HCL Foundation establishes Chennai’s first mobile Robotics lab for school students
- HCL Foundation, the corporate social responsibility (CSR) arm of HCLTech, has set up a free mobile robotics training center at the Ramakrishna Mission Students’ Home in Mylapore in Chennai.
- The first-of-its-kind lab that will cater to the intellectual needs of students from grade six to 12 in government schools in and around the area that will be covered by a fully equipped robotics bus.
- Dr. Nidhi Pundhir, Vice President, Global CSR, HCL Foundation inaugurated the center in the presence of officers from the Education Department of Chennai Corporation.
- The center is aimed at fostering the curiosity of students about science and its emerging branches, such as robotics, through a special 21-hour training course, entailing basics of robotics and Internet of Things (IoT), electrical, electronics, computer programming, Arduino from the swatch, working with Arduino 1 and 2 and advanced Arduino projects. All students completing the training will receive certificates at the end of the program.
- A specially built bus, equipped with training equipment and kits as well as an experienced trainer, has been designed as the mobile center that will visit the government schools and impart free robotics training to the students.
- The Ramakrishna Students’ Home currently runs two programs that improve employability with the financial support of the HCL Foundation. One focuses on imparting English communication training for polytechnic students, titled Ramakrishna-English-Connect, and the other program emphasizes training unemployed, semi-skilled, and accounts students in the efficient management of Tally accounting software
- HCL Foundation (HCLF) was established in 2011 as the CSR arm of HCLTech. It is a not-for-profit- organization that strives to contribute towards national and international development goals, bringing about lasting positive impact in the lives of people, through long-term sustainable programs. The foundation aims to alleviate poverty and achieve inclusive growth and development. Active community engagement ensures optimal long-term gains and upward accountability. HCL Foundation works through Life Cycle Based, Integrated Community Development Approach with a thematic focus on Education, Health, Skill Development & Livelihood, Environment, and Disaster Risk Reduction & Response. Child protective strategies, inclusion, and gender transformative approaches remain central in all initiatives of the HCL Foundation, thus ensuring comprehensive development. Presently HCL Foundation is implementing five flagship programs, namely HCL Samuday & HCL Grant – Rural Development programs; HCL Uday & Clean Noida – Urban Development programs; HCL Harit (The Green Initiative) – Environment Action program and 4 special initiatives – Power of One, Sports for Change, HCL Foundation Academy and My E-Haat.
“Education is one of the key focus areas of HCL Foundation’s work. This center is one of our most ambitious projects that ensures access to the most advanced fields of education, and couples it with skill development for the future,” said Dr. Nidhi Pundhir, Vice President, Global CSR, HCL Foundation.
