Aptech Workshops for the underprivileged in Technology & Art

Company Brief

New Delhi, April 30, 2008

Aptech Limited, the Global leader in training solutions, has been very active in conducting workshops among underprivileged and differently abled children. Recently, Aptech concluded workshops in Graphic Designing for deaf & dumb children, Sketching and Cartooning for underprivileged children in the capital. The workshops were carried out by artists from Mauritius, Seychelles, Costa Rica and Philippines, under the aegis of Aptech.

The recent workshops were conducted in association with non-profit making organizations like Hope Foundation, Swati and Lepra India Trust.

Says Mr. Pramod Khera, CEO & MD of Aptech Ltd., "A nation's progress depends upon the progress and growth of the entire populace. So, it has been our constant endeavor at Aptech to empower children of the vulnerable section of the society in whatever ways we can so that we can help them bring at par with the rest of the society. We have been organizing several IT and non-IT training sessions for these children from time to time so as to show them the various career options that lie ahead of them."

"A graphic designing or sketching & cartooning workshop is aimed at bringing out the latent talent in these children whose creativity and talent gets lost in the mundane activities of everyday life. Facilitating them realize the subdued potential would help them find a new and better perspective in life," adds Mr. Khera.

The graphic designing workshop conducted by Marie Corine Maryoone and Bernard Harry Andre of Mauritius was specially designed for deaf & dumb children. These children showed great enthusiasm and took seriously the tips offered by the experts to use technology as their medium of expression. Elisa Giacomin Valencia from Costa Rica and Marygold Cherie Garrido from Philippines were warmly welcomed by the underprivileged children of Tigri village area who learnt pencil sketching with utmost zeal. Similarly, the cartooning workshop by Alma Dodin from Seychelles was very well attended and appreciated by the underprivileged street children of Kanak Durga Basti in RK Puram who showed impressive talent in drawing caricatures and cartoons.

The artists conducting the workshops were very impressed by the talent displayed by these children and deeply felt that such activities would definitely help them achieve success in life.

Aptech as a Socially Responsible Organisation:

Following the initiative of the National IT Taskforce that every Indian becomes computer literate, Aptech launched several initiatives to lead the drive for complete computer literacy.

Aptech's Corporate Citizenship Activity:

²Project Saraswati - step towards complete IT literacy, Aptech's endeavor to provide IT education to underprivileged students throughout the country.

²Aptech tied-up with Rotary Club of Greater NOIDA to extend Project Saraswati to the students of Chetram Sharma Girls Inter College at Village Chalera, NOIDA.

²Tie-up with leading Barrackpore based NGO, Udayan, a home for the children of Leprosy patients. Aptech Limited's brands, Aptech Computer Education and Arena provided free IT and multimedia education to the children.

²Tie-up with Coimbatore-based NGO, Isha Foundation, to participate in its Rural Rejuvenation Project. Aptech provided free IT training and courseware to students from villages in and around Gobichettipalayam where Isha Foundation is present.

²Project Srishti - Arena's endeavor to further spread multimedia education throughout the country. Trained over 1000 students for free.

²Trained over 5,50,000 students on the Multi-lingual basic IT literacy course "Vidya"

²Other significant endeavors - donating complete computer lab at Apsingha, Pune; supported 25 Balwadis in developing low cost innovative technology models for technology training

²Aptech has worked with NGOs associated with CRY viz. Swati, Ashray, Kislay & Anchal to provide free IT literacy to children from these NGOs

²Tie-up with leading Mumbai-based NGO, DEEDS (Development, Education, Empowerment of the Disadvantaged in Society), to provide free IT training to its students. DEEDS endeavors to 'turn disabilities into abilities' and is synonymous with the Deaf in society. Aptech, as part of its continuing societally conscious initiatives, will provide free IT training and courseware to DEEDS students in the first phase of its tie-up with the NGO.

²Working with CII - Shiksha. Trained students from CII -Shiksha's affiliate NGO Butterflies.

²Personality Development programmes and Cartooning & Graphics workshops for children associated with NGOs - Swati, Hope Foundation & Hope Kolkata Foundation

²Basic IT training for Ganapathi Iyer School students in conjunction with Rotary Club of Madras Temple City

²Hardware training & Multimedia workshops for Deaf and Dumb children association with Lepra India Trust - Delhi

These are a few of the initiatives undertaken by Aptech to empower the socially deprived.

For further information please visit www.aptech-worldwide.com

For further information, please contact:

Aptech Limited

Sangita Sharma Phukan

Telefax: 011-24658005

e-mail: sangitas@aptech.ac.in