CREATING A BRIGHTER FUTURE TOGETHER

Siemens Ltd is committed to helping students in India reach their full potential through its Siemens Scholarship Program, which is an excellent example of how education and industry can work together to create a bright future for students and a stronger economy for the country.

Siemens has been reshaping communities throughout India through Corporate Citizenship initiatives that focus on three pillars: access to technology, access to education, and sustaining communities. Siemens Scholarship Program (SSP) is one of the flagship education projects that provides economically disadvantaged communities with access to quality education.

SSP: A unique program

Siemens Scholarship Program is a corporate citizenship flagship project of Siemens Ltd. Sunil Mathur, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Siemens Ltd, elaborated, “It is a unique program with a 4-year Holistic Development Plan to foster young talent. It’s based on the German dual education system and aims to make youth industry-ready engineers, enabling them to start a sustainable career in engineering, R&D, or the Manufacturing industry. The program was started in the year 2013 with 20 students as a pilot and has recently completed 10 years. The program offers four-year scholarships to meritorious engineering students from economically disadvantaged families.”

Helping graduates overcome barriers

The program is intended for enthusiastic and determined first-year engineering students at a government college who are committed to success through hard work, dedication, and perseverance. Employees provide support throughout the entire project cycle. A PAN India program, SSP offers them the right support to achieve both their personal and professional goals.

Under the program, Siemens provides financial assistance to deserving, meritorious students who are unable to afford their educational expenses. “The program aims to tackle the challenges faced by engineering graduates when it comes to employability. SSP tries to address this issue through the German Dual Education model that combines the advantages of on-the-job training
and education,” Mathur said. “It supports young people to transition from academia to industries and guarantees industries a skilled workforce to strengthen the economy.”

Stating that Siemens offers students full scholarships covering the college fees and educational allowances for books, stationery, etc., he added, “Students are provided with internships, training on mechatronics, soft skills, projects, and mentorships throughout the four years of engineering to make them truly industry-ready.” Furthermore, SSP focuses on technical and functional skills, facilitating the transition of scholars from learning to industry readiness and employability by responding to the skills needed by industries.

The impact so far

Siemens Scholars who have graduated from the program have been placed in leading companies in various sectors such as engineering, banking and finance, IT services, infrastructure, automotive, and consumer goods, as well as in Siemens. “To date, over 1,300 students from 125 government engineering colleges across 27 states in India have been part of the Siemens Scholarship Program,” pointed out Mathur. “The program is aimed at creating a pool of first-class, industry-ready engineers and addressing the individual, social, and economic dimensions students face. The program also focuses on increasing its footprint and empowering the skilled workforce.”

The internships are at Siemens and other multinational companies, and the yearly scholarship is subject to students clearing all subjects. “SSP scholars get to go through internships and mechatronics training under the SITRAIN India team, which makes them get a certification from Siemens Berlin,” he shared. “They are groomed on soft skills and functional skills throughout and are supported on campus placement preparation such as personal interviews, group discussions, aptitude tests, resumes, etc. in their 7th semester.” Out of the total number of students who enroll in the program, fifty percent are young women, and 50 percent of the scholarships are reserved for girls. All these programs give SSP Scholars an edge over their classmates due to additional industry experience and knowledge, such as mechatronics, which helps the students in their placements. “Our scholars are placed in various well-known companies, such as MNCs, Public Sector Companies, and Indian companies too. To name a few, we have L&T, TCS, Amazon, Accenture, IOC, and Bharat Petroleum,” he shared. “Few do higher education at IIT Bombay, IIM Ranchi and Shillong, RWTH Aachen University, Germany, etc. They have turned out to be role models in their communities and colleges, motivating many towards taking up engineering as a career and enhancing their living conditions for their families.”

Success stories

Sharing her experience, Namrata Gupta, SSP-2017, PGDIE Student, National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE), said, “The scholarship program not only provided me with financial support during my undergrad years but also helped me develop my technical and interpersonal skills. The internship project and SSP’s soft skills program helped me stand out among my peers, get shortlisted for better companies, and land a summer internship at one of the best FMCG firms.”

Tanay Atpadkar, an SSP-2019 alumnus who currently serves as a Grade A1 Officer at one of India’s largest Oil PSUs, shared that interacting with individuals from across the country and belonging to a community of like-minded people was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The program began during Tanay's first year of Mechanical Engineering and continued for the entire four-year period, incorporating exceptional features such as mechatronics workshops, internships, and training sessions. “The trainers doubled as mentors with whom the scholars could discuss their concerns, and their extra effort to prepare us for our professional careers was noteworthy. SSP is truly a comprehensive program that fosters holistic development,” he added.

In a similar vein, Dineshprabhu Jagadeeshwaran, SSP-2022, who started his own startup venture, commented, “Siemens Scholarship Program guided me towards my career path, equipping me with valuable lessons that enabled me to achieve financial independence. Thanks to SSP, I have gained extensive technical expertise, experienced professional growth, and developed my behavioral skills, among numerous other benefits.”

Mukesh Radkar, SSP-2018, Assistant Manager at a premium PSU, shared, “Through SSP, I have experienced remarkable economic growth, going from a situation where I struggled to pay my fees to one where I am now able to fund my sister’s postgraduate education. In addition, my technical skills have flourished, transforming me from a student who struggled with PLC programming to a manager who can confidently handle refinery automation and procurement tasks independently. This is a testament to SSP’s distinctive focus on the comprehensive development of its scholars,” he added.

Sovan Tudu Senior Sub-editor Magic Wand Media Inc Sovan.tudu@magicwandmedia.in

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