Case Study

On
“Collaborative Academic – Occupational Instruments”
“MS in Software Engineering Program” Offered By
Wipro Technologies Ltd, India
And
Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani

Case Study
On
“Collaborative Academic – Occupational Instruments”
“MS in Software Engineering Program” Offered By Wipro Technologies Ltd,
India and BITS, Pilani
By

Prologue:

This case study takes the opportunity to discuss the Social, Technological,
Organizational implications of the new occupational instruments such as
“Collaborative Academic – Occupational Programs” offered jointly by
professional business organizations in tie up with universities. The purpose of
this study was to understand the underlying benefits and opportunities of such
instruments for the business organization and the society. The study take the
approach of dismantle the system to analyze the working of the system, trying
to analyze what all factors in the Indian Legal , Labor system, the Indian
society attribute for such instruments to run successfully .

The case study has been developed based on analysis of one such collaborative
program offered by Wipro Technologies Limited, India and Birla Institute of
Technologies, Pilani, India. The study has been done considering both
management and student perspective. It consists of comparative study of other
contemporary similar opportunities in other organizations like Patni, HCL, MBT,
CTS etc.

The most important discovery of this study was the fact how these powerful
business organizations have been successfully utilizing these collaborative
instruments to disguise bonded labor in the name of education with the help of
the shortcomings of the Indian legal and educational system, and exploit the
socio-economical condition of the society of India. What has come out of this
study is the fact that slavery and bonded labor, exploitation of the human
beings in our modern societies are still prevalent at large in disguise of such
“Collaborative Programs” etc. As a part of developing this study loopholes and
issues of immediate concern in the Indian Education System and Indian Legal
System especially pertaining to Labor laws and Education policies were exposed
and have been brought forward.

This organizational study has made it possible to understand the management

dynamics in an organization. It also sheds light on how academic management
is totally different from business management and both need to be addressed
separately and should be managed by people who are formally qualified by
education or experience in the respective domain to take on those
responsibility i.e. Academicians should be responsible for Academic affairs,
while a Business Manager should be responsible for Business affairs while an
Engineering Graduate should be responsible for the technological affairs of an
organization. The study helps us to visualize the disparity created by the highly
hierarchical organizational structure and unequal distribution of powers
amongst rank and effect of such an arrangement on the organization. It also
emphasis on the fair and equally accessible ombudsmen likes process in
organizations and also in society for checking the wrong and injustice in the
system. What more importantly has come up is the fact that absence of sense
of collaborative and sharing spirit in India MNC, as an especial example Wipro
Technologies Ltd, which severely lacks collaborative spirit, due to its highly
stringent hierarchical organizational structure. What finally needs to be
realized is to grow in today’s modern world, for Indian MNC to become global
leaders of the future, for innovations to happen, collaboration and partnership
is the only key strategy.

On the Indian educational system front one has to appreciate the widely
acknowledge the fact that even thought the Indian education system is one of
the most rigorous systems in the world, its highly under appreciated and under
valued in India than abroad. Indian students have preformed extremely well in
universities abroad. Even with the lack of enabling environment like the funds
and scholarship, lack of infrastructure, lack of educational facilities, prevalent
reservation and quota system and overall scarcity in the terms of infrastructure
to pursue quality; the Indian education system actually breeds out some of the
most talented people in the world. The

What needs to be understood is a lot of initiatives towards betterment of the

Indian Education System and Indian Labor system has to come from both
citizens of this country and the government. Initiatives in the field of education
are required in direction of increasing the quality of our higher education,
embodying the research and development methodology in each course of study
to create more intellectual property, making Indian system compatible with
international system. Indian education system is strong but lacks marketing.
Chinese model, where by the extensive initiative of Chinese government and
Chinese university Chinese students now have a global presence, this has
helped the country in developing great intellectual and cultural wealth, as well
as technological advancement.
Definitions:

“Collaborative Academic – Occupational Program”: It’s a FULL – TIME WEEKEND

CONTACT academic program for which contact sessions and examination are
conducted on weekends, while the subject pursuing such an instrument
exercises FULL – TIME EMPLOYMENT in the organization facilitating such a
collaborative program offered by some university.

“Full – Time Employment”: It’s an instrument spread across a five day working
week, & occasional weekends and other public holidays in which all subjects
perform occupational activity, indiscriminately in accordance to their
respective socio-technical skills. At least 9hrs/Day for 5 days i.e. 45
hours/week of occupational activity directed towards achievement of
organizational business goals in general can be considered as FULL – TIME
EMPLOYMENT.

The Background:

Wipro Technologies Ltd, India and BITS, Pilani “Collaborative Academic –

Occupational” “MS in Software Engineering” Program was first started in 1995.
Initially when it was started until 2002 – 2004 most of the recruitment for this
instrument was primarily done from south India, perhaps due to strategic
location of IT mega city around Bangalore, and also the fact of surplus
engineering colleges in this region churning out excessive IT professionals. The
WASE program is a four years program, at the end of four years the candidates
are awarded MS in Software Engineering from BITS, Pilani. Though this doesn’t
guarantee the candidate would be absorbed in the organization as a regular
employee after completing the WASE program. The absorbed candidates are
absorbed in B1 band, i.e. the band for M.S/M.Tech fresher from outside and
will start ground zero in the organization, without taking previous four years of
occupational association with the organization into consideration. As per WASE
candidates are designated as students in the organization, who compulsorily
work full time in the organization from 8:30 – 6:00 on Weekdays as regular
employees, while attend classes for the full time WASE MS program on
Saturdays.

The WASE program from 1995 - 1998 was a four years MS program that gave its
candidate a time advantage of one year over B.Sc graduate with M.Tech from
outside, which they would have completed in 4 Years i.e. 2 Years of M.Sc
followed by 2 Years of M.Tech, while their WASE counterparts were confirmed
employees of Wipro Technologies Ltd at the end of the third year itself. The
instrument is targeted for B.Sc/BCA graduates primarily with specialization in
Computer Science, Electronics, Mathematics, and Physics. Though almost all
candidates joining such a program were from computer science background
only.
The Program Philosophy:

WASE was started in 1995 when the Indian IT industry was developing, so was
the Indian education system with its reforms & revisions, and so was the global
economy & more so Indian economy was changing. Wipro Technologies then was
a small company as compared to as of now, Wipro was growing. It had just
developed a corporate identity for itself; it had invented its corporate
philosophy around principles like Integrity, Value - Value for Money, Customer
Satisfaction and Innovation. These principals of corporate philosophy were
taken more literarily whether they were meant in costumer - organization
context or employee – organization context. Individual’s identity & importance
in a crowd called organization were still existent. WASE was an innovative step,
very close to heart of Wipro strategy. It was what the market/industry
demanded, something unique, something new, and something radical. It then
embodied in itself the principles of empowering its employees with higher and
quality education, cost reduction for its customers, changing industry wide
scenario by making it possible that after completing this collaborative program
even the non engineering cadre would be capable to undertake demanding
higher management roles in the organization. The quality, the innocence and
sanctity of such instrument could & would have been boasted by all i.e. Wipro,
IT industry, the subjects pursuing it, their families, everyone associated with it.

