taken care of by rendering and inspecting every part of the detail, which ultimately

helped in providing the best cinematic experienceavailabletodate.

Kamára:Theeyesofthefilm

In Avatar: The Way of Water, James Cameron, the director, used the sophisticated Sony Venice Camera for filming. "A dynamic, perfect-color, crystalline-clear image" is the Sony Venice Camera, as described by James Cameron himself.

Using the Sony Venice Camera, the film crew deployed the Tether system to split the camera into two, where lens and image sensors go underwater to capture the image and then send that data throughtheTethertothecamerabodyfor

In Avatar: The Way of Water, James Cameron, the director, used the sophisticated Sony Venice Camera for filming. "A dynamic, perfectcolor, crystalline-clear image" is the Sony Venice Camera, as described by James Cameron himself.

processing it. With these changes, they overcame one of the most difficult challenges they faced in Avatar one, which was portrayingunderwatersequences.

Theotherworld

The production crew has also used virtual reality (VR) throughout the film to create everything in Pandora, including the characters and environment. For an immersive experience for users to watch in the comfort of their homes, they plan a release that individuals can see with their VR headsets, thus paving the way for how we watch movies in thefuture.

Theconceptofartificialintelligence(AI)andmachinelearning is leveraged in many aspects of the film, from creating a spectacular environment that propels the story forward to assisting actors in CGI-filled sets in capturing and displaying the full range of emotions. AI and machine learning were used even in analyzing the movie scripts and making suggestions and improvements. In short, this software and algorithms acted as a real-time movie critic, like a Third Eye, allaroundthemoviesets. ◌

STARTUP TRENDS

REACH: The magic wand

Mr.VijayaKumarM. CEO,WebyfyIoTPrivateLimited

Mr VijayaKumarM,agraduateinElectricalengineering,hasaworkexperience ofmorethanthreeandahalfdecades Hehaspublishedover20papers,and haswritten/compiledseveralbooks

Webyfy IoT is an application technology R&D startup that developed 'REACH,' a savvy, industry-neutral solution development framework that instantly creates highly scalable IoT applications. ‘REACH’ helps Webyfy IoT develop applications across multiple domains. Read more about Webyfy IoT and 'REACH' below.

Ideas no longer last a lifetime, and protracted product development cycles are no longer acceptable. To solve this problem, Webyfy IoT developed 'REACH,' a savvy, industry-neutral solution development framework that instantly creates highly scalable IoT applications. ‘REACH’ is an intelligent framework comprising numerous hardware and softwaremodules.Itsconfigurationengine enables it to build an array of applications acrossmultipledomains.

Webyfy IoT is an application technology

R&D startup established on 18th May 2018, based in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Ms. Meena Nair and Mr. Vijaya Kumar M. are the founding directors of Webyfy IoT. Webyfy IoT has extensive experience in the generation of IoTsolutionsautomatically.

Whatis‘REACH?’

‘REACH’ combines audio, video, sensor, and actuator systems to create IoT applications similar to LEGO-style construction. The application architecture is created by a configuration engine, and the behavior is determined by a rule engine. AI algorithms power both engines. The number of parts or modules that can be installed in a location or the variety of locations that can be integrated is unlimited. Webyfy follows the OneM2M IoT protocol. The technology and the productsshallbecertifiedaccordingly.

Thefuture

REACH helps Webyfy IoT create applications across multiple domains. Webyfy is in the process of releasing over75applicationsand75sensor

modules starting January 2023. The product basket is expected to rise to over 5000 applications and modules by 2025, making Webyfy IoT the largest IoT application company in India. Webyfy is one of the few companies that can supply end-to-end IoT systems from sensors to DSS.

Webyfyteam

A close-knit group of ten technology researchers devotes significant time to studying/reading and experimenting with new possibilities. The team believes in innovation and views failures as learning opportunities. Webyfy believes in a collaborative effort. Hence, marketing and customer service have started creating an ecosystem of companies that provide exemplary service.

The company also offers internships to students and professionals with good reading habits and learning skills to collaborate with us in applied research. Webyfy has openings in disciplines like embedded programming, web and server programming, electronic system design and PCB layouts, mechanical machine design, etc. ◌

FormoreInformation

9847923499|vijay@webyfy.com https://iot.webyfy.com/

APulsating December

The ICT Academy of Kerala (ICTAK) had a smooth December, with events and activities undertaken to engage its internal and external communities. The academy has made the most of every minute, from the Christmas celebration and job fair to the startup meet and signing of the benefits program. Let us take a look at ICTAK’s December journey.

