CHENNAI : Verizon India, an Information Technology-driven Global Capability Centre (GCC) is collaborating with the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT Madras) to launch  ‘V PROPEL ‘(V Provide Right Opportunity to Power Enabled Learning), a Merit-cum-Means Scholarship program for meritorious students who are from economically disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue BSc in Programming and Data Science.

V PROPEL aims to support meritorious students whose annual family income is less than INR 1 lakh. Through this scholarship program, select students will receive financial assistance for four academic terms.

Launched in 2020 by IIT Madras, this is a first-of-its-kind BSc in Programming and Data Science. It aims to eliminate barriers of age, discipline or geographic location and provide access to a world-class curriculum to aspirants in programming and data science.

This will provide an opportunity for learners to pursue an undergraduate degree/diploma from IIT Madras regardless of age, location or academic background. In addition, the scholarship will give preference to meritorious women students and students with disabilities.

Verizon India is the first corporate to partner with IIT Madras to support this novel initiative with an objective to aid the learning journey of students from economically disadvantaged families. This unique virtual learning programme will be offered in three different stages – Foundation Level, Diploma Level and Degree Level. For more details about the BSc in Programming and Data Science from IIT Madras, please visit: https://onlinedegree.iitm.ac.in.

Highlighting the importance of the initiative, Mr. Vijayaraman Subramanian, Managing Director, Verizon India, said, “We are thrilled to be associated with IIT Madras for our third project and are very happy to be able to make a difference in the lives of these young aspirants coming from the underserved communities through V PROPEL. Building on our purpose and commitment to the communities around us, it is our endeavour to move the world forward for everyone by expanding digital access and preparing people for the jobs of the future. With this initiative in collaboration with a premier institute like IIT Madras, we aim to provide a platform for students to build a career in Programming and Data Science which is a future-focussed domain and equip them with the knowledge and skills to become successful data scientists and data engineers of tomorrow.”

Highlighting the unique aspects of this initiative, Prof. Mahesh Panchagnula, Dean (Alumni and Corporate Relations), IIT Madras, said, “Verizon India has been a long-time supporter of our efforts in helping deserving students on their education journey. We are delighted to partner with them again to support financially distressed students in the BSc program in Programming and Data Science.”

Further, Prof. Mahesh Panchagnula said, “According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Data Science is one of the fastest-growing sectors that is predicted to create 11.5 million jobs by 2026. The World Economic Forum predicts that by 2022, data analysts and scientists will be the most emerging job roles, globally. Hence, we chose a specialization in programming and data science.”