But the times have changed, its 2005, the Indian IT industry has matured, the
education system has seen quantum rise, the graduates are better equipped
both in terms of diversity & depth of knowledge, the job market is booming,
the economy is evolving beautifully and its mature. Wipro Technologies has
managed to grow into a global leader with more than 50,000 people employed
with it, its revenue breaching $2 Billion mark and presence in over 26 countries
spread across the globe, it’s truly a giant Indian MNC. The Wipro’s corporate
philosophies of Integrity, Value, “Value for Money”, Customer Satisfaction and
Innovation are still the same, as they have been the success mantra. But as the
corporate has grown bigger and bigger, what seems like is that the corporate
philosophies such as Integrity and Values perhaps diluted and have become
pretty questionable especially when taken in organization – employee context,
especially when you talk about WASEians. The WASE principles also changed,
they are more about cheap labor for working on legacy systems, testing,
maintenance or anything other than core development, thus leading to cost
reduction for Wipro’s customers. WASE principles like empowering employees
with higher and quality education, empowering them to take on higher
managerial jobs in the organization have become secondary or no existent
entities. The quality, the exclusiveness; the sanctity of the program has diluted
substantially so has its spirit, as the company has grown and the times have
changed. It’s no longer a niche career option, neither does it give you any time
advantage over a B.Sc graduate with a M.Sc post graduate degree followed by a
M.Tech, nor employment experience as one has to start ground zero in the
organization after completing the program.
No longer is WASE a matter of pride neither in eyes of the providers i.e. Wipro
Technologies Ltd and BITS, Pilani nor it’s a matter of superiority -
accomplishments for its candidates undergoing the MS program in hope to
learn, develop and become global leaders, contributors to the community in
form of technologist, innovators, social leaders. And it’s nothing more than a
sham, a deceit in the eyes of their families who sacrifice so much in the hope
to provide for good education for their offspring, feel cheated, extremely
helpless, humiliated and angry. And the community remains deprived of the
great thinkers and innovators who could have been born out of this instrument
only if it was truthful in all its aspects. Although many might still appreciate
the opportunity of being associated with such brands and instruments which
certainly is an achievement considering the whole Indian system, though not
comparatively evaluating and considering that other better contemporary
opportunities exists. Also these questions arises is brand everything, are titles
everything, “How good is an education if its not technically enlightening?”,
“How good is an employment if it’s discriminatory and one’s service is not
acknowledged?”. This kind of behavior/attitude is greatly influenced by the
socio-economic factor of the non equalitarian, poverty laden Indian society. But
then again this shouldn’t be used as a reason for exploitation of the society by
organizations for their own benefits; rather organizations should shoulder the
responsibility to take appropriate initiatives to eliminate such divides and
provide equal treatment atleast inside the organization.

The Batches:

It started with a modest strength of 25 students in 1995, the strength now

peaks around 700 odd pseudo students in 2004 - 2005, spread in various
locations across India i.e. Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Bangalore. The 2005
batch is the most cosmopolitan batch due to lot of recruitment from other
parts of India and not just south India.

There was even a Gurgaon based batch of 50 such subjects in 2004, but just
within one year the program in Gurgaon was terminated and all of them were
transferred to other Wipro facilities in India i.e. Pune & Bangalore in a high
drama episode that lasted a couple of weeks, without even discussing or stating
the reasons for such orders, resulting in some of the students to quit/abandon
the program due to their inability to relocate to other locations in India. What
remains unanswered is, who is responsible for jeopardizing the careers of 7
such students, who were affected by the company’s decision to abandon the
WASE in Gurgaon, Is It BITS, Pilani, or is it Wipro Technologies Ltd, or the
Government of India?

The Candidate Profile:

The curriculum for M.S. in Software Engineering from BITS, Pilani for WASE was
designed for B.Sc graduates from Physics, Electronics, Math, Computer Science,
but the fact is most of the people inducted are from Computer science
background, approximately 99%. The program might be greatly technically
enlightening Masters in Computer Sciences for Physics, Electronics, and Math
graduates. But ever since IT has been on the Indian shores some of these
Physics, Electronics, and Math graduates are actually highly equipped with
Computer Science Fundamentals especially student from central universities
like Delhi University. An general analysis of B.Sc Computer Science and BCA
courses, yielded following results, it was observed that south India has good
number of colleges, with decent infrastructure to facilitate immense learning,
well qualified faculty to teach, but a B.Sc Computer Science/BCA course with
average academic contents, which is fundamentally very strong but doesn’t
offer anything beyond it, while on other hand North is plagued by scarcity of
college (i.e. proportional to the number of candidates seeking admission to a
particular course), extremely qualified faculty to teach, a strong social-
political influence on academic institution, and a B.Sc Computer Science/BCA
program with beyond average course contents which makes it fundamentally
strong and beyond, with contents like advanced courses in Linear Algebra,
Calculus, Numerical Methods, Algorithm, Artificial Intelligence, Neural
Network, Compiler Design, Data Warehousing & Mining, Formal Automata. But
even if its possible to scientifically rate these courses based on their content,
you’ll find that as a matter of fact only a few universities across India which
actually provide such academic programs at under – graduate level with
extraordinary or rather beyond average contents, example B.Sc Computer
Science (Honors)/ erstwhile BIT course offered by Delhi University, BIS
(Honors)/BCA offered by Indraprastha University, Delhi. The reason for stating
above mentioned differences is not point out a north south divide, or to
anyways establish any superiority based on regional grounds as it wouldn’t have
any scientific basis. Its only to state the fact that people even though equipped
with good B.Sc/BCA/BIS/BITS degree no matter from north or south are
undergoing a collaborative program (WASE) that doesn’t technically award
much to them.

Another aspect to evaluation of qualifications in the educational and

professional system in India is, rather than evaluating the qualification based
on technical content of the academic programs it’s evaluated on the basis of
the name of the degree and its duration. Generally degrees are named
accordingly to its content and its duration, but what needs to be considered is
there should be a weighted approach to evaluate qualification which gives
appropriate weightage to program contents, as well as its duration. Considering
many BCA/B.Sc/BIS/BIT Computer Science degree are technically as sound as
the B.Tech degree, this difference if any are even more miniscule if these
programs are pursued in professional engineering college, which provides the
same enabling environment in the form of similar curriculum, similar faculty,
similar infrastructure for both B.Tech and BCA/BIS/B.Sc students. These
programs differ from a B.Tech computer science program only in terms of
duration, which again is induced due to presence of 6 month industrial
internship period as a part of B.Tech curriculum.

The Program Duration:

On bond the program duration is exactly four years not a day less and not a day
more, but in reality the program has been prolonged for many batches. The
program duration is torturous awfully long four years. One might rather pursue
an M.B.B.S and become a doctor which takes equivalently long time i.e. five
years, if one would qualify for it. The program duration is four years and thus
the candidates of this program have no competitive advantage over students
pursuing full time M.S on campus. A B.Sc graduate after three years of graduate
degree, followed by two years of Masters postgraduate degree, can pursue 2
years long M.Tech/M.E./M.S. degree, thus duration of postgraduate studies i.e.
M.S adds up to four years anyways.

In 2005 due to delay in recruitment of WASE batch 2005 by Wipro Technologies

Ltd, the third semester of WASE batch 2004 was delayed by almost 3 – 4
months. In an internal TTD mail the concern that the WASE 2004 batch program
would be prolonged to 4.5 years was communicated between all the TTD WASE
coordinator at different locations. The irony is that this decision to prolong the
WASE course by 6 months has not been disclosed to the WASEians as of the time
of writing this case study. It’s a well planned corporate strategy not to disclose
this news at this time, the reason being, firstly disclosing this news latter down
the program say after fourth or fifth semester or even latter in the final year as
it would not result in big backlash and WASEians quitting the program due to
prolongation as it’ll be to late, as almost all WASEians would rather prefer to
complete the program even if it takes six more months when one has already
invested four awfully long years in the program. Secondly the organization has
cheap labor for another six months. What is not addressed is who in the
organization was responsible for such a big error, delaying and prolonging, and
have they been penalized for their errors? If and How would the organization
compensate for wastage of extremely precious time of 740 individuals due to
prolongation due to failure of organizations processes?

