Honeywell, in Association with ICT Academy, Presents the Second Edition of India Youth Teckathon 2023

Madurai (Tamil Nadu) [India], July 19: Honeywell Hometown Solutions India Foundation (HHSIF), the philanthropic arm of Honeywell, has announced the launch of the highly anticipated second edition of the Honeywell India Youth Teckathon 2023. This groundbreaking open hackathon is aimed at empowering graduate students across India by providing them with the opportunity to build and deploy basic software-based robots, while enhancing their knowledge and skills in Robotic Process Automation (RPA).

The Teckathon 2023 is a key component of the transformative Honeywell Student Empowerment Program, which seeks to equip young graduates with advanced proficiencies in cutting-edge technologies. Through this program, graduates will gain expertise in areas such as cloud computing, big data, networking, RPA, artificial intelligence, cyber security, and machine learning. Honeywell has collaborated with the ICT Academy and is leveraging the Corporate Alliances to provide extensive support and certification to ensure that graduates are well-prepared for the demands of the future workforce. The official launch event took place on 18th July 2023 at Lady Doak College, Madurai.

Krishna M, Director Engineering, officiated the official launch of this hackathon, emphasizing its significance. He stated, “As a Fortune 100 technology company and a front-runner in industrial automation, we recognize the crucial need to cultivate a future-ready workforce capable of meeting the demands of Industry 4.0. Equally important is ensuring that individuals from marginalized backgrounds have access to the right skills and opportunities to contribute to this workforce. The Honeywell Student Empowerment Program strives to make cutting-edge technical skills accessible and affordable for thousands of students.”

Highlighting the role of technology in business and the paramountcy of skill development, Hari Balachandran, CEO of ICT Academy, expressed, “In a world where technology permeates every industry, acquiring relevant skills has become essential for both employment and economic growth. At ICT Academy, we are committed to building a sustainable skill ecosystem, starting from the grassroots level, through collaborations with corporations, the government, and academia. Teckathon 2023 is a significant stride toward serving society, providing underprivileged students with training in the technologies required for the fourth industrial revolution.”

Through their joint efforts, HHSIF and ICT Academy have established an impressive network of 83 Centers of Excellence in the current year for youth and women empowerment across tier-1 and tier-2 cities in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Delhi NCR, Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, and Chandigarh. Implemented through this collaborative partnership, the Honeywell Student Empowerment Program aspires to empower 8,800 students, with a particular emphasis on promoting female representation, by delivering comprehensive training and facilitating job placement opportunities.

Including this year’s impact, the partnership will have impacted 22,450 underprivileged individuals from 262 higher education institutions in the states of Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Delhi NCR, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Punjab, and Chandigarh.

This powerful initiative not only fosters technical excellence but also bridges the opportunity gap, ensuring that young talents from all backgrounds have the chance to thrive in the fast-evolving landscape of Industry 4.0. Honeywell and ICT Academy’s unwavering commitment to youth empowerment paves the way for a brighter and more inclusive future, where skills and innovation become the catalysts for progress and prosperity.

Honeywell Hometown Solutions India Foundation (HHSIF) is a not-for-profit organization that deploys Honeywell’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts in three critical areas: (i) Education, Skill and Research (ii) Holistic and Sustainable Community Development, and (iii) Humanitarian Relief. HHSIF’s programs include Honeywell STEM Education for Youth, a skilling program for youth to build a future-ready workforce; Honeywell Model Village for holistic rural development, water conservation through watershed programs that also strengthens the rural livelihood; Honeywell Start-up Support Program for incubation in deep science; Honeywell Centre for Advancing Girls in Science at Avasara Academy to promote STEM education among girls and ‘Plant the Future’ campaign that focuses on planting 1 million saplings in a decade observing UN decade of ecosystem restoration and humanitarian relief in times of emergency.

ICT Academy (www.ictacademy.in) is an initiative of the Government of India in collaboration with the state Governments and Industries. ICT Academy is a not-for-profit society, the first of its kind pioneer venture under the Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) model that endeavours to train the higher education teachers and students thereby exercises on developing the next generation teachers and industry ready students. ICT Academy was started to meet the skill requirements of the industry and generate more employment especially in tier 2 and 3 towns, the rural parts of the country. Through its various initiatives, ICT Academy has been part of strengthening the India’s four important visions on Skill India, Digital India, Startup India and Make in India.