Intoahealthypartnership

As part of the benefits program for the associates of the ICT Academy of Kerala, the HR department and the Corporate Operation Unit signed the first corporate-hospital partnership agreement with the Chaithanya Eye Hospital & Research Institute, T'puram. The collaboration with Chaithanya marks the beginning of a new corporate-hospital agreementchapterfortheICTAcademy.

Mr. Nidhin Das, CS, ICTAK, received the agreement on behalf of ICTAK from Mr. Tiju Samuel, Marketing Manager of Chaithanya Eye Hospital, T'puram. The collaboration will benefit the associates, their families, and the academicfraternitylinkedwithICTAK.TheHR department carried it out with Mr. Thomas Joseph, manager of Corporate Relations, ICTAK,providingsolidsupport. PartnerinYouthHackathon

OnDecember16thand17th,APJAbdul

Ms.SheenaK.Thomas ProjectAssociate,ICTAK

Ms Sheena,abuddingjournalistworkingasaTraineeCorrespondent atReuters ShewasaformerProjectAssociate,CreativesatICTAK

Kalam Technological University (KTU), in association with NeST Digital and the ICT Academy of Kerala, hosted the first phase ofaDigitalYouthHackathon,aplatformto showcase the innovative IT skill sets. The hackathon provided a unique opportunity forKerala'syoungmindstoworkwithtech experts on the best cutting-edge technologies and interact with and collaborate with thought leaders. In this collaborative computer workshop, studentsfromcollegesanduniversities showcased their skills in ideation, coding, and building solutions to solve real-life problems.

Empoweringtheneurodivergent

Inclusys.org is a non-profit organization that hires only neurodiverse individuals for data-related work. The ICT Academy of Kerala got the privilege to collaborate with

Associating with the differently abled community and contributing to their empowerment in small ways was a humbling experience for the ICTAK. The collaboration will undoubtedly aid differently-abled individuals in developing theirfuturecareers.

Asuccessfuljobfair

The job fair held on December 17 by the Kerala Knowledge Economy Mission (KKEM) and the ICT Academy of Kerala proved to be a successful venture. More than sixty job seekers were hired on the spot out of the 1500 people who attended the job fair at the Rajagiri College of Management and Applied Sciences in Kakkanad, Ernakulam. At this point of preparing the writeup, 456 others are in the different phases of the hiring process initiated by more than 40 companies that

Empowering the Neurodivergent - A snap from training the trainer's program

KKEM has set a goal of crea new jobs by 2025. To ease th KKEM, the ICT Academy of aggregate five lakh job oppor four lakhs in the IT sector an the non-IT sector. With t industry relations, ICTAK fir thattheacademywillmeetits

YIP5.0

In December 2022, the Youn Program 5.0 (YIP), the flagship K-DISC, was implemented in the state with the full ownership of various Govt. departments, universities, and other agencies. So far, around 13,000 students and 1,300 ideators have registered for the YIP 5.0. and fifty-eight ideas were on board. Mr. Pinarayi Vijayan, CM of Kerala, officiallylaunchedtheMobileAppofYIPas well.

StartupmeetatT’puram

The ICT Academy of Kerala conducted the second Startup Meet connecting with startups to identify potential areas of cooperation. The meet was held on December 21 at Malabar Hall in Park Center, Technopark, T'puram. Though the event had only participation from nearly ten startups, the round table session was fruitful,withmanyideasexchanged.

Along with the other team leads of ICTAK, Mr. Santhosh Kurup, CEO of ICTAK, interacted with the representatives of the startups and discussed their prospects. Mr. Anoop P. Ambika, CEO of Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM), conveyed a special address at the gathering. The meetupalsofeaturedaroundtable

discussiononcollaborationopportunities.

JoyeuxNoelatICTAK

When the ICTions gathered together to celebrate Christmas, the ICT Academy of Kerala experienced the merriness of joy. TheICTAKChristmasevent‘JoyeuxNoel’

Job Fair - A glimpse

was a joyous celebration held on December 22nd at the ICTAK HQ in Technopark, T'puram. Christmas hymns sung by the ICTAK associates marked the beginning of celebrations and made the event more melodious. From singing carols to exchanging gifts, ICTions had a blast. The celebration was composed of various fun games, a shadow play, a

time.