The Application:

The whole process of recruiting for this instrument is done by the mixed means
of on-campus & off-campus recruitment. The process includes a written
examination with naïve aptitude and even more naïve technical questions,
followed by a personal interview. The level of the written examination is so
high that even a twelfth standard school kid could walk through it like a cake.
It doesn’t have basic sections like fundamental logic, basic sciences, applied
mathematic and calculus. The drop out rate for 2004 batch selected in a
process in north India was as high as 4 out of 250. The minimum eligibility
criterion for applying for WASE is just an overall 65% all through your schooling
and graduation.

The Selection:

Once the candidates are selected, they are expected to report to the specified
Wipro facilities in Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune etc within 15 days. On
landing in new city for joining, for your convenience no arrangements are made
by the organization to accommodate you in the guest house or any hotel,
though candidates would be reimbursed for first 8 days of hotel stay at the rate
of $7/day. Considering the facts - the extremely low stipend received by the
candidate, no settlement – relocation benefits for WASE employees from the
organization, the ever increasing rentals it generally takes a minimum 1 month
to find a decent, pocket friendly abode in a strange city, especially Bangalore.
On contrary in a similar collaborative program offered by Mahindra British
Telecom Limited and BITS, Pilani, candidates have to relocate to an even more
expensive city Mumbai, but the accommodation a 3 star apartment is provided
by the organization itself for whole of their candidature term with the
organization.

The Bond:

On the very day of induction process; the candidates are given a bond that they
are supposed to sign then and there or else loose the opportunity. Unlike most
companies where the prospective employees are given a time frame ranging
from a week to a month to understand the implication of signing any such bond
by consulting a legal authority on such matters, here the bond has to signed
and returned at that very moment.

The bond states that in the case if a WASE candidate leaves the organization
before four years, the candidate is subjected to pay a bond amount of $1,666
to the organization. The bond amount is $1,666 so if the candidate doesn’t
have $1,666 to pay towards the bond in advance i.e. most candidate come from
typical lower- middle class families, in that case for candidates inconvenience
Wipro Technologies Ltd has a tie up with State Bank Of India, which facilitates
such candidates to avail a loan of $1,555 INR against an upfront deposit of $112
(i.e. almost one month WASE stipend) with the SBI. What is to be noted is that
the bond is not just in principles, there is real money involved in the form of a
fixed deposit in SBI. In this case SBI pays an interest of 6.5%/Annum on the
Fixed Deposit of 4 Years. For those who have taken the loan need not pay the
principal amount i.e. 70,000 INR, but will have to pay a differential interest
i.e. the interest you earn on Fixed Deposit 6.5%/Annum - Interest on the Loan
i.e. 12%/Annum which amount to some $9/Month.

The interest paid by the WASEian can be counted as a premium paid towards
the opportunity of working in a World Class firm like Wipro Technologies Ltd or
as a price a candidate should pay for having coming from a not so well to do
family and yet affording to work in expensive organization like Wipro
Technologies.

What is ironical yet again is the bond is signed between the candidate and the
organization but no copy of the bond is given to the candidate? On the contrary
other organizations like HCL Technology, Mahindra British Telecom Limited,
Cognizant Technology Systems Limited which also offer a similar collaborative
program with BITS, Pilani have no such bond for its candidates.

What needs to be paid attention is the fact that most of these candidates come
from a typical Indian middle class family. The legal perspective to the bond
raises another question i.e. “Is it a new phase in evolution of human
civilization, where bonded labor & slavery is reemerging & flourishing in this
form?” apparently it does seem like a new form of bonded labor. Even though
employment bonds are illegal according to the Indian legal system and so is
bonded employment but the failure of social institutes of the nation to
organize employment sectors, failure of labor research institutes to bring about
changes in labor laws of the country have left loop holes in the system. As a
result huge organizations are able to take advantage of such failure of the
system and get away with it.

The Training:

The selected candidates undergo a 3 months full time training. There are infact
two trainings the first one is Fundamental Readiness Program (FRP) which is a 1
month training is common for all candidates, its an elementary training in
Fundamentals of C, Digital Electronics, Fundamentals of Networking and
Telecommunications etc the second training is Project Readiness Program (PRP)
which is of 2 months duration, this training focuses on domain in which the
candidate is deployed for instance Microsoft Technologies, Telecom and
Embedded Systems, Java Technologies, Database, ERP and MIS systems. The
curriculum for most these trainings are pretty decent, though there is a lot of
scope for improvement. Both FRP and PRP have very limited hands on and
practical training.

The training for the 2004 batch is generally conducted in Wipro campus, in IIITB
and in institutes outside on contract bases. The training institutes include some
decent institutes like CMC, and many others ill equipped under staffed
institutes also. Attendance in such training is loosely monitored, and hands on
practical sessions in ill equipped labs are just for the name sake.

Every candidate should complete both FRP and PRP in maximum three attempts
each examination, the minimum criteria for passing FRP and PRP is 80%. On
failure the subject would be entitled to termination of his/her candidature
with the organization. Most of the candidates clear the FRP pretty easily i.e. in
the first attempt itself, while the failure rate of PRP is considerably high. But
the candidatures of the subjects who fail their PRP are generally not
terminated and are allowed to continue in the organization. Which does raise
questions about the training methodology and quality of human resource being
inducted in the organization?

What also needs to be noticed is no consideration is given either to graduation

specialization or to candidate’s aspiration while allocating domains. It wouldn’t
be surprising to find a candidate specializing in embedded system at graduate
level working on mainframe technologies in banking and financial solutions
domains, while a mechanical engineer would be deployed in project in
embedded systems. It would seem as a sheer waste of talent and leads to high
job dissatisfaction. Incase of normal employee this high degree of work
dissatisfaction would lead to high attrition rates.

The Career Path:

What career path you can expect after completing the MS SE program or rather
what career path you shouldn’t expect after completing this program?

On an average for most of the candidate successfully completing the program

the answer to that crucial question would be:

1.) Completing this course doesn’t automatically destine the students to

become a computer scientist, technologists. Lack of R&D component in the
program is highly debilitating, incase graduates from this program want to
seek career in high technology R&D.
2.) The course doesn’t equip you to work in Research and Development in areas
of core computer sciences and allied domains like mathematics,
computational science and engineering.
3.) Though the course and the work experience acquired in four years of this
course does equip you to take on all possible odd IT jobs like programmer,
tester, and architect.
4.) It narrows the candidate’s definition of IT to just Computer Science,
Software Engineering And Management of Information System which is much
broader than that and incorporates automation, solution to engineering &
scientific processes and problems, applied computer sciences, Computation
in Science and Engineering etc.
5.) Most of the successful candidates would end up as managers, analyst,
architects in other companies. Which doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be
then technically most superior specie in this space.
6.) An average candidate generally are not comparable with MS graduates from
other world class universities like IIT, IIIT, NIT, BITS or any other
international university. Yes not even BITS, the on-campus programs are
technically more rewarding & demanding than WASE. Even though WASE
 collaborative program is considered and accredited by BITS, Pilani
equivalent to the on campus program.
7.) Don’t expect to substitute four years of industry experience with the on-
campus research and entrepreneur environment that one would have
achieved if one had pursued in a regular full time on campus MS program.

