Molding Next-Gen Leaders - Top B-School, Welingkar, Partners With TCS For Internships

WeSchool students work on projects that will impact society at the Digital Impact Square, in Nashik
Prin.L.N.Welingkar Institute of Management Research and Development (WeSchool) has partnered with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to provide students with the opportunity to work on live projects, during this summer.

In an on-going effort to groom its students better to enable them become future leaders, the reputed B-school has always maintained a good industry connect. Last year, Welingkar was awarded the prestigious 'AICTE - CII Best Industry linked Management Institute'.

Dr. Uday Salunkhe, Group Director, Welingkar Institute, says, "WeSchool has focused on an outcome driven approach in its strategy for industry-institute interaction. Only when there is an impact of this interface, will it sustain, and make a difference.”

Digital Impact Square, in Nashik, is a TCS innovation lab, where 40 innovators from all over India have come together to solve social problems. Welingkarites interning there are working on government projects which have socio-economic importance. The live projects undertaken by WeSchool students at the TCS Innovation Lab have diverse and interesting topics. Sagar Jadhav, a WeSchool student, is working on creating a transparent supply chain from farmer to market. Vighnesh Dalvi, a Healthcare Management student at WeSchool, is involved with a project to ensure zero loss of life due to lack of availability of blood. Aishwarya Nileshwar, a Business Design student at WeSchool, is working on real-time crime detection & prevention. “Our creativity gets boosted here under the company of designers, innovators & mentors. It’s indeed a great opportunity to be a part of social innovation and getting to innovate for billions of people,” informs Welingkarite, Asmita, whose team at TCS is working on ensuring equitable distribution of water.

The start-up culture promoted by the internship programme at the TCS innovation lab is helping the students learn the nuances of business while preparing them to become good leaders. Pavan Shetty, who is working on a live project that deals with reduction of non-revenue water, says, “It is more like having a start-up, without actually having to invest any money in it. The only investment here is our sincerity and hard work.”

The students credit Welingkar’s Global Citizen Leadership programme for preparing them for the journey. “The six-month project in Global Citizen Leadership programme had already set a base for us. Handling a start-up, feels like an extension of a GCL project,” remarks Poulami who started the company ‘Matritva’, which aims to prevent maternal mortality. Shraddha M Bagwe, a Food and Agriculture team intern at Digital Impact Square adds, “We are familiar with the concepts used and this has surely given us an edge.“

“The education provided at WeSchool is completely holistic in nature. The process that we followed in Global Citizen Leadership program, helped us to imbibe the knowledge and process of Agile Methodology and Design Thinking, which have been very helpful in our work here; enabling us to stick to the timelines and submit our deliverables,” shares Pragathi, whose start-up, Kavach, is working towards improving Institutional Delivery & Immunization in the Health domain.

“Since it’s an open innovation platform, it has also helped us to empathize with society with respect to problems faced by it. It has evoked a sense of responsibility in each of us in some way,” notes WeSchool student Rujuta Raut, who has been analysing the Nashik Transport ecosystem during her internship with TCS.

Through such industry collaboration, Welingkar is creating global leaders of tomorrow by broadening the students’perspectives and empowering them with crucial skills and knowledge. Yogita, whose project aims at training women from self-help groups, in important skills to ensure sustainability, says, “Thanks to WeSchool for putting us in the right mind set through activities like GCL. Not so long ago, the only thing I wanted was to be different and stand-out. Now, I don’t want to just stand-out… I also want to make a difference.”