HP injects Rs 3.63 crore in India education

Updated on: Monday, July 20, 2009

New Delhi: Hewlett-Packard India (HP) has awarded Rs 3.63 crore ($758,553) to organisations under its HP Entrepreneurship Learning Programme (HELP), which will provide 5,290 entrepreneurs with the right technology training to be able to solve everyday business challenges, enabling them to grow their businesses and create new jobs.

These entrepreneurs, or "microenterprises," are the fastest growing businesses worldwide, creating the most jobs. According to CIA World Fact Book, 25 to 30 per cent of the world's labour force is unemployed or underemployed.

The 2009 HELP grant awards were announced following a thorough analysis of the 10 NGO-operated training centres across India and the Asia Pacific Japan region by the programme partner, Education Development Centre (EDC). The EDC has also conducted a competitive review of all proposals submitted by the centres, and has been instrumental in assisting HP identify award grant recipients. This year, the programme aims to target and develop business and IT skills in young people and recent graduates through the introduction of the GET-IT curriculum into the programme.

"Over 70 years ago, Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard founded HP, a micro enterprise in a suburban garage—today that suburb is Silicon Valley and HP is the world's largest IT company," said Bina Raj-Debur, director, corporate marketing HP India. "We are proud to support the next generation of entrepreneurs through the HELP programme. We believe combining the power of technology with creative and effective partnerships to create economic and social value for communities is very important. We trust these grants will contribute to strengthen the skills of aspiring entrepreneurs and enable them to grow. Through HELP, we are glad to deepen our engagement with organisations that reach out to individuals who are at the forefront of change."

The objective of the 2009 programme is to provide small and medium enterprises with the right technology training to be able to solve every day business challenges, so they can grow and create new jobs. Specifically the objectives for the 2009 programme are two-fold:

1. To increase the capacity of existing Micro Enterprise Development Centres (MEDCs) in providing training through the STSB (full form) and GET-IT curriculum (full form). GET-IT is designed to train young entrepreneurs and those who plan to start-up businesses on how to use IT to support and develop a business. More information about GET-IT can be found at www.graduate-training-through-it.net /.

2. To support existing MEDCs in the implementation of a strategic plan for achieving sustainability in the next 3-5 years.

The following organisations in India have received the 2009 grant for the HELP:

• Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Karnataka: AWAKE
• Centre for Entrepreneurship of Karnataka
• Development Alternatives Group
• Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India: EDI
• Dhriiti
• Federation of South India Producers Association
• Foundation of Occupational Development
• Self Employed Women's Association: SEWA
• Technology Informatics Design Endeavour: TIDE
• Xavier Institute of Management & Entrepreneurship: XIME

The HELP consists of 4 key elements:

   1. MEDCs equipped with HP technology, and supported by cash grants
   2. Curriculum, designed in partnership with Micro-Enterprise Acceleration Institute (MEA-I),
   3. Training of trainers, and
   4. Networking opportunities for MEDCs, provided by HP-sponsored events.

Other programme partners include MEA-I, which provides the curriculum for HELP, and Australian National University, which has provided consulting services to aid the development of a robust monitoring and evaluation framework for the programme.

By employing a rigorous monitoring and evaluation framework, HP aims to ensure accountability, transparency and continuous improvement in its community investment programmes.

HP injects Rs 3.63 crore in India education

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