The Curriculum:

The first two semester of M.S. focus on fundamental mathematics necessary for
any computer scientist but the level of these courses are still very naïve. The
courses in Discrete Mathematics, Calculus, Probability, and Numerical Methods
are of the level offered at freshman year in most undergraduate courses which
sometimes are still more advanced than that being offered at M.S. level. As far
as computing skills are concerned the first four semester of the program offer
you fundamentals of computer sciences by the means of subjects like Data
Structure, Fundamentals of C Programming, Object Oriented Programming
Using Java, Fundamental Design and Analysis of Algorithms, Operating System,
Fundamental Computer Architecture, Computer Networking . Most of these
subjects, and sometimes infact advanced studies in these subjects are already
undertaken by most candidates in their under-graduate degree programs. All of
this would really make more sense and be more useful if these subjects are
offered as a refresher program for duration of 6 months to 1 year than spending
2 years on undergoing basic concept all over again that doesn’t help much to
the cause of pursuing higher advanced studies.

The semester fifth onwards to the seventh semester the curriculum is more
about software engineering practices, Object Oriented Analysis And Design,
software quality, software project management.

The last semester is dissertation which has to be completed in the organization

itself. The candidates don’t have any option of completing their dissertation in
a Research and Development organization, or in international universities. So
the scientific domains for investigation of these dissertations are very limited
both in terms of diversity and depth. It’s rare to find a dissertation in high
technology areas of applied computation such as Artificial Intelligence, Neural
Networks, Computational Theory, Robotics, DSP, CFD, Data Ware Housing and
Mining, Computational Science and Engineering, Computational Finance which
are of high national and international importance because of their commercial
and scientific richness.

The Hands on – Practical Sessions:

What is to be noted is there are no practical or hands on sessions for any of the
subjects in the whole program. Its expected hands on experience would be
gathered by candidates through the live projects they are working on. But
again either most of the candidates don’t have a computer at their disposal at
home and don’t have appropriate tools compliers, RAD tools at their disposal in
office either. Considering most candidates are working in specialized domains,
it can’t be expected work experience and on job learning can substitute
practical and hands on classroom sessions. Most engineering colleges and
universities now have Wi-Fi enabled campuses and students are equipped with
laptop, and given access to information highway to for 24/7 access to
information and collaborative learning. Also there are no assignments, no case
studies, no brain storming sessions and no real world applicability and problem
solving sessions as a part of the whole course. The course contents are totally
theoretical, and are not driven towards innovation and finding solutions real
world problems.

The Contact:

The contact sessions on weekends i.e. Saturday consist of 2hrs lectures for 4
subjects given back to back after 50 Hours of hardcore work loaded week. The
floating centre at Wipro Technologies, BDC where the classes for the program
are conducted is architectural marvel. The people who have been around since
August 2004 have seen it dying so many deaths, yet standing tall. It’s suffered
water seepage, followed by degradation of wooden panels decorated with
black fungus on it, collapsing false ceilings on the roof. It’s a centrally air
conditioned facility. On Saturdays generally the strength of employees is
considerably less thus perhaps as a cost cutting measure the air conditioning to
floating centre holding around 400 students is either switched of or kept at a
minimum low perhaps for maintenance activities or as an cost cutting measure.
A class room is generally jam packed with 90 – 110 odd souls. Inadequate
seating arrangement, no air conditioning, no windows, and no fans with
Bangalore’s temperature touching a 33+ °C is the last thing these students
expect after a hard weeks work.

The class rooms are equipped with modern wooden panels, lighting system,
furniture, audio-visual systems, and computers. The computers are never
powered, even if they are they are not configured to access internet, so the
whole concept of having them there is defeated as neither they are used to
perform hands on nor they can be used to access the information highway to
research or explore the subject deeply. The projectors are used to display
lecture and note presentation slides. Even though there is a provision to
suspend the projectors from the roof, they are generally kept on the table in
front row though, leading to a badly illuminated, glary, unaligned display on
the screen. The electronic smart white boards are kept in each class only for
technology demonstration; no one has actually ever seen them working. The
markers are used by the professor to write on the white board instead, and are
not much of help many times they are low on ink, secondly it doesn’t help
when you’re sitting at 10+mts from the board and in a class of hundred
someone has to sit at back. The libraries are ill equipped and under stocked,
even with quantum increase of intake of students the libraries haven’t been
upgraded. The libraries are always severely short on books, leaving only one
option with students to purchase their own books which adds an additional
burden on them by almost $33/semester which becomes difficult considering
the low stipend. The drinking water arrangement is a 25ltr water bottle outside
each class, not even a cold water dispenser, which is supposed to sustain 80
students for 8-9 hrs. The rest rooms are badly equipped with toilet paper, soap,
not even cleaned most of the time. But otherwise on weekdays the whole
facility is rather well maintained, restrooms cleaned and replenished routinely,
air conditioners running, water coolers running.

The Attendance:

BITS, Pilani provides its student an excellent enabling environment both for it’s
on - campus and off – campus students. BITS, Pilani has no attendance policy
for its students, that means students are not subjected to any penalties incase
they don’t attend class. The philosophy is that the emphasis is on learning
rather than how and where. But the whole philosophy changes in the Wipro
campus, it really doesn’t matter what you learn or whether you learn or not
but it does matter where you learn. A Wipro policy states that there is a
minimum 75% attendance per subject is required to be eligible to give the
semester exams, failure to adherence to the policy would mean ineligibility to
give the semester exams. What more needs to be noted is no other factor like
student’s grades, medical reason, and engagement in business activities for the
organization itself, engagement of the candidate in an onsite assignment are
generally taken into consideration while devising new punishments in failure to
abide by this policy. There is a high probability of non adherence to the policy
as practically speaking employees are involved in client projects with deadline
and are at times working onsite in client locations. This policy is practiced
pretty seriously, and has major implications, in the form of reduced onsite
opportunities for WASEians due to high rate of approval rejection by Talent
Transformation Department (a wing of Human Resource Management
department in Wipro Technologies Ltd), which is mandatory for WASEians,
unessicary prolongation of the course. The policy doesn’t make much sense as
BITS Pilani clearly states the candidates undergoing the collaborative program
are full time employees with the organization. Also the only way this policy can
be interpreted is that any hard work or dedication towards work for the
organization would result in penalty levied by the organization itself on its own
employees, this generally a sign of lack of respect, trust in the employees by
the organization.

In 2006 when WASE Talent Transformation Department was being headed by

Mrs. Annapoorna Gopal and Mr. Kuruvilla Sebi 22 students of 2004 batch
pursuing 3rd semester an 2 student from 2003 batch pursuing 5 semester were
subjected to a punishment of dropping a year for falling short of attendance by
just 3 days of the minimum 12 days required to satisfy the policy out of total 16
Days. Most of these cases were when these candidates were on official duty
performing project work, helping the organization achieve its business goals.
The punishment was more of a power demonstration TTD versus practices (i.e.
Business Units). One of the candidates with 8 CGPA from 2003 batch wasn’t
able to satisfy the policy, as he was short of three days as he was shuttling
between Bangalore and his native for his mother’s cancer treatment was
punished on the grounds that if the policy is relaxed for him it would have to
be relaxed for others also. As a matter of fact Mrs. Annapoorna Gopal confessed
that she was also penalized for the same when she was pursuing her mini MBA
from IIMB in Wipro Technologies Ltd, she was also penalized, so the same
applies.

