Hanumantha - A Case Study

	Hanumantha, a boy from Mumbai, was a student at Colaba Municipal School. A hard working boy, but who in all probability would
	fail the 10th Standard Board Examination due to his English Language deficiency.
	He was directed to us and we gave him private tuitions in addition to the Sujaya Classes
	He passed the English exam with 35% (minimum required)
	He joined Elphinstone College for his SSC (Std. 11), but now discovered that he was not really cut out for academic work.
	We then asked him to observe himself from the outside. What would he like to do? What did he do when he was not in college? In
	which activity did he lose track of time?
	He said he liked to cook; use his hands creatively
	We examined the Dadar Catering College Prospectus. The Patisserie course which cost Rs.22,000/- required a minimum
	qualification of SSC.
	We consulted Indus Cruising, who told us that hands on training, at this stage, would be better than a diploma.
	In the meantime, Hanumanta continued going to Std. 11 at Elphnistone College & coming to Sujaya Foundation for help in English.
	We then met Hanumantha's mother in the Colaba slum. We wanted to know if she was agreeable for him to leave college & join the
	catering college. She was.
	We then drew up a list of places where Hanumanta could get some hands on experience before June, when he would join the
	Dadar Catering College.
	Rahul Akerkar of Indigo, a well known restaurant in Mumbai, agreed to take him.
	He asked us for a guarantee that Hanumantha would be well behaved and observe social norms, abstain from dugs, drink, join
	unions etc. We were able to do this because we were meeting him daily for a period of one year. We had also visited him in his house and knew his family.
	Hanumantha was a big hit at Indigo.
	For his interview he was trained at Sujaya Foundation
	Speech acts: how does one introduce oneself; ask questions; put forward a point of view; negotiate;   close a conversation; thank     Mock interviews were conducted. We asked people from the industry to conduct some mock interviews.
	Hanumantha succeeded very well at the Catering College. During his six month training he won two medals
	He then did his internship at the Hilton Towers. He acquired sufficient fluency to interact with foreign clients (his fluency is limited to
	the catering jargon).
	After his internship he got a job at Marine Plaza, a well known hotel in Mumbai.
	He then tried out for a job with an international cruise line and was selected.
	Our volunteers continue to give him time to improve his english skills.

 

The EDS Experiment

Objective:

The objective of this experiment conducted by Sujaya Foundation in collaboration with EDS was to experiment whether candidates could be trained by Sujaya for a specific job in a given organization.

Methodology:

EDS’ HR executive visited Sujaya premises during one of our English Immersion Programmes to learn about the various aspects.  In turn, Sujaya’s representatives visited the EDS work floor during a non peak hour to learn about their processes.  After several meetings and discussions, EDS sent us their requirements for computer as well as language skills for a non-voice based process.

We shortlisted three candidates for this experiment – Manoj, who had passed Std 11 and was working in a courier company; Chetan was from one of our Immersion Programmes and was a commerce graduate; one person was selected from Pratham.

Sujaya Rai, from Sujaya Foundation and another volunteer Reena Bhandari coached them in computers and language skills respectively. They were also trained in other skills required in facing a job interview.

On completion of the training Chetan secured a job with ADFC once we got him an interview.  The second candidate Manoj was ready for the job, but the drawback was that he did not meet the EDS criteria of being a graduate.  We requested EDS to make an exception and interview Manoj to evaluate if he would meet their skills requirements despite not being a graduate.

Outcome:

Manoj succeded in clearing the selection process at EDS and was offered a job.

EDS is now going to try this model of non-graduate hires for this profile and see if it works for them.

Key Takeaways: This was a focused effort where all the stakeholders were committed towards making this experiment a success. The students were sincere and keen on learning the required skill set. Reena, a very dedicated volunteer and Sujaya, a dedicated teacher gave continuous and personalized attention and ensured that the students meet the mark.  EDS was committed in giving them a fair chance.

Srinivas could barely converse in English when he joined us in Jan 2005. After two days into the English Immersion Programme, he wanted to leave because he felt shy speaking in English in front of everyone.  We realized that the challenge was to make him overcome his shyness and his fear of speaking in a language he was not comfortable with. We told him that he should continue with the Programme for his deposit money which would be refunded only upon the completion of the Programme. Srinivas continued and without the pressure of performing, he was a more willing participant in the group activities and discussions.  He gradually overcame his fears and gained confidence in speaking.  After completing the course, Srinivas who had some technical knowledge interviewed with ICICI ONE SOURCE for a back office position and was selected.

Srinivas has been with ICICI One Source ever since and was also awarded “Employee of the Month” on one occassion.

Mohammed Manzar was one of the most regular and intelligent students of  English Immersion Programme – 5 . He was a terrific team player and a very keen learner. After the Programme completion, we arranged an interview with Mphasis, a leading IT and Outsourcing company for him. However, Manzar was not shortlisted.  Being convinced of his ability, Sujaya requested the Human Resource Department of Mphasis to hire him just as a trainee without a salary and if he managed to make a positive impression during the six months of training, they could take a second call. Thankfully, they agreed to our proposal.

Manzar was confirmed as an employee after the training period. Mphasis informs us that Manzar is quite popular with clients who apparently ask for him by name.  The company is applying for an H1 Visa for Manzar.

Mohammed Tausheer was a student of English Immersion Programme -7. He failed the basic selection test for the Programme. However, he was adamant that he be taken in the Programme and refused to leave our office. We relented to his persistence and enthusiasm and admitted him, but made it very clear that he would not be sent for a job interview. Tausheer was regular with his classes, but did not show much improvement during the month. At the end of the Programme, he asked us whether he could join batch 8 of the course. We agreed. Here he blossomed. However, after completing batch 8, we were still not convinced that Tausheer was ready for an interview, but he needed a job desperately. We requested Magus Dialog to take him on without a salary just for 10 days. They did so very reluctantly.

Tausheer was very sincere and worked very hard during his training. Magus e-mailed us recently that Tausheer made his first client call.

Ronnie was a student of English Immersion Programme -1. He had a speech difficulty, but was very keen on improving his English.

After the course, he interviewed for a back office job in WNS. He was selected and has kept in touch with us.

 

Kishore was a student of English Immersion Programme - 8.  After many persistent attempts that included several telephone calls and visits, we finally succeeded in placing him. The job was obtained through the CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) department of ICICI. 

Kishore now works in the administration department of ICICI.