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Scholarship Program - Ongoing Program
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FFE awards means and merit scholarships to students pursuing professional degrees in Engineering, Technology and Medicine. Bolstering students at a crucial stage of their life through financial assistance and mentoring, FFE's scholarship program enables students to complete their higher education and obtain jobs, thus breaking the cycle of poverty. From 2019-20 the scope of the scholarship program has been expanded to include Bachelor in Law and Bachelor in Pharmacy degrees
Eligibility:
The following eligibility criteria must be met to qualify for the merit cum means scholarship:
• Academic excellence (The applicants should have scored not less than 70% marks at the qualifying examination which is 12th Grade and should have secured good rank in the entrance exam for entry into professional courses [State /National Level]).
• The rank limits are based on the seat intake capacities of the various states as authorized by the All India Council for Technical Education for engineering/technology (BE/ B Tech) degrees and by the Medical Council of India for medical (MBBS) degrees. FFE considers NEET and state entrance exams for BPharm, and CLAT and state exam results for LLB.
• Financial need (family income less than Rs. 3.0 lakh/annum).
Scholarship Amount:
• The scholarship amount is Rs. 40,000/year for Engineering (total Rs. 1.60 Lakh over 4 years) and Medicine (total Rs. 2.0 Lakh over 5 years).
• FFE also launched 2 new scholarships in FY 2019-20, awarding scholarships to students pursuing law LLB and BPharm degrees in India.
Project Rationale/Need:
Poverty and education are interlinked; India has 53.3 million people living in extreme poverty, which makes up 4% of the population. Poverty denies access to education, thereby pushing the family into a state of deeper poverty for generations. Gross Enrollment Ratio* for higher education in India moved to 27.1 % in 2019-20 from 25.8 % in 2017-18 (as per AISHE, 2019-20). This, however, means only 27 in 100 students go for higher studies. In most cases, this is due to the economic condition of the family.
India has the largest population of young people in the world- around 600 million below the age of 25. Within this group are a large number of youth with high potential who are excluded from education, employment or training while many are employed in the informal sector as agricultural laborers or as daily wage earners. As the youth population swells and the graduation rate in elementary and secondary levels increases, there is an increased demand for access to tertiary education in India. Quality education and access is one of the biggest challenges that India’s youth face today; poverty and its associated burden often prevents access to education at all levels and in many cases, lack of education can trap families in the cycle of poverty.
Many students, though academically brilliant, do not get the opportunity to leverage their inherent intelligence and reach their full potential. For the few whose families encourage them to pursue higher education, the prohibitive cost becomes unsustainable. These families do not possess the financial wherewithal to sustain the cost of higher education. In the absence of formal sources of support (most of them belong to the unorganized sector and are unable to get loans from banks), these families have no option but to turn to unscrupulous moneylenders for monetary support. Exorbitant rates of interest coupled with principal means the family is caught in the vicious cycle of debt. Sustaining the education of their children for 4 to 5 years becomes cost prohibitive and education becomes the first casualty. The impact of lack of higher education is felt not only by the scholar but also by his /her immediate family.
• A brilliant and talented student, relegated to taking up jobs that require basic skill sets is a waste of human capital. Despite their huge potential, the talent of such students largely remains unutilized leading to unfulfilled dreams and related frustration.
• These students may be relegated to jobs that require basic skills. Future earning capacity is also severely limited due to their limited educational qualifications.
• A talented individual is thus caught in the same vicious cycle of poverty with all its negative impacts. The lack of education in a generation severely affects the future of the family. With limited avenues for their upliftment, these students and their families continue to be trapped in a vicious financial vortex.
• The nation loses valuable human resources that can contribute significantly to its development.
Project Goals and Objectives:
The project seeks to transform the lives of academically gifted and financially needy students by supporting them through their professional degree education by awarding scholarships. Currently, many students abandon such dreams as the current financial restraints faced by many families curtail such ambitions. By awarding merit-cum -means scholarships, students can stay focused on the demands of an all-round professional education with a goal to excel, without additional financial burden.