What’s even more unfortunate is that this unjustified, degrading event

happened just after a week after the launch of “Spirit of Wipro” which was
inaugurated and presented by the honorable chairman of Wipro Technologies
Ltd Mr. Azim Premji himself. So much in the face of “Spirit of Wipro” corporate
philosophy which demands virtues like “Act with Sensitivity – Respect for
Individuals” from its employees. What even a sadder state of affairs is that
BITS, Pilani has no issue and was pretty flexible to allow these penalized
students to write even the current semester i.e. third semester examination,
as well as otherwise accept other options like allowing penalized students to
continue to the fourth semester while allowing them to appear in exams of two
subjects of third semester in fifth and seventh semester if TTD agrees, but
thanks to a system which vests so much power in hands of few, while deprave
others of any, individuals like Mrs. Annapoorna Gopal decided to be totally rigid
and make sure to destroy careers of 22 young students, by penalizing them
with one year drop. Someone once very rightly said “Its very easy to loose hope
in a country like India”, we Indians rather than taking responsibility and
creating an enabling environment for developing our nation, create as many
possible hurdles to demotivate even the most talented deserving young men
and women of our country. “Developed India 2020” dream can’t be realized
until people of this great nation actually realize their responsibilities and act
with sensitivity; uphold their values, ethics and morals and come forward and
contribute. What need to be noticed is there are no checks on the activities of
TTD in Wipro Technologies Ltd; as a result too much power is vested in
individuals who can misuse these powers, as in case of Mrs. Annapoorna Gopal.

The Implications Of Policies Pertaining To Attendance:

1.) It’s neither practical nor nessicary.

2.) Secondly it creates an environment of unrest and unessicary confrontation
and commotion in the organization.
3.) It also serves as the source of negative publicity of the organization; it hurts
the public image and brand values of the organization. Such negative
influences further lead to higher attrition rate, low quality manpower
intake as good quality manpower would like to refrain from such
 environment, it also casts a negative public image of the organization to the
clients and business partners.
4.) WASE employees are penalized by TTD for working extra hard to achieve
organizations business targets, while they are penalized, under estimated,
suppressed by practices in case they fail to do so. So primarily in this power
strife between TTD and practices it’s the poor WASEians which are penalized
for just doing there jobs.
5.) TTD penalizes the WASEians by almost destroying there careers by
unnecessarily prolonging the course, by rejecting onsite application.
6.) Practices on other hand would under estimate, obstruct opportunities,
appraisals and other form of organizational growth incase occupational
goals are neglected.
7.) Lack of trust and respect for employees, isolation of WASEians, and lack of
loyalty and belongingness towards organization by the employees
(WASEians).
8.) Long term Psychological effect like inferiority complex, isolation, anti-
social behavior, tendency to revenge and wrong at given opportunity, anger,
embarrassment as a consequences of failing academically even with highest
possible grades, the shock of being demoted and penalized by the same
organization for which an employee was dedicated and devoted himself
towards its work and business goals.

The Faculty:

The faculty is the perhaps the cheapest faculty available from local colleges, at
times are hardly qualified themselves to take classes for students at MS level.
It’s not very transparent the processes of selection, the eligibility criteria for
the faculty and who recommends and selects the faculty; whether it’s BITS or
Wipro Technologies Ltd. Most of these faculties certainly are nowhere
comparable to the faculty at BITS Pilani campus, IIT(s), I.I.Sc or at any other
world class university, and are generally at maximum as good as the lecturer
any candidate would have experienced at their bachelor level studies at their
local colleges. The faculty hired for WASE is a variety bunch of B.Sc, M.Sc,
M.Tech, B.Tech, taking classes for the students at M.S. level. BITS a world
class university; Wipro A World class Organization, the faculty for WASE not
world class. The question here is why the faculty hired by Wipro Technologies
for conducting classes for MS from BITS, not world class, why not from BITS
itself or other world class academic institution from around the world? What
needs to be understood is as we globalize and understand the importance of
research and development we need an enabling environment to support it? So if
BITS & IITS, I.I.Sc. Can have world class faculty, at times even international
faculty in form of visiting lecturers and guest faculty, why not at WASE?

The Lectures:
The lecture comprises of a line by line recital of lecture notes from
international university by an ill qualified or perhaps half interested lecturer.
The way and by whom the lecture is imparted empowers you with what’s
written in the notes and nothing more it doesn’t create an enabling
environment for you to research the subject, investigate into it, innovate,
invent which typically a MS program lecture should do as it happens in all world
class institutes like IIT, BITS, MITS. Generally MS program around the world are
revolve around research, innovation, intellectual wealth creation. The lectures
are generally a monologue, non interactive recitals and are generally utilized
by many students if not all for sleeping playing computer games, sketching,
catching up with friends, and reading text outside the curriculum and other
much more creative & intellectually enlightening activities. It’s made sure all
of these activities are done discretely to maintain the decor of the class. The
efforts of attending lectures are solely directed towards attaining a minimum
attendance of 75%, which is occasionally maintained by the students by means
of proxy.

The Examinations:

There are two set of examination conducted per semester the mid semester
exams and the end semester examination. The mid semester examination is a
closed book examination and has 40% weightage in the final grades, while end
semester examination is an open book comprehensive examination and
accounts for remaining 60% weightage in the final grades.

Since candidates are full time employees, there might be situation where the
candidates might be unable to appear for the regular exams, so as to be
flexible the organization offers a very inflexible option of appearing in make up
exams for both mid semester closed book and end semester comprehensive
open book examination which are scheduled a week after the end of regular
end semester exams. It’s inflexible as to take make up exam one need prior
approval from the TTD, which involves totally another difficult and many a
times fruitless process of convincing the TTD WASE coordinators.

The level of examinations is as high as the subject curriculum itself.

The Grade Sheet and the Transcript:

According to BITS, Pilani policy every candidate enrolled for the program is
awarded a grade sheet at the end of every semester examination and a degree
transcript after completing the program successfully. According to education
policy and directives issued by Department of Higher Education under Ministry
of Human Resource Development, Government of India its illegal to deny the
candidates of the grade sheet, degree transcript, certificate of completion or
any academic status report or academic award dossier issued by the awarding
body i.e. university, college, school or by any intermediate facilitating body.
But according to Wipro Technologies Ltd, policies pertaining to WASE, the
Indian laws are clearly violated as per this policy WASEians are not distributed
any of the grade sheets awarded to them by BITS, Pilani until the candidates
complete the whole program i.e. generally after 48 months. The policy is such
that even incase of WASEians resigning or being terminated by the organization
itself the WASEians are not awarded any certificate of association with the
organization, nor a certificate of association with BITS, Pilani, neither handed
over any grade sheets for completed semesters already awarded to them by
BITS, Pilani. It also makes it hard for WASEians to give their GRE exams
required for enrolling in the MS programs abroad, as GRE requires 16 years of
formal education, which one can be otherwise acquired by pursuing first year
of MCA, M.Sc programs rather than opting for WASE . The implications are
huge; the nation is deprived of the technological, socio economical benefits it
could have gained, if some of these talented candidates who aspire and are
very much equipped to take up advanced higher studies in areas of high
technology in US or any where abroad were not depraved of the enabling
environment. The policy very well depicts the trust, the respect, the
empowerment WASEians enjoy in the organization.

On confrontation organization has come up with an answer as way out as that

the grade sheets were issued initially to the students, but due to misuse and
malpractices the organization had to discontinue distributing grade sheets. The
so called misuse possibly could be candidates exploring better opportunities
like GRE for education abroad, jobs in other organizations which offer much
higher pays are higher, exposure to cutting edge technology, opportunity to
work in domain of ones interest, non discriminatory and rewarding work
environment, an enabling environment to contribute more. The practice is
primarily is an entrapment for the employees to restrict them from exploring
opportunities outside. The problems with such practices are:

1.) It symbolizes slavery and bonded labor.