Theclassesconducted

ICTAK organized three days of Advanced Excel training on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd of December 2022 at Nirmala College in Muvattupuzha. Thirty-two participants attendedthetraining.

Duringthesameperiod,ICTAKorganized

dancing party, and a special appearance fromSantahimself.Atastylunchandwine made the event even merrier! The Joyeux Noelwas,inessence,ahappyandjoyous

a five-day 'Learn Python by Developing a Website' at Nirmala Arts and Science College in Chalakudy. Thirty-five participantsattendedthesession.The

Startup Meet at T’puram - A glimpse from the meetup

academy also organized a five-day 'Business Intelligence with Tableau' program with 21 participants at the same college. Long-term programs on 'Financial services and Distributed Ledger Technology,''CyberSecurity,'and'Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence (ML-AI)' were attended by fifty, 36, and 40 attendees. On December 16th and 17th, ICTAK held an FDP on Concepts Coaching at Nilgiri College of Arts & Science. A total of40participantsattendedtheprogram.

Eighty students from Musaliar College attended the 3-day class on Python programming, and Ninety-two students from Rajadhani college participated in the 5-daysectiononDigitalmarketing

organizedbytheICTAK.

Anendnote

Decemberhascomeandgone,andwithit, a host of magical memories and experiences. There’s something special about the start of winter, when the days are shorter and the nights longer, and when the world seems to slow down a bit andrelax.

December is a reminder that a new year is on the horizon. It’s a time to reflect on the past and plan for the future. It’s a time to appreciate all we have and to give others our love and support. We hope you have enjoyed this special time of the year and havebeenabletomakethemostofit.

Session in Progress - Students actively listening to the class

SKOPE

Continued from Page #9 only happening in factories and specific locations. Today manufacturing can happen anywhere which can be remotely controlled and operated. A spare part of a critical machine can be printed right at the remote location where the machine is locatedwiththehelpofa3Dprinter.

It is also about is how we experience things.Augmentedreality,virtualrealityor the extended reality, even the metaverse, all are developments in that area. We are not just seeing the things in 2D or 3D, rather we are now actually experiencing and we can make decision in much more smarterandfaster.

All these advancements are converging intoapointthat,thetechnologyis

changing the way we do things in its entirety. So in reality, its not just about one or two, but a confluence if all these powerful technologies are transforming the world as we know it. People walk around with smart watches, which has sensorsthatcandetectourbodyfunctions at a given point of time and intervene proactivelyifitisrequired.

While these are interesting technologies that can make our lives better, this also opens up lot of new job opportunities as well. This is where ICTAK can open doors to job opportunities, not just in areas mentioned, but even in the adjacent areas likecybersecurity,digitaltrustetc.

Educational skilling should go hand in hand or even merged. How is it possible toincrementthatInIndia?

Weneededucationandskillingtogohand in hand together, but unfortunately, we mostly focus on the education part and ignore the skill part of development. For example, we can teach someone the alphabet,giveadictionaryandmakethem learn all the words in English, but constructing a sentence to convey a message, and how have a conversation are skills that we develop through practice.Whileeducationisthefoundation on which a skill can be based, true skill comesfromunderstanding aproblemand the practice of addressing that. A gap that I find today is that we are not focused on training vocational skills aligned with core education. There has to be a purpose for education, beyond attaining a degree as anentrypointforaparticularjob.In

today’s job environment where merit rules, entry to a job is not a guarantee to career progression as we need the right skills at any given point in time for proper performance. This learning has to happen right from a very young age, from primary school through to any degree or postgraduate degree and has to continue with up-skilling during the job or what we are doing at the point of time because learning must be constant. Learning is not a time-bound, school-bound, or collegebound mechanism. In that sense, we have a lot of limitations, but there are some opportunities too. We have a very diverse population, we have many different types of industries, many different types of businesses, with many different types of problems that need to be solved. Instead of learning some solutions academically, we should focus on understanding and solving the problem, using every knowledge that we have as a tool to solve that problem. Just learning to use a hammer does not make anyone a carpenter.Ahammerisjustatool.Howdo we translate that into its usage, similarly, how do we translate education into a usableskill?

Learning is not a timebound, school-bound, or college-bound mechanism. In that sense, we have a lot of limitations, but there are some opportunities too.

