Tech Mahindra Foundation launches ‘SMART Academy’ for Healthcare

​New Delhi: Tech Mahindra Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of Tech Mahindra Limited (a Mahindra Group company), launched the Tech Mahindra SMART Academy for Healthcare in Delhi, with a commitment to setting new standards of excellence in the domain of training paramedics in the years to come, and enable thousands of young women and men lead a life of dignity in the Healthcare sector. The inauguration ceremony took place on Saturday, May 14th in the presence of the foundation’s Vice Chairman VineetNayyar and CEO LoveleenKacker along with other dignitaries.

Objectives of SMART Academy for Healthcare:

The objective of the Academy is to empower young men and women with the requisite skills and capabilities to pursue a professional career in the health sector. The course would enable the students achieve the following:

• Ability to apply knowledge and skills to care for individuals, families and communities;
• Ability to impart understanding of lifestyle and other related factors that affect health of individuals and groups;
• Ability to provide care to recuperating, critically ill and terminally ill patients;
• Develop skills of critical thinking in making decisions in handling difficult situations while caring for patients;
• Ability to operate new generation medical equipment;
• Ability to practice within the framework of Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct and acceptable standards of practice within legal boundaries;
• To develop compassion and understanding of respect for life, and for the dignity and rights of patients.

The Academy marks a significant milestone in the journey of expanding the foundation’s ‘SMART’ employability programme. Through this initiative, Tech Mahindra Foundation aims inculcate human values, provide contemporary knowledge and impart high quality skill training, thereby creating employment opportunities for young men and women in Allied Health Services, across the country. In full capacity, the Academy will train 2000 young boys and girls.

“We want to equip youth from low-income families with skills that will help them begin a career in healthcare. There is a huge gap between demand and supply in the field of Allied Healthcare not just in the city of Delhi but the entire country, and the Academy is a small step in the direction of meeting this demand,” saidLoveleenKacker, CEO Tech Mahindra Foundation.

The training programme of the Academy is a good blend of theory and practice, with an emphasis on the latter. The theory classes will be delivered by highly qualified and experienced faculty members and guest experts. The Academy has best of its class infrastructure that includes comfortable classrooms, modern audio-visual equipment including teaching aids, demonstration rooms. For practical on-the-job training, the students will be affiliated to different healthcare organizations so that their training experience is rich and dynamic.

The academic environment at the SMART Academy is augmented by a well-equipped IT lab, technical laboratories, a well-stocked library and also an ambulance where the students can gain realistic training on managing emergencies. Students are encouraged to discover their aptitude, strengths, and areas of interest. In addition to healthcare-related courses, the students are also trained on communication skills and work readiness to equip them to face the challenges of competitive work environment.

The Tech Mahindra SMART Academy for Healthcare has been set up in collaboration with the HarijanSewakSangh – a social development organization founded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1932. It will be located at the Gandhi Ashram, Kingsway Camp, New Delhi. “The Tech Mahindra Foundation would like to sincerely thank Shri S. S. Sanyal and Shri LaxmiDass of the Sangh, who have opened the doors of their sprawling campus in North Delhi to us for the Academy,” added Mrs Kacker.

In coming days, Tech Mahindra Foundation intends to seek recognition from the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and affiliation from the Health Sector Skill Council (HSSC).

Courses for the year 2016-17 @ Tech Mahindra SMART Academy for Healthcare

SL. NO.	COURSES OFFERED	DURATION	STARTING DATE					INTAKE PER BATCH
			BATCH-1	BATCH-2		BATCH-3
1	Home Health Aide	6 Months	May 2016		June 2016		Dec 2016	40
2	General Duty Assistant	6 Months	May 2016		June 2016		Dec 2016	40
3	Operating Theatre Technician	1 year	Nov 2016					40
4	Emergency Medical Technician	1 year	Nov 2016					40