2.) It’s illegal according to the Indian Law.
3.) It’s unethical and morally belittling practice.
4.) It creates a claustrophobic environment for the employees, as it restricts
talented individuals to do something for themselves, their family, contribute
towards the community, the country.
5.) Its not transparent in the name of the so called investment the organization
claims towards running WASE, as even if the investment exists (which is
doesn’t as explained in later in the “The Cost” section) its multiple times
compensated by the business created and services offered by the WASEians.
6.) What gives organization the right to decide on personal matters like choices
an individual makes for oneself?
7.) Its discriminatory and hypocritical, as on one hand it empowers a section of
society(Organization, normal employees) to make choices for itself, explore
all possible avenues for itself on other hand in the name of trade practices
it denies any such right to other section of the society (WASEians).
The Policies:

The policies pertaining to WASE are ambiguous enough to be interpreted and

practiced by different management as per individual’s interpretation, flexible
and dynamic to be manipulated in real time as per the situation, and extremely
implicit to hold as much information as it can in as many less as words as
possible without explicitly saying anything against or for any situation. The
management i.e. The TED (Talent Engagement Department), The TTD (Talent
Transformation Department) are responsible for formulating, manipulating and
updating policies in real-time. The policies are changed, molded and restored
on a case per case and need to manipulate basis. On many instance the policy
have been changed to address any status quo at that given point of time and
were reverted soon after, after neutralization of the situation, some times
within 24 Hours. The policies are generally manipulated to neutralize situations
and end status quo. The policies are practiced as and when required on a case
to case basis, unlike a process which is uniform and standardized. The option of
exercising a policy is rested in hands of individuals the TED, the TTD, the
practices. The policies rather than being a part of a process are individual
preference of who ever constitutes the management. This makes the policies
very flexible, dynamic and highly biased as individual human choices are
involved in decision making. The policies are not accommodating at all and
lack sensitivity and also sensibility. The organizations “Spirit of Wipro” , “feels
good, feel connected, feel cared for” propaganda claims values like respect for
individuals, trust in individuals, act with sensitivity, integrity,
acknowledgement of the fact that individual’s aspiration and action for self
growth in the organization are valid is literarily contradictory to the practiced
philosophy and policies of WASE .

The policies are very discriminating, as these polices deny the respect for
individuals, dignity, to WASEians as compared to normal employees. Another
thing to be noted is there were and are no WASEians ever involved directly or
indirectly in formulation and review of these policies even though they are
directly impacted by them. Almost 1700 WASEians are impacted by these
policies and they have no say in these policies, not even their feedback. A very
dictatorial approach is followed while formulating these policies as no
organization wide employee referendum, open house for WASEians are ever
conducted to get their feedback on these policies. Another thing to be noted is
even the WASE policies pertaining to academic affairs are formulated not by
academicians accredited by superior facto de uno authorities i.e. Government
of India’s Ministry Of HRD – Department of Education as incase of all
universities and other academic institutes, but by the Human Resource
Managers at Wipro Technologies Ltd. What needs to be answered is how does a
MBA degree, or being an experiences qualified corporate trainer makes an
individual equivalent to an academician responsible for university academic
affairs? The integrity, legitimacy, moral and ethical status of these policies is
very questionable.

There are policies which are just face value policies; they have never or rarely
been exercised. Even in cases where these policies are violated in mass. For
example, the policy pertaining to minimum criteria for clearing PRP and FRP
i.e. 80% score in the PRP and FRP examination, failure to which would lead
termination of the candidature has never ever been exercised, even with a high
rate of failure in these exams.

The policy pertaining to shortage of attendance which states “Incase of

candidate no meeting 75% attendance, would be barred from the current
semester exams”. The policy doesn’t state whether 75% attendance in
aggregate or per subject basis, as being short in attendance of one subject
should not lead to penalty for all the subjects. The policy also falls short in
stating the exception cases such as shortage of attendance due to engagement
of the candidate in business critical occupational activity or an onsite
assignment, medical reasons, cases pertaining to multiple unscheduled or not
pre notified classes of same subject in a single day. The policy also doesn’t
imply one year drop as proposed by the management as M.S in Software
Engineering program has courses without any prerequisites, in that case
student should be allowed to undertake the next semester as per the schedule
and retake the missed semester later or as a part of other semesters.

The policies only apply for WASEians, while any small violation of policy by
WASEians attract dire consequences on the other hand any shortcoming or
violation of policy by TTD is ignored and never questioned even by TTD heads
Mr. D. Selvan and HR Vice president Mr. Pratik Kumar. For instance in Bangalore
it was clearly an integrity issue according to WASE policy when almost 70% of
the WASE students of all batches were caught red handed for proxy
attendances in 2006, but yet these students were allowed to continue, it’s a
violation of policy people not satisfying 75% attendance by 2 days were allowed
to appear for semester exams, while students with 3 days short were
victimized and not allowed to appear for semester exams. These decisions
were independently taken by Mrs. Annapoorna Gopal (TTD WASE Coordinator)
and Mr. Kuruvilla Sebi Kumar (TTD WASE Coordinator), yet no penalty was
levied on them for violation of policies, while 22 WASEians were heavily taxed
for working in the interest of the organization.

There are some unwritten policies like denial of Grade sheets to the WASEians
until 4 years i.e. until completion of the WASE program. The policy is not
present in the bond, neither on corporate website, but is widely practiced, the
reason being, explicitly stating such policy could attract major legal
implications for the organization and symbolize bonded slavery.
The policy pertaining to the overtime benefits, client’s performance incentives,
bonuses for WASEians are also not defined are manipulated and reverted soon
after on website in case of status quo. These are practiced on the case to case
basis if the some practices wish to distribute these allowances it does -
unofficially, while other practices might not.

The Employment:

The BITS, Pilani policy clearly indicate that all candidates undergoing Distance
Learning Program or Collaborative Program are full time employees with the
organization and also are full time students with BITS, Pilani. The status of
WASEians in Wipro Technologies Ltd is more of pseudo students and pseudo
employees. The designation of the WASEians in the organization is Student –
Computer Applications. Such an arrangement is made to clearly discriminate
WASEians from normal full time employees. This enables the organization to
extract full time occupation at cheap labor rates in the name of education as
the status given to WASEians in the organization is just that of student. Again
the status of student is clearly misused as WASEians are involved in full time
employment and there is hardly any aspect of studentship in the whole
instrument, as one day of academic contact sessions i.e. Saturday classes for
M.S. makes a WASEian a full time student, while five days of full time work
doesn’t make WASEians a full time employee.

The whole ideology behind this program is so unethical and cheap since WASE is
the only collaborative program in the industry where the organization extracts
full time work from the WASEians and yet label them as “Student – Computer
Application” and treat them as students/trainees when it comes to salary,
benefits, organizational growth and opportunities, professional experience
certificate. On the contrary other contemporary large India and foreign IT MNC
like Cognizant Technology System, Patni Computers, HCL Technologies, and
Mahindra British Telecom all are running the same collaborative program with
BITS, Pilani and yet their candidates are treated, respected, and evaluated as
normal employees in all academic and professional aspects of the program in
the organization.