Process:
Students apply to FFE’s scholarship program through an online application form. Once student eligibility is determined, students are connected to one of FFE’s distributed network of volunteer “Facilitators” in 27 states. Facilitators meet the prospective student or their family members to determine the genuineness of need and financial hardship. After verification of family background and academic credentials, students submit the application form online along with all supporting documents. Prospective scholars are also identified directly by FFE’s network of Facilitators. They help students complete the application form, conduct verification home visits and validate academic credentials. The facilitator may also serve the role of mentor who channels the meritorious student to a promising future. Currently, FFE has an established and distributed network of ~500 facilitators; each facilitator is responsible for the stewardship of their student(s) through the course of education. FFE’ scholarship program is based on a reimbursement model as students have already incurred expenses when they first apply for a scholarship (1st semester of College). FFE does not discriminate on the basis of caste, creed, gender or religion.
The Impact of the scholarship program is multifold:
• Transformation in the lives of the scholar and his immediate family: The scholarship program helps the FFE scholar to take up a career in well-paying corporates. In the span of one generation, an entire family moves from a lower middle class strata to a middle class strata. The other children in the family also get an opportunity to obtain and reap the benefits of higher education
• The FFE Scholars act as ‘Change Agents’ and ‘Role Models’ in the community that they are part of by guiding and motivating others to aspire for a better life. As alumni, they also become mentors for other FFE scholars.
• ‘Self- Sustainability’ - Every FFE Scholar undertakes a pledge to support at least 02 scholars in their lifetime through a contribution to the Foundation, continuing the “Circle of Giving” and making FFE a self-sustaining organization, a model unique to FFE. FFE’s alumni have contributed financially (Rs. 1.15 Crores in FY 2020-21 alone), connected FFE to the CSR of the corporates that employ them, who in turn have sponsored several scholars, mentor FFE scholars and volunteer their time for FFE!
Quantitative impact of the project is assessed by the number of students successfully completing their education and getting employed.
Beyond Financial Assistance :
FFE is committed to helping FFE scholars achieve his/her full potential and a transformation of their lives through employment. In partnership with the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation (MSDF) and Capgemini India, FFE now offers all its Engineering scholars a curated series of soft skills and technical skills training program, from Year 2-4 of Engineering, designed towards job and career readiness.
FFE offers an In House Mentoring Program, for Year 3 Engineering students, designed and geared towards career readiness. Mentors include industry experts paired to FFE mentees for an 8-10 month mentorship, with a defined curriculum framework that facilitates remote as well as In-person mentoring. Corporate employee engagement through mentoring has been gaining momentum and is a rewarding way to help FFE scholars augment their employability skills.
All Donations to the Foundation are exempt from IT Tax under Section 80G of IT Act, 1961 (India) and enjoy tax exemptions in the US.
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1. Providing assistance to the academically talented but economically underprivileged students and helping them pursue higher education in Engineering, Medicine, Law and Pharmacy.
2. Equipping students with skills necessary to make them more employable.
3. Providing assistance to students with respect to their career as well as their overall personality through Mentors from the corporate world.
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FFE in its 30 year existence has disbursed more than 100000 scholarships to over 38000 scholars from 28 states for an amount exceeding INR 400 crores.
FFE ended FY 2023-24, awarding scholarships to 4500+ first time scholars and to 12000+ renewal students. In total, more than 16000 students were awarded scholarships totaling Rs. 78 Crores during FY 2023-24 alone.
About 80% of students who graduate enter the work force as Engineers in corporate, the majority of them through campus recruitment programs in their respective colleges. An additional 15% of students pursue higher studies (MTech, etc.), entrepreneurship options and others prepare for the Civil Services exams. This makes FFE‘s scholarship program combined with Skills Training and Mentoring very successful, with 95% of students attaining or pursuing their goals successfully. About 5% of students however may need re-skilling to find optimal positions suited to their skill level.
FFE has a network of over 800 volunteer “facilitators” distributed throughout India who identify potential awardees, verify the genuineness of their need, and act as mentors once the scholarship is awarded. This ensures that only genuinely deserving students are awarded scholarships. Scholarships have been awarded to students in 27 states of India.
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1. Project seeks to transform the lives of academically gifted and financially needy students by supporting them through their professional education by awarding scholarships
2. Increasing the probability of FFE scholars getting well paid jobs/ livelihood by providing them the necessary support for placement/ starting their own business, FFE offers all its Engineering scholars a curated series of soft skills and technical skills training program, from Year 2-4 of Engineering, designed towards job and career readiness.
3. Improving the confidence of the scholars and augment their employability skills, FFE offers its students with In House Mentoring Program.
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FFE Mentorship Program
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Mentoring Program Overview:
FFE’S mentorship program is conducted remotely through an in-house technology platform facilitated by a video interface. This unique feature ensures that the program is not restricted to the locations of both the mentors and mentees. Participating students are matched with mentors based on their, language, gender, shared interests and course of study. The curriculum guides the mentoring session and provides the framework for
mentorship. During the mentoring sessions, mentors will share their insights and experiences with the students and mentor them on soft skills using the curriculum provided by FFE. It is expected that the mentoring program will address and close the skill gap faced by students, to help them not just gain internships and employment but also equip them with suitable interpersonal and self management skills to improve overall performance.
The structured mentoring program contains 6 topics out of which any 4 topics can be taken up during the mentoring process as per the need of the Mentee.
Time commitment: Up to 1.5 hours/session; 2 sessions per month
MENTORING PROCESS:
Mentee Onboarding: FFE scholars interested in participating as a mentee complete a mentee engagement form. The information collected will help shortlist interested candidates based on their mentoring needs, commitment, computer and internet access.
Mentor Onboarding: FFE is reaching out to corporates/ corporate partners to implement this program. Employees interested in volunteering their time and participating in the mentoring program may register with FFE using the “Mentor Engagement Form”. The information collected will help select mentors based on their experience, availability and interest.
Mentor Orientation: Mentor Orientation will be conducted either in-person or on the Mentor Platform to help mentors become aware of:
• Objectives of FFE’s Mentoring Program
• Familiarizing Mentors with the Platform and how to access curriculum
• Familiarizing Mentors with typical FFE scholars and their backgrounds
• Mentor Roles and Qualities
• Importance of trust and confidentiality between mentor and mentee
• Importance of positive communication by mentor with/ about mentee
This training will incorporate activities and scenario based role-plays
Mentor Matching: Matching will be done based on Location, Gender, Branch of Study and Language to match a mentor with mentee
Mentoring Meetings: The structured mentoring curriculum will be shared with mentors and access will be provided to further stages of curriculum based on actual progress. The mentor and mentee will be allowed to upload documents, photos and short videos into the platform for their own use. They will also submit meeting logs after every meeting on the Mentoring Platform.
The mentor and mentee will interact at least twice monthly for a period of 4-6 months. Meetings may be in-person or facilitated by skype/ phone (in case of scheduling / transport issues). The in-person meetings may be held at the corporate offices or at a common and convenient location.
Ongoing Tracking and Monitoring: The mentoring platform will track regular interactions between mentors and mentees.
• Mentor - mentee pairs have access to a common calendar that will facilitate scheduling of meetings.
• Both mentor and mentee will be able to provide meeting/mentoring feedback at the end of every session.
• FFE will follow up with scholars and mentors who have been unable to interact regularly.
MEASUREMENT OF PROGRESS
• Mentees will undertake baseline assessment test at the beginning of the program.
• Mentee will also submit a self-assessment note on the skills required.
• A qualitative feedback is collected from the mentor and mentee to assess the impact of the program. The outcomes of the Mentoring Program are qualitative.
IMPACT OF THE PROGRAM
The FFE Mentorship Program has identified mentoring needs for FFE Engineering scholars and is ensuring they are matched with the right mentors.
