Some time ago, the director of Model Finishing School, Ernakulam Jaymon Jacob received a request from a company seeking 300 people skilled in wheel alignment. However, Jacob could neither identify so many trained candidates nor give a satisfactory reply to the firm.
Now, a group of students at Model Engineering College, Thrikkakkara in Ernakulam has developed ‘Thozhil Jalakam’ (Job window), a web portal that offers solutions to such issues. The platform, which enables job providers and seekers to meet, has been created free of cost by third-year Computer Science students Malavika S Menon, Immanuel Antony, S Varun Krishna, Ameen Aneez and Adil Muhammed Rafeek with guidance from Head of the Department Preetha Teresa Joy.
In fact, the venture is part of the ‘Institutional social responsibility’ (ISR) initiative of the Model Engineering College along the lines of the Corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities of big companies.
Such activities not only provide students with an opportunity to apply the knowledge they acquire in the classroom but also learn the problems faced by society and find solutions to them.
How the portal came about
A large number of institutions conduct skill development courses with support from Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), and various funds from Central and state governments. However, no study takes place on whether the students learning these courses gain suitable employment and the skills they acquire are in demand in the job market. As a solution to these problems, the Ernakulam District Skill Level Committee suggested ‘Thozhil Jalakam’, which was ideated by a team led by District Planning Officer Litty Mathew.
Organisations conducting skill courses in the Ernakulam district can register on the portal and include details of students passing out from these institutions, including their expertise. Companies too can register. However, the registrations would be confirmed only after the district-level admin verifies the information provided. Meanwhile, job providers can also select the candidates they need from the portal.
To be functional soon
At present, the portal has been submitted for the data security audit of the government and is expected to be operational shortly. “As soon as the portal starts functioning, we can identify the jobs in demand and skills that the market does not need,” said Model Finishing School director Jacob, who is also the convener of the District Skill Level Committee.
“This would also enable us to design courses in future,” Jacob added.
The website of the job window is thozhiljalalam.kerala.gov.in