WASEians are deployed in a variety of projects & domains; it includes Testing

Projects, Maintenance Projects, Documentation Projects, Bug Fixing & Mediocre
Development Projects, Hard Core Development Projects, Niche Domains
Projects, and Business Analyst Roles. WASEians are primarily pseudo students,
the reason for that is that they are involved in full time employment i.e. 45 -50
Hrs/Week of occupational activities, yet they are designated as students, so as
the organization can employee them at cheapest possible rates which is barely
equivalent to perhaps the average national minimum wage of $4/Day. Infact
the irony here is that the Software Engineering Job pays even less than the
Wipro Gatekeeper who earns around $333/Month. It sometimes makes one
wonder about software engineering being a right career option or not.
As the IT industry has matured and it’s realized that Annualized Cost based
testing, maintenance projects are much more profitable than the development
projects. The reasons for arriving at such conclusions are:

1. The fact that most of the projects with all Indian IT majors are mostly
Maintenance and Testing projects, which actually account to 70% of the
total projects.
2. Emerging patterns and trends in the job market. Heavy recruitment just for
maintenance and testing projects.
3. Longer time span of the project and commitment between the
stakeholders.
4. The input resources for maintenance and testing projects are cheaper than
that required for development project which requires technically sound &
experienced human resource which is scarce and costly.

The difference in technological superiority and cost of resource required for

development project versus maintenance project is due to the following facts:

1. Higher training cost required to train engineers on proprietary technologies.

2. Higher cost of the technically superior manpower which generally come out
of niche T schools like IIT, BITS, NIT, IIIT and B Schools like ISB, FMS, IIM, MDI
in India and abroad.
3. High competency retention cost, the cost incurred by the company as
measure to reduce attrition by means of offering market wide highest
compensation to highly competent individuals.
4. High compensation rates for highly competent candidates both in form of
salaries as well as business partnership and collaboration and also stock
option.

The consequences of the artificial disparity induced by the Wipro Technologies

Ltd management, the HR, between employees and WASEians, is that even the
most competent and motivated WASEians are being deployed in technically &
managerially lower set of jobs like testing, maintenance, documentation as
compared to the normal employees. Though a decent number of them do
manage to get into technically & managerially enriching projects, but that
takes some time, around 2 – 3 years in WASE & lot of struggle (organizational
politics, higher technical & managerial competitiveness, competitiveness &
exclusiveness of the domain/skill, and some degree of non availability of other
contemporary resource( i.e. engineers) in the same project or domain). But
then again nothing is guaranteed.

The Virtue of Being Non-Billable:

Another malpractice widely practiced in the organization is many WASEians

work on live client projects without being billable, that means even thought
the WASEian would be working on the client project like any other employee,
but the clients don’t know about them, the organization extract work out of
them even when they are non billable, thus non billable WASEians in client
projects are deprived of client exposure, client benefits, and the appreciation
and appraisal of the work they have done. It’s like the practices in music
industry where ugly looking singers actually lend their voices while beautiful
looking models in the videos take all the ownership & appreciation for the
music. The consequences of such discriminatory practices have resulted in low
moral, low motivation, low confidence level, higher rate of medical problems
in WASEians, psychological disorders like depression, inferiority complex,
frustration and other long term not so obvious psychological effects which have
an impact on their personal lives.

To somehow deal with this problem internally, there is a Wipro Technologies Ltd
policy which states any employee engaged in a client project as a non billable
resource for three or more months would be released from the client project.
This policy is utilized by moving non billable resources primarily (WASEians)
from one project to another after every three months. Keeping some WASEians
as non billable resources or on bench for prolonged periods in the organization
doesn’t hurt organizations pocket as WASEians are anyways cheap labor and
bonded slaves.

The Discrimination – Denial of Opportunity:

The whole organizational environment is plagued by organizational politics,

when it comes to Learning Opportunities, Onsite Opportunities, Good Project
Opportunities, Exposure Opportunities, and Business Role Undertaking
Opportunities. Even the most basic elements as defined by fundamental
Management and Organizational Theory, like Job Rotation, Technical Training,
Managerial & Leadership Training, Appraisals which dictates job satisfaction and
development of individual as a human being as well as his/her growth in
organization are widely denied to WASEians, they only exists and are practiced
in corporate policy books.

The policy and its practice otherwise is more or less in place for regular
employees. All the above mentioned opportunities are available for normal
employees as a fundamental right. Even after completing 2-3 years in WASE,
normal employees even if fresher are always given the first preference when it
comes to career opportunities like onsite, managerial – business roles, and
technically rewarding project. The number of onsite opportunities for WASEians
are almost negligible at least not until one passes out, again nothing is
guaranteed even after that. It takes almost another six months after
completion of the four years long course to get an OOC banding for onsite
opportunity in Wipro Technologies Ltd. The technical & managerial expertise
acquired by the most average WASEians over a period 1-2 years after joining
WASE, after being exposed to a very competitive corporate environment makes
them equivalent to their counterparts B.E./B.Tech but the organization decides
to pretend its not so. Acknowledging such a fact would be an organizational
suicide of corporate philosophies and “The Spirit of Wipro” - “feels good, feel
connected, feel cared for” propaganda, as these philosophies claim equality &
respect for individuals, Value & Integrity in all maters of corporate affairs. It’s
totally against the virtue of Integrity, Value, Equality and Respect of Individuals
that WASEians should be denied fair opportunities in the organization,
discriminated and denied the acknowledgement to their efforts which are no
possible ways less both in quantity and quality as compared to any other
employees.

According to BITS Pilani policy the candidature to academic program in which

an employee is enrolled with the university as a part of Distance Learning
Program or a collaborative program would terminate only incase if the
employment bond between the employee and the organization is terminated by
the organization or the employee, but incase the employee terminates the
contract and there is a change of employment (generally in the organization
with similar enabling environment), in that case if the new organization agrees
to sponsor the employee for his education , the employee can still continue
with the program from where it was suspended. Example: if Wipro Technologies
Ltd WASE employee if decide in the middle of the bond period say in 3
semester to terminate the employment bond with Wipro Technologies Ltd and
join a new IT firm say Mahindra British Telecom, Cognizant Technology Systems,
HCL Limited, IBM and if these firm have no objection with the employee to
continue his educational program and sign a sponsorship contract with BITS, its
very much possible for the employee to continue the academic program from
the semester it was suspended in the new organization.

The Experience Certificate:

The experience certificate that WASEians receive after four years of the WASE
program, which involved full time occupation, clearly states the WASEians
association with the organization as nothing more than as “Student – Computer
Application”, it’s a plain vanilla certificate stating that so and so was
associated with Wipro Technologies Ltd for a period of four years as Student –
Computer Application and nothing more. These certificates many a times
doesn’t serve any purpose at all as one applies for job or higher education as
these organization and institutes wouldn’t count it as professional experience
as they have no option but go by the language on the certificate.

Also to be noted is that this experience in not even counted in Wipro

Technologies Ltd as a professional experience if the WASEians decide to
continue with Wipro Technologies Ltd after the completion of the WASE
program. It is demonstrated by the fact that when normal employees are
promoted to a red band after five years of service, it takes nine years (i.e. four
years WASE period and another five years of normal employment period) for
WASEians to reach the same level.

The question is it ethical and morally upright behavior on the part of the
organization not to acknowledge the services individuals offered to the
organization, no matter what designation that individual had in the
organization? Should designation be used as the criteria to establish the
legitimacy of the contribution/service of an individual offered to the
organization over the years? If that’s the case one could have any title in the
organization and yet no contribution. So by stating this point, are we trying to
say what normal employees perform over a five day week is call full time work
experience, while what WASEians do over a five day week is same as what
normal employees, then on what basis same is not acknowledged by the
organization? These are some very fundamental and important question in any
organization, and if not justified on ethical and morally upright ground leads to
social injustice.

The Onsite:

Onsite Opportunities / Onsite Trainings / Client Interaction and Job profiles like
Requirement Gathering / Analysis, Business Development Practices are core
part of the learning processes of any software professional. It enables
employees to develop a cosmopolitan outlook empowering them to deal with
clients from all over the world, giving them insight about their culture,
business practices. Such exposure helps employees to grow and further capture
more business for the organization.