FFE scholars currently attend more than 300 Engineering colleges across India. The Mentoring Platform allows students in distant locations to derive the benefits of being matched to a mentor through remote access, especially in cases where no local Engineering industries exist. Mentoring is a two-way process with both the mentor and mentee benefitting from the association.
Benefits for the Mentee:
Mentoring, when done effectively, benefits the Mentees in multiple ways which include:
● Improved self-esteem and self-efficacy.
● Improved soft skills.
● Increased knowledge of academics and career choices.
● Improved social network.
● Gain practical advice, encouragement and support.
● Greater preparedness for career opportunities and ability to secure jobs
Benefits for the Mentor:
Mentors engaged in FFE’s program have expressed:
● Their lives being enriched through their interaction with mentees.
● A personal sense of satisfaction from knowing that they have helped someone.
● The ability to enable the mentee towards achieving his/her career goals.
● A sense of accomplishment by putting their skills and experience to good use.
● Engaging in a volunteering opportunity, valued by employers.
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The objective of the Mentoring Program is to enhance the employability of FFE scholars. The FFE mentoring program has been specially developed for FFE Engineering scholars to help them acquire essential career-relevant skills that are necessary for building a foundation for a good career. This program enables FFE scholars to interact in one-on-one sessions with experienced individual mentors - Engineers, Scientists and Technologists. Along with an in-house curriculum curated specially for the program, mentors also bring in their own experiences to enrich the mentorship. By inspiring and guiding FFE’s scholars, both mentees and mentors’ lives are expected to be enriched through this partnership.
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1. Improve confidence and skills of students and provide them with necessary skills to succeed in placements
2. Skills to deal with career related matters
3. Improvement in communication and other essential skills
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FFE Skill Development Program
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FFE is committed to supporting its scholars in ways that go beyond just providing financial assistance. It is our endeavor to ensure that our students are not just able to afford quality education but also cross the threshold of student life, as confident and self-assured individuals, and are able to transition from “Campus to Corporate” smoothly.
Beyond Scholarship Program at Foundation for Excellence is an ‘Application Based Remote Training Program’ aimed towards the end goal of employability of all scholars and enabling them to maximize their potential. Supported by a grant from the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation (MSDF), the Skills Program was designed to ensure that every FFE scholar pursuing Engineering degree has an opportunity to acquire the necessary skills (soft skills and other employability skills) to prepare them to face new challenges as they seek employment, enter the civil services, seek entrepreneurship opportunities or pursue higher education. As of now, we have 3206 students being trained under this program.
PROGRAM DETAILS:
• At the end of 1st year, students will have a Baseline test to assess their skills in Quantitative Reasoning, Logical Analysis, English Comprehension, and Spoken English.
• Based on their scores, they will undergo English training or Aptitude training or both.
Both English and Aptitude training are App-based training programs, and progress and performance are recorded on a weekly basis. This is a 6-month course each, with test, activities and module-wise learning.
• Post Training (at the end of the 2nd year) a Midline test will be given for these students to see how they have improved.
• In the 3rd year, based on the Midline scores, students will do IT Reskilling courses (if they have shown progress in Midline) or High Touch English program, a telephonic training (if they still need to improve in spoken English and Comprehension).
The IT Reskilling programs are conducted by our partner Coursera and they include a variety of specialisations like
• Python for Everybody
• Data Structures and Algorithms
• CAD & Digital Manufacturing
• Machine Learning on Google Cloud Platform
• Advance Data Science with IBM
• IOT
• IBM Data Science Professional Certificate
• Cisco Networking Basics
• In the final year, before placements, scholars are provided the Endline test and Mock Interviews (2 technical rounds and 1 HR round) for better opportunities
In continuation with MSDF, FFE is now partnering with Capgemini to drive the Skills program for the new Cohort of FFE Scholars inducted in FY 2019-20.
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1. Develop necessary skills to succeed in campus placements
2. Up skill with the help of aspirational programs
3. Effectively communicate and succeed in placements and career
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1. Become placement ready in the fourth year in time for campus placements
2. Become Career ready by the end of the 4/5 year course programme through various skills enhancement initiatives
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