British Council and Microsoft India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a three-year partnership project, 'English Skills for Youth' in May 2023.
The English Skills for Youth solution will be integrated into Engineering Colleges linked to Microsoft India’s existing NGO/partner projects. The programme aspires to enhance the life opportunities of young people, aged 18-25, particularly women, in socio-economically marginalised communities across India. The programme will support these young people in developing their English and communication skills through a self-access course called English and Communication Skills for the Workplace.
The self-access course is accompanied by guidance for a minimum of 30-hour student-led activities in student-led after-college hours English Practice Clubs (EPC) for building students’ confidence in speaking by practicing with peers in a safe environment. To facilitate EPCs and conduct assessments British Council is directly delivering training to 2400 English Practice club leaders, 600 faculty, and 100 training and placement officers (TPOs) engaged in the project.
The English Skills for Youth project has now been extended to the 16 Government Engineering colleges in the state of Karnataka. The target number of beneficiaries is 6102. The training will commence in June 2024.