I can share an example from my personal experience during my school days. In physics, like everyone, we had to study density, convection current and such beautiful things which we learn and write inexams.Butforusexamswerenotdirect questions about density of air or something straight out of the text book. One question was about why do refrigerators have the freezer up in the top and not at the bottom of the refrigerator? Text books usually doesn’t give such insights, real time examples and experiences. In Kerala, most of the houses haveventilators,andalltheventilatorsare at the top of the room not at the bottom. Why? These are the things that you apply basedonyourexperiences,youracademic knowledge,yourskills,thewayyouthink.

So according to me, what we lack today is that practical based education which allows us to translate that knowledge into skills can be applied to solve real life problems.

Do you think that education will have to change the way it is been leveraged as perthenewNEP2020?

Our educational system is in need of an overhaul. Education should not just be focused on teaching some answers, it should also be about showing how to analyze problems and solve them. Learning has to be life-long and, it should notbeapointintimeactivitythatweneed to do. United Nations Sustainability Development Goals in chapter 4 talks about inclusive and equitable quality education to promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. NEP 2020 in that sense is building the base and laying the foundation for more or less a lifetime education and provide a practical oriented wayoflearningratherthanbookish

knowledge. I have seen many kids learn things by-heart and blindly repeat what they have learnt. Knowing the fundamentals will help to apply things when it comes to solving problems. It is not just about repeating some thing, its also about knowing the essence of what it is and applying that. In that sense, education policy is changing towards makingkidsunderstandthebasics,imbibe the essence of what is taught and apply that appropriately as and when required verses learning something by-heart and repeatingitforexams.

I personally feel, at least in our higher education system, we should stop with closed book exams and should initiate the practice of open book exams. In open book exams, we don’t need to be focused on learning something by-heart or remembering an answer. We can instead, focus on what is being taught, understand whatitis,whereisitinthebookandwhen aquestioncomesin,refertothatpartof

book and answer. Like I said earlier, examination questions can be more practical oriented. These are some of the things I believe that we need to change and help kids learn instead of rememberingthings.

A company that started a decade ago will not be relevant in today’s world if they are not continually innovating based on the changing requirements..

Do you think up-skilling and cross-skilling will augment the skill set of the existing employees in an organization? If so, what isyouropinionaboutthat?

Whenyouhireanemployeeasafresher,it doesn’t matter which College or University they come from. As employees, all freshers start at the same baseline and, from that point of time, as learners, begin to understand the company’s business, how the company makes money, how the company solves problems, what are the products and services, how to build the products, how to sell the product, etc. Remember, none of these are static and constant, as with time, they keep changing. A company that started a decade ago will not be relevant in today’s worldiftheyarenotcontinuallyinnovating based on the changing requirements of the customers and adapting to global demands. If you look back at how many generationsoftechnologyhavechanged

through the last 25 years, we can understand the magnitude of the transformation happening. For example, assume that a person starts a job at the age of 25, and by the time when she/he reaches age 50, whatever they learned in schoolisprobablyobsolete.Thekeyto

SKOPE

survival and success is constant learning and up-skilling. It is not just about what degree we accumulated and not about what we knew before we started work, it's alsoaboutwhatwelearninourjobsdaily.

Although the fundamentals of the businesses have not changed much because they are commerce/business oriented, product driven, supply chain managed and, we still continue to operate within those frames. However, the context within those has changed and, we have to constantly adapt with those changes. The way we used to program 30 years ago, is completely different than the way we program today. We learnt programming and syntax at college, wrote every line of code, saved every bits and bytes, but all these have changed now. In today’s world, You need not learn many programming languages in college as you can learn it by yourselves,andkeepupwiththechanges.

Same things apply at work also, you can learnsomethingfromthepast,butnew

capabilities are learned by up-skilling and cross-skilling. Up-skilling helps build on what an employee already knows or does well. An example of this may be when an employee is promoted. They were promotedtoanewrolebasedontheskills they had, but they may need to augment those skills to take on new challenges. Upskillingdoesnotonlyhelpemployeeswork better, but it also increases employees' ability to take care of new challenges. Through up-skilling, employees gain personal and professional growth while theorganizationgainshigherprofits.

Cross-skilling focuses on training employees in new skills to efficiently manage multiple responsibilities beyond their current roles. Overall, cross-training allows the Organization to provide staff members with opportunities for continuous learning, contributing to improvements in organizational effectivenessandefficiency. ◌

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ICT Academy of Kerala is the Demand Aggregation & Skills Partner of KKEM