After three intensive yet highly insightful days in Bangalore, the Focus India delegation now enjoys the Easter-Weekend. Read more about the delegation’s experiences and newly acquired insights.
Being the employer of choice for young graduates is our main sponsor Accenture’s aim. The Focus India delegation went to visit Accenture at their campus in Bangalore on 22 March 2016 and got the opportunity to find out more about the company’s hiring landscape. Accenture is a leading global professional services company with a workforce of around 140’000 employees in India. As the whole technology industry is very agile and fast-changing, the ability to adapt and cope with change is of high importance. On top of that, the majority of students know little about how technology can work in business. Therefore, Accenture looks for graduates with a high motivation and passion to learn to train them in specific technologies needed by the clients.
India is an IT and engineering hub with around 1.5 million graduates every year. In 2015 alone, Accenture received over 55’000 applications, leading to 19’500 hirings. The vital campus recruitment activities of Accenture include co-operations with 90 exclusive partner universities all over India. The universities are chosen by recommendations, analytics about the progress of the hired students as well as the cut-off rates in admission and closure. Each school is overseen by an Accenture Senior Manager who organizes events with alumni to talk about career opportunities, expectations and business in general.
To reach out to the graduates, Accenture extensively uses social media channels, but also run events at the campuses to attract potential new employees. Again, the use of state-of-the-art methods and technologies is crucial, not least because Accenture at times needs to hire new engineers for which technologies do not exist yet. This challenging landscape appears to be particularly attractive to the employees, a fact highlighted by the very low attrition rate of only around 10%.
Accenture offers its employees very solid in-house training on the job as well as opportunities for mobility. The Accenture Technology Academy works together with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to teach domain skills and the employees can also profit from global career programmes where they get a chance to work overseas.
Overall, Accenture offers excellent opportunities to work with many clients and to gain insights into best practices of other companies’ cultures. For one or another reason, managers of different companies may act or react differently. All of this requires a high quality workforce, with a mindset to withstand the challenge of having to learn things that may actually earn them no money at all.
[images picture_size=»auto» hover_type=»liftup» autoplay=»yes» columns=»3″ column_spacing=»13″ scroll_items=»» show_nav=»yes» mouse_scroll=»no» border=»yes» lightbox=»yes» class=»» id=»»][image link=»» linktarget=»_self» image=»http://focusindia.ch/wp-content/uploads2012/2016/03/accenture-on-site-focus-india-5.jpg» alt=»accenture on-site focus india»][image link=»» linktarget=»_self» image=»http://focusindia.ch/wp-content/uploads2012/2016/03/accenture-on-site-focus-india-2.jpg» alt=»accenture on-site focus india»][image link=»» linktarget=»_self» image=»http://focusindia.ch/wp-content/uploads2012/2016/03/accenture-on-site-focus-india-4.jpg» alt=»accenture on-site focus india»][image link=»» linktarget=»_self» image=»http://focusindia.ch/wp-content/uploads2012/2016/03/accenture-on-site-focus-india-3.jpg» alt=»accenture on-site focus india»][image link=»» linktarget=»_self» image=»http://focusindia.ch/wp-content/uploads2012/2016/03/accenture-on-site-focus-india-1.jpg» alt=»accenture on-site focus india»][image link=»» linktarget=»_self» image=»http://focusindia.ch/wp-content/uploads2012/2016/03/accenture-on-site-focus-india.jpg» alt=»accenture on-site focus india»][/images][separator style_type=»single» top_margin=»30px» bottom_margin=»» sep_color=»#ffffff» border_size=»» icon=»» icon_circle=»» icon_circle_color=»» width=»» alignment=»center» class=»» id=»»][title size=»3″ content_align=»left» style_type=»default» sep_color=»» margin_top=»» margin_bottom=»» class=»» id=»»]Company visit: Swiss Re[/title][separator style_type=»single» top_margin=»15px» bottom_margin=»» sep_color=»#ffffff» border_size=»» icon=»» icon_circle=»» icon_circle_color=»» width=»» alignment=»center» class=»» id=»»]
It was an honour to meet Swiss Re in Bangalore and a great pleasure to have shared important mutual insights. We not only had insights into the company’s activities, markets and internal processes we also learnt their methods of human resource management, talent acquisition and innovation management. Swiss Re Bangalore amazed us with their unique company culture, their vision to become a centre of excellence and their strong belief into personal leadership. Their employee support in terms of career growth and development, provided on every level of the organization, clearly shows the efforts put into the well being of the personnel.
The strategic importance of attracting, gaining and ultimately retaining talent is of significant relevance and might ultimately lead to a competitive advantage. Never before were personal employee ambitions, aspirations and expectations that important towards employment as in the 21st century where technologies have the potential to disrupt whole industries. For example Swiss Re is faced with the question whether moto-insurances will still be needed in an era of autonomous cars. Therefore, innovation and out-of-the box thinking have not only become important but even crucial to ensure future company success and overall performance.
The competition of talent therefore increases the complexity that many employers face. That is why management needs to be sensitised and, in particular, designed strategies put in place. This is especially important for Swiss Re in Bangalore, where the average age of an employee is only 31 years. This generation gap is especially challenging because the workforce in other Swiss Re locations is much higher which sometimes makes the in-company collaboration more difficult.
Holding a presentation on Generation Y, Petra Thoma and Martin Keppler emphasised to a mixed audience, including our delegates and Swiss Re, the importance that employee career opportunities, flexibility and self-actualization –to name a few– do constitute in this regard. The briefing was conducted in an interactive and engaging session. The very open and collaborative atmosphere allowed a mutual exchange of experiences, opinions and ideas on how to address this trend.
The hands-on presentation created mutual shared value for Focus India 2016 delegates and Swiss Re management. All in all, the visit constituted an ideal example of university-industry collaboration, the success of which created mutual learning and also resulted as a great incubator for networking.
[images picture_size=»auto» hover_type=»liftup» autoplay=»yes» columns=»3″ column_spacing=»13″ scroll_items=»» show_nav=»yes» mouse_scroll=»no» border=»yes» lightbox=»yes» class=»» id=»»][image link=»» linktarget=»_self» image=»http://focusindia.ch/wp-content/uploads2012/2016/03/swissre-on-site-focus-india-4.jpg» alt=»swissre on-site focus india»][image link=»» linktarget=»_self» image=»http://focusindia.ch/wp-content/uploads2012/2016/03/swissre-on-site-focus-india-2.jpg» alt=»swissre on-site focus india»][image link=»» linktarget=»_self» image=»http://focusindia.ch/wp-content/uploads2012/2016/03/swissre-on-site-focus-india.jpg» alt=»swissre on-site focus india»][image link=»» linktarget=»_self» image=»http://focusindia.ch/wp-content/uploads2012/2016/03/swissre-on-site-focus-india-1.jpg» alt=»swissre on-site focus india»][image link=»» linktarget=»_self» image=»http://focusindia.ch/wp-content/uploads2012/2016/03/swissre-on-site-focus-india-5.jpg» alt=»swissre on-site focus india»][/images][separator style_type=»single» top_margin=»30px» bottom_margin=»» sep_color=»#ffffff» border_size=»» icon=»» icon_circle=»» icon_circle_color=»» width=»» alignment=»center» class=»» id=»»][title size=»3″ content_align=»left» style_type=»default» sep_color=»» margin_top=»» margin_bottom=»» class=»» id=»»]Company visit: Workbench Project / Swissnex[/title][separator style_type=»single» top_margin=»15px» bottom_margin=»» sep_color=»#ffffff» border_size=»» icon=»» icon_circle=»» icon_circle_color=»» width=»» alignment=»center» class=»» id=»»]
On Tuesday afternoon, the Focus India Delegation visited Workbench Project, which is an organization located underneath a Metro Station in the midst of Bangalore. This organization works closely together with Swissnex, where initially our visit was planned.
Swissnex is financed by the Swiss government and has nodes in the United States, Brazil, China and India. Its ultimate goal is to strengthen Switzerland’s leadership in education, entrepreneurship as well as innovation. Thereby, the organization acts as the information hub in the development of the science, technology and education landscape in India and Switzerland. Swissnexs’ primary stakeholders are all educational and research institutions in Switzerland on university level, whereby ETH, University of Zürich and ZHAW belong to the key supporters. The core values are to connect people with innovative ideas, facilitate knowledge exchange through promotion of outstanding Swiss universities and provide reports about developments in science, innovation and technology. In total, 16 people (of which 3-4 interns) work for Swissnex in Bangalore and the team changes every 6 months. Its office is located right in the heart of the city.
Workbench Project, which is led by people from such diverse areas as mechanical engineering and arts, is a space for executing ideas. It started off with a carpentry workshop for people with “crazy” ideas. Everybody was invited to join and the event was held in a garage. Nowadays, freelancers and/or people with innovative ideas that lack the working space or the machines at home can join Workbench Project as a member. For a small fee, subscribers can use all the machines (e.g. 3D printer, laser machine etc.) and support from the project leaders. Recently, they have conducted a robotics workshop in collaboration with Swissnex and further joint events are held throughout the year. The project is financed not only through the membership fees, but also through active research and proposals which the project writes on behalf of big international corporations such as Intel.
The Focus India delegation enjoyed the interesting and very interactive afternoon session at Workbench Project and Swissnex, which was followed by a delicious snack and an ice cold drink in the backyard.
[images picture_size=»auto» hover_type=»liftup» autoplay=»yes» columns=»3″ column_spacing=»13″ scroll_items=»» show_nav=»yes» mouse_scroll=»no» border=»yes» lightbox=»yes» class=»» id=»»][image link=»» linktarget=»_self» image=»http://focusindia.ch/wp-content/uploads2012/2016/03/swissnex-workbench-on-site-focus-india-2.jpg» alt=»swissnex workbench on-site focus india»][image link=»» linktarget=»_self» image=»http://focusindia.ch/wp-content/uploads2012/2016/03/swissnex-workbench-on-site-focus-india-5.jpg» alt=»swissnex workbench on-site focus india»][image link=»» linktarget=»_self» image=»http://focusindia.ch/wp-content/uploads2012/2016/03/swissnex-workbench-on-site-focus-india-4.jpg» alt=»swissnex workbench on-site focus india»][image link=»» linktarget=»_self» image=»http://focusindia.ch/wp-content/uploads2012/2016/03/swissnex-workbench-on-site-focus-india.jpg» alt=»swissnex workbench on-site focus india»][image link=»» linktarget=»_self» image=»http://focusindia.ch/wp-content/uploads2012/2016/03/swissnex-workbench-on-site-focus-india-3.jpg» alt=»swissnex workbench on-site focus india»][/images][separator style_type=»single» top_margin=»30px» bottom_margin=»» sep_color=»#ffffff» border_size=»» icon=»» icon_circle=»» icon_circle_color=»» width=»» alignment=»center» class=»» id=»»][title size=»3″ content_align=»left» style_type=»default» sep_color=»» margin_top=»» margin_bottom=»» class=»» id=»»]Company visit: Saahas Zero Waste Solutions[/title][separator style_type=»single» top_margin=»15px» bottom_margin=»» sep_color=»#ffffff» border_size=»» icon=»» icon_circle=»» icon_circle_color=»» width=»» alignment=»center» class=»» id=»»]
Saahas – «zero waste» solutions – is a company that deals with recycling of waste. Bengaluru generates about 4000 tonnes of solid waste per day of which 25% is being recycled. Saahas receives about 1 tonne of waste each day that it sorts into organic and drywaste.
The organic waste is recycled and used for the production of biogas and compost. In this process, the organic material is crushed through an organic waste converter machine with the purpose of minimizing the volume. Then, the material is stacked on top of pipes, which bring air into the material to speed up the zymotic process. After 30 days the compost is nearly finished. Before being sold it will be crushed one more time. The entire production of compost results in a strong smell.
The dry waste is sorted by hand in various categories, such as white and coloured paper, different types of plastic, aluminium and carton. The delegates found it surprising that mainly women are working in this field. It is hard work as the waste is delivered in heavy bags and carried by hand into the building. They work about 8 hours per day with an included lunch and get paid more than the minimum wage. Saahas would like to establish a basic wage and give benefits for great achievements. Though there is little perspective for the workers to find better jobs.
80-90% of the waste in India is recycled. In a global comparison this number is extremely high. Particularly in India plastic waste is a big problem as some sorts of plastic are not recyclable. There has been a trend in the last years that many Indian shops give “cotton-like” bags to their costumers. But these “Chinese jute” bags, as the Indian people call them, are made of 100% plastic and are not recyclable. Jute bags would be an eco-friendly solution as they have the same properties except for the repulsion of water. Worldwide people are still searching for methods for recycling plastic. However no functional solution has been found yet.
Waste comes with many negative things especially when it is thrown in the ocean or forest. In India the poorest people do not have the resources to dispose their waste properly. However there is much less food waste as in the western world. Saahas tries to act eco-friendly wherever possible. As an example they buy used bags for 25 rupees each and re-use them for 6-7 months before disposing them properly. It is of great importance to address the topic of waste problem. Only with awareness, we can make a difference!
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The next post about our visit in Pune will be published next week. We wish you a happy Easter!