Tech Lab Class, 2019
October 11th marks International Day of the Girl and this year, the theme is “My Voice, Our Equal Future.” Created by the United Nations in 2011, this day “focuses attention on the need to address the challenges girls face and to promote girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.” One of those challenges is access to education that can propel young girls into a future of their choosing.
Commit2Change was established to address the ongoing challenges for young girls, especially in underserved communities. Our Tech Lab in India provides girls a bridge into employment opportunities in computer programming. But it is not simply a pipeline to a job in IT. Thanks to the developed curriculum through the C2C Tech Lab, students can consider a promising future in one of many career options.
The students usually start classes with little to no knowledge of computers. Their typing speed at the beginning is less than 30 words per minute. Using programs like Rapid Typing, the girls increase their speed to 120 words per minute in a matter of months. With such impressive typing speed and accuracy, girls have the possibility to work as a transcriber.
Walk into any Tech Lab and you will see standard desktop computers with an English keyboard. All the girls receive an education in English along with competency in typing in that language. However, to expand their skills, instructors like Ms. Trupti have students translate writing from English into Hindi or even Gujarati, the common language in Gujarat.
English typists are prevalent in India, but workers able to type in Hindi or local, regional languages are in high demand. The salary range for this position is anywhere from 15,000 rupees and up, a substantial income that can provide for a worker and their family. Because much of the legal work is done offline, there is a huge demand for typists able to write in the local language.
A sizable portion of the population in India has little to no computer literacy skills and they rely on people who run local computer shops to assist with these office duties. Girls in the Tech Lab can confidently scan, upload documents, print, and fill out forms online. With these skills under their belt, graduates of C2C can decide to buy or rent a shop and offer computer assistance to a large customer base.
Students in C2C are not only trained in operating a computer system, but they also can use software from Microsoft Office with ease. While an undergraduate curriculum does not teach a student Excel, we make it a requirement in C2C. Students at C2C are trained to procure certification in MSCIT, a popular IT literacy course in Maharashtra, and a prerequisite for candidates applying for government jobs.
Many outsiders might assume C2C offers an education in computer science and programming, but the truth is within the numerous steps of our curriculum, our girls receive opportunities to branch into a multitude of well-paying careers. For the girls at C2C, their futures are in their capable hands.