The organization portrays WASEians as students and not as employees there by

reducing the onsite opportunities for WASEians. Since WASEians are not full
time employees with Wipro Technologies Ltd, thus there are legal
complications in getting VISA. The strategy behind such policy is that sending
WASEians onsite would defeat the purpose of running the WASE programs i.e.
cost cutting via cheap labor, therefore Wipro Technologies Ltd discourages
onsite assignments and exposure for WASEians. The probability of WASEians
going onsite is negligible, almost non existent one rough figure is almost 5/1750
(0.0028) i.e. the number of WASEians onsite in 2006. Even the duration of
onsite for WASEians is not more than two to three months. A Wipro Technologies
Ltd policy clearly states, absentee from the WASE program for more than 2
terms would automatically lead to termination of the candidature from the
organization which could lead to termination of candidature from BITS, Pilani
also.

The Accommodation:

Many WASEian live in shanty houses in the cheapest neighborhoods in the city
like (Audogodi), the rents in even these localities is as high as $65 per Person
per Month on sharing basis for a rented house; others find accommodation in
cities cheapest, insecure paying guest accommodations in the city. Some of
these paying guest accommodations are in form a large room with 5 – 10 bunker
beds arranged sequentially in the same room, resembling an army barrack,
these rooms are generally are not equipped with any cupboards a cupboard
would cost a bit extra, and have shared bathroom arrangements and yet come
on rent as high as $45/bed. Most of these paying guests accommodation also
provide meal facilities which include breakfast, lunch and dinner for its tenet’s
but at an extra cost ranging between $23/Month - $35/Month. The food served
is mostly south Indian delicacies. These paying guest are not the most secure
accommodation in the city, as indicated by many reports of harassment,
violence and violation of privacy by the paying guest management and owners,
theft of belongings of the tenet’s, brawls amongst room mates that have been
surfacing on almost daily basis.

There are decent localities in Bangalore with lower rentals almost as low as
33% - 50% lower rentals than the in city neighborhoods but are generally
situated very far away from the city centre or in the outskirts of the city. These
localities though have decent number market places, and are pretty well
connected to the rest of the city, lack recreational facilities, have limited
number of eating joints, cafes etc. So on an average generally one has to
anyways travel to in city localities for recreational activities etc almost once or
twice a week. Apart most importantly these localities are really far away from
employee’s office, and considering Bangalore’s inefficient and insufficient
public transport system, road networks and its condition and volume of traffic
simply implies awfully long and wasteful traveling time for the employees.
Some of these localities in Bangalore are Hosur, Bannerghetta, Rajaji Nagar,
and Whitefield – Hoodi Village, Thipasandra. These accommodations are
certainly cheap as compared to rental in the in city locations for instance a 1
BHK in these localities would be in the range $77/Month - $100/Month, while a
2 BHK would be in the range $145/Month - $215/Month.

Most of the well settled, well equipped good localities in Bangalore are located
around the city centre and are close to employee’s office and are also pretty
well connected with almost all parts of Bangalore. These locations flaunt
comparatively cleaner and greener surroundings, parks, lots of multi cuisine
eating joints and restaurants, pubs, market places, malls, internet cafes, cafes
and other recreational facilities like multiplexes, bowling joints, clubs, sports
clubs etc but all of this come at a premium price, which is generally difficult to
afford in WASE stipend. Some of such localities are Koramangala, Indranagar,
Jayanagar, J.P. Nagar, M.G. Road and BTM. A decent accommodation for one on
sharing basis in a rented house in these localities costs in the range of
$67/Person per Month - $88/Person per Month, apart from an initial security
deposit cost which is ten months of the accommodation rent. Another problem
is as WASEians are not eligible for a relocation benefits and considering their
low stipends they are not eligible for housing loans at least in first two years of
WASE It is problem since to rent a house in Bangalore one requires to pay ten
month rent in advance which leaves WASEians either to live in cheapest
possible paying guest accommodations or rent a house in localities situated
really far of from the office, sometimes even in outskirts of the city. Living in
distant localities in a city like Bangalore with high volume of traffic and no
metro railway system and buses as the only means of mass transport can mean
a waste of time at least 1.5 Hours – 3 Hours daily.

The average house rentals in Bangalore is indicted below:

House $ Security
S.No
Category Rental/Month Deposit
$1110 -
1 1BHK $111 - $200
$2000
$1560 -
2 2BHK $156 - $311
$3110
$2110 -
3 3BHK $211 - $444
$4440
These are 2004 -2005 indicative
Note figures. The true figure might differ
slightly.

The Lifestyle:

The low salary seriously affects the life style of the WASEians which can be
observed in their eating, clothing, leisure activities. The candidates are left
with no savings for the future, no excessive money for leisure and relaxing.

Lets take-up the general not explicit psychology and the economical factors
aspect to something as simple as the dress up of the WASEians. The dress up
which includes not just clothing but also the way one carries himself, the
attitude, the maturity of most such candidates is cheap, naïve and pretty
unprofessional. Generally in the first two years of the WASE program its not
very uncommon to find dressed up college in classics flaunting a jeans and a un
tucked tee shirts, sport shoes at times even floaters all through the week,
which is pretty ok but when coupled with the unprofessional, still in college
attitude, it’s totally out of sync with the business environment. One reason for
that is the attitude, the philosophy that is imposed on the organization by
designating them as students, makes them believe they are yet not out of
college, the professionalism, the maturity which these candidates are supposed
to develop after three years of professional graduate studies is generally
suppressed. Economically speaking such dress up is multi purpose, while just
owning a formal get up which would generally be used only 4 days a week and
only at office would be a little costly option. These implications are not so
explicit and are rather psychological effects that happen in the back of any
individuals mind.

A pattern has been discovered where WASEians shy away from group team
activities in the organization which would require investment from one’s own
pocket. With meager income even the most outgoing WASEians are forced to
transform into introverts, as limited income and stringent budgeting means
heavily cutting down of social activities and hobbies, which seriously hampers
individuals’ growth in life. It’s the period between 18 – 25 age i.e. college
period to early professional career period is when most human beings generally
travel, develop new hobbies and experiment, develop sporting skills this period
is the character defining period, as the habits, skills embodied in this period
become the personally traits of the individuals through out their life. This
doesn’t mean people stop experimenting, exploring and learning after 25, it’s a
continuous process and spans ones life time, but the above mentioned period is
very defining in an individuals’ life. The lifestyle imposed by the WASE program
and its limitations in form of low salary, exploitation of human beings has deep
impact on the personality development process of the WASEians. While normal
employees in the age group 22 – 25 easily afford (in terms of time as well as
monetarily) hobbies like traveling, music, movies, art, theatre, sports, gym,
swimming, photography WASEians generally are restricted to home watching
televisions (if they possess one) owing to their financial incapability as imposed
by their low salary, non enabling environment imposed by bonded slavery like
organizational practices, leave WASEians handicapped to experiment and
explore any opportunities within and outside the organization.

The implications of such lifestyles on WASEians are:

1. No time for personal developments, therefore very little intellectually or

socially growth of individuals.
2. No extra time to put towards studies.
3. No personal savings for future.
4. Higher social responsibilities.
5. Reduced involvement of WASEians in social activities outside the
organization.
6. Financial hardship at times ending in legal problems for WASEians.
7. Higher rate of medical problems amongst WASEians.
8. Higher stress level and other psychological affects like inferiority complex,
anger, depression which affects their personalities in long term.

The Compensation:

Salary, Scholarship, Stipend are the synonyms used for the compensation paid
to WASEians for occupational activities almