The Government of Goa has signed an agreement with the Newton School, Bengaluru today to offer a strategic Digital Goa Scholarship Programme to train around 10,000 students of Goa to become software developers. This partnership would consist of a coding and mindset boot camp that progresses into a six-month-long full-stack certification programme, enabling students to become high-quality software developers.
The Digital Goa Scholarship Programme will kickstart with a coding and mindset boot camp of 12 weeks where Goan students from both technical and non-technical backgrounds can enrol. Therein, students will be introduced to the world of computers and trained to develop the logical thinking and aptitude required to learn coding. This boot camp will also feature sessions by top mentors, instructors, Newton School alumni, and industry professionals working in various software companies around the world, including Netflix, Amazon, Myntra, Unacademy, Google, and Microsoft.
The programme is also facilitated by daily live classes with experts from the top software companies, mentorship from the top educators of India, resume-building sessions and interview preparation with mock interviewers. Additionally, as a part of this Digital Goa Scholarship, students will not have to pay anything until they get a job in the placement phase with Newton School after course completion and start earning.
This collaboration aims at making Goa a hub for tech advancements where more than 16,000 students graduate every year. It's expected to have a snowball effect on growth as more global IT firms are expected to hire students from Goa in multiple organisational layers.
By adopting an e-learning model, more states can also tap into upskilling talent through edtech partnerships in future. The ultimate goal of the program is the creation of an IT hub in Goa, with the influx of software professionals that will add to the economy on an individual as well as a social level, leading to the democratisation of software development education in India.
Speaking on the news, Nishant Chandra, Co-founder of Newton School added, “With this partnership, we aim that Goan students acquire the right industry-oriented exposure in software education which will help them get jobs with high compensation in the global market. With a community-first approach, Newton School aims to solve the deep problem of employability in graduates and also looks forward to more states adopting this approach. This initiative by Newton School and Goan Government to upskill graduates is a strategic collaboration to nourish a more skilled, productive, inclusive, and talented workforce.”
In recognition of the step, Goa's Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant said, “The Government of Goa has the goal to turn Goa into an educational and knowledge hub and with the Digital Goa Scholarship, we are taking steps towards achieving these goals. Newton School will be providing advanced training in coding for students from various colleges and make them eligible to get placed in 1000s of IT companies across India. In Goa, we are committed to be a part of the Educational Revolution that has unfolded under the leadership of the honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Getting IT companies to Goa will not only benefit the youth but will facilitate the entire economy.”
