The Bangalore-based Tally Education Pvt. Ltd (TEPL, estb. 2014) announced the launch of the Tally Institute of Learning (TIL) last month. This franchise initiative of TEPL commenced on February 9 with student training scheduled to start from April 1 this year. TIL franchisees countrywide will offer students a bouquet of courses ranging from one-six months, at the end of which students will be awarded a verifiable certificate of course completion.
œThere is a burning need in small and medium businesses in the country to be able to continuously find trained and equipped individuals who can work with them to help drive growth. It is with this intent that we promoted TEPL this year. Our first initiative in the market is to launch Tally Institutes of Learning which are centres dedicated to delivering industry-ready youth and placing them in lucrative jobs, says Tejas Goenka, executive director of TEPL.
Stirling scholarships
The Stirling ManagemenT School (SMS) of the University of Stirling, Scotland, invites Indian students to apply for scholarships which offer substantial funding for study programmes in SMS.
On offer is the MBA Leader of the Future Scholarship which provides full funding for one overseas student™s tuition fees valued at £15,900 (Rs.16 lakh), and three MBA International Leader of the Future Scholarships valued at £8,000 (Rs.8.2 lakh). Moreover, in partnership with the British Council, SMS offers two Indian students Great MBA India Scholarships of £4,500 (Rs.4.65 lakh) each towards tuition fees.
To be eligible for any of these MBA scholarships, students need to have already applied to SMS and have received a conditional or unconditional offer of admission into the full-time MBA.
SMS also offers two Karen Napier Scholarships, funded by the Karen Napier Charity in memory of Karen, a Stirling M.Sc investment analysis graduate. Each scholarship will meet the programme fees (£15,900 for overseas students) and offer £3,500 toward maintenance.  Applicants to the Karen Napier Scholarship must also hold an offer of a place in the full-time M.Sc (investment analysis) programme for entry in September 2014.
Those with study interests in the behavioural sciences can apply for Behavioural Science for Management scholarships. Each of these two scholarships funded by Stirling Management School is valued at £6,000 (Rs. 6.21 lakh) towards tuition fees.
The closing date for receipt of all scholarship applications is June 10, 2014.  Further details at http://www.stir.ac.uk/management/scholarships-studentships-and-funding/.
AP exam dates
Higher secondary school students in India are invited to register for the US-based College Board™s Advanced Placement (AP) exams in 22 different subjects, scheduled for May 5-16. The registration deadline is March 26. AP exams are administered at authorised USIEF (United States-India Educational Foundation) centres and schools in 11 cities across India ” Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Rajkot.
œThe College Board™s AP enables motivated students to pursue university-level studies while still in high school. Indian students aspiring for undergraduate studies in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, and Singapore among other countries, are eligible to receive university credits or consideration in the admissions process on the basis of AP exam scores. In 2013, 2.2 million students wrote 4 million AP exams worldwide and forwarded their scores to over 3,300 universities in 60 countries, says a College Board notification issued in Bangalore on February 12.
Founded in 1900, the College Board is a non-profit organisation created to expand access to higher education. œThe membership association is made up of over 6,000 of the world™s leading educational institutions and is dedicated to promoting excellence and equity in education. Each year, the College Board helps more than 7 million students prepare for successful transition to college through programmes and services in college readiness and success ” including the SAT and the Advanced Placement Program, says a spokesperson.
Wadhwani Foundation milestone
The Bangalore-based Wadhwani Foundation (WF, estb. 2003) has crossed the milestone of training 1,000 in-service nurses and nursing assistants for 20 centres countrywide of the Narayana Health hospitals chain promoted by well-known cardiac surgeon Dr. Devi Shetty in 2001.
œIn partnership with Narayana Health, we have successfully created a technology-enabled curriculum for comprehensive training of healthcare workers. This pilot is part of the foundation™s larger vision to develop a market-ready skilled force across industries through innovative and scalable technology solutions. Our partnership with Narayana Health is a positive first step in that direction, said Ajay Kela, chief executive of WF, while addressing the media in Bangalore on February 11.
œOur strategic collaboration with WF is a step in the right direction. India™s healthcare industry is facing an acute shortage of support staff and I am glad the skills development initiative of the foundation has already trained over 1,000 staff. Since we intend to expand from 5,000 to 30,000 beds in three years, this model of creating and deploying repeatable, modular self and peer-driven lessons, can help us realise this goal without diluting the quality of our care, added Dr. Shetty, chairman of Narayana Health.