Ciena Expands Digital Inclusion Program in India

As part of its global commitment to expand opportunities for students and youths through digital inclusion programs, Ciena has been working with various non-profits across India to help close the Digital Divide.

Ciena’s Digital Inclusion Program continues to enable greater access to affordable connectivity, technology, and initiatives that foster digital upskilling and access.

For instance, in collaboration with Udayan Care, Ciena introduced a Digital Education and Training program by setting up an ‘Information Technology Training & Learning Center’ in Gurugram, Haryana.

Ciena Expands Digital Inclusion Program

​​​​​​​“Supported by Ciena, this initiative aims to provide underserved youth with the necessary IT skills and digital learning capabilities, creating new employability opportunities for at least 150 youth. This opportunity also exposes the youth to other vocational courses, setting them on a path that will hopefully improve their quality of life,” said Dr. Kiran Modi, Managing Trustee, Udayan Care.

A member of the Ciena India Corporate Social Responsibility Sub-Committee, Jagriti Yadav, Senior Director, Ciena IT Applications, said: “Many of the non-profits that the Ciena Digital Inclusion Program supports are suggested by local Ciena employees. To personally see the communities we’re actively volunteering with directly benefit from this additional funding is very encouraging.”

“As a key enabler of innovations that drive connectivity, we want to ensure that everyone has equal access to the internet, technology, and digital skills they need to be future-ready. We also value connectivity as a means to unlock opportunities for both student and would-be entrepreneurs with digital skills and know-how,” said Jamie Jefferies, Vice President and General Manager, International, Ciena.

Please refer to the appended for a more complete list on how Ciena has been collaborating with organizations in India to advance digital inclusion.

Bharti Foundation: Benefited more than 5,000 students by contributing to the development of Language and Computer Labs in Satya Bharti Senior Secondary Schools in Punjab; digital classrooms in schools across Punjab and Haryana; and Advanced Technology Labs in two schools in Punjab, with a focus on robotics and game development.
NASSCOM Foundation: Funded a program where entrepreneurial opportunities were offered to 100 students, with seed funding/incubation provided to the top five high-potential start-ups. Robotics corners were also created in schools in Gurgaon with the objective of providing students with much-needed hands-on skills in emerging technologies.
Pratham Foundation: Supported a Digital Skills Program at Pratham, including building a dedicated learning portal for youth aged between 15-25 years. Pratham plans to implement this program for approximately 4,000 youth from 2,000 communities across seven Indian states in two languages.
Pure India: Helped Pure India digitize its database and assist youth and the underserved in their journey to become entrepreneurs.
Sucheta Kriplani Shiksha Niketan: Equipped two classrooms with digital equipment and internet access.

Ciena’s Digital Inclusion program aims to mobilize the company’s global workforce, leverage its innovation leadership, and collaborate with customers, suppliers and other partners to bridge the digital divide.

Ciena has committed to fund $10 million (USD) over a five-year period on programming that promotes digital inclusion through greater connectivity, access to technology and digital skilling, with a goal of expanding opportunities for 100,000 underserved students in our global communities.