Talent Development Course

This is an ambitious course designed in pursuance of CCEK’s policy of Catch Them Young. It is specifically meant for helping our young minds equip themselves for braving challenges in today's competitive world. Even an informal study of the nature of such challenges would reveal that communication skills and general knowledge are the most formidable of these.

CCEK proposes to initiate a series of steps to impart relevant skills to bright, young minds. The Centre believes that only through a comprehensive, well-devised, protean course of action can this be accomplished.

‘Talent Development Course for High School Students’ is a three year programme designed in such a way that it will not hamper the student’s regular academic work.

Through modern instructional modules and techniques, which would include brainstorming and interactive sessions with experts, the selected students will get a real taste of holistic education.

While CCEK is fully aware of the limitations of such an ambitious programme, it stands firm in its resolve to nurture talent.

CCEK also proposes to organise contact classes for the enrolled even after they leave school to pursue higher studies.

Core Areas

• Public Speaking & Spoken English
• Writing Skills
• Grammar Skills
• General Knowledge

Faculty

The course will be handled by a team of  talented educators who have been in the field for many years. The following educators will head the various areas of learning:

• Grammar Skills/Writing Skills:

Dr. N. Gangadharan Nair, Academic Associate & Chief Course Co-ordinator, CCEK, formerly Reader in English, University College, and Head, Dept. of English, Govt. College for Women, Thiruvananthapuram

• Public Speaking/ Spoken English:

Prof. Babu Zachariah, formerly, Prof. of English, Mar Thoma College, Thiruvalla, and Principal, St. Thomas School, Mukkola.

 

• Behavioural Science:

Mrs. Asha Thomas Fenn, Course Co-ordinator, CCEK

 Guest Faculty

• Dr. Maya Dutt, Prof., Institute of English, Kerala University
• Dr. Abraham Joseph, Sr. Lecturer in English, Mar Ivanios College,
• Shri. K. Gopalakrishnan, Sr. Lecturer in English, University College,
• Dr. Thomas Kuruvilla, Sr. Lecturer in English, University College,
• Dr. K. Reghunathan Pillai, Sel. Gr. Lecturer in English, University College,
• Anupama Nair, Free-Lance Writer & English teacher.
• Shri. M. Nandakumar, Secretary, Kerala Khadi & Village Industries Board.

Eminent Personalities who will be invited to interact with the students:

• Dr. D. Babu Paul, IAS
• Shri. C.P. Nair, IAS
• Shri. T.N. Jayachandran, IAS
• Prof. B. Hridayakumari
• Prof. O.N.V.Kurup
• Prof. Vishnunarayanan Nampoothiri
• Dr. N.A. Karim
• Dr. A. Jameela Beegum

Timing

The course started on 11 April 2005. During the summer vacation, classes will be held three days a week. There will be two sessions a day, each of one and a half hour’s duration. From June onwards, classes will be held on Saturdays, Sundays and on selected public holidays.

Civil Service Academy

The Government of Kerala has issued orders for the establishment of a ‘Civil Service Academy’ in Thiruvananthapuram, to coach our young men and women for IAS and allied examinations. The Academy, which is to function under the aegis of CCEK, will be a state-of-the-art affair with Internet and video-conferencing facilities.

Employability Enhancement Programme

The primary objective of the Centre is to impart need based training to unemployed youth to increase their chances of employment in key sectors of our economy. A complementary one is to enhance the soft skills as well as the job-worthiness of the candidates, both technical and non- technical from the State of Kerala. The Centre has already initiated steps for accomplishing this in a phased and need-based manner.

For long, the potential workforce in the state has been reeling under the lack of functional exposure and requisite soft skills. This results in a low conversion rate of unemployed graduates and post graduates from Kerala at job interviews. The main reason for this is the lack of training in industry - specific soft skills in educational institutions and the general lack of communication skills among the Kerala youth. This necessitates a training programme that can enhance the competence of professional / arts / science-graduates/diploma holders and even under graduates in the job market. To achieve this, the Centre feels that there is an urgent need to introduce an Employability Enhancement Programme for jobs in sectors like information technology, banking, automobile, travel and tourism, finance, pharmaceutical, insurance and telecom, etc. The Centre proposes that these trainings are to be conducted through an institute having national standards. Since no such institutes are currently functioning in the state, the Centre proposes to establish a National Institute of Manpower Development & Training. The Centre also proposes to conduct job fairs in the three major cities of the state, viz., Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode.

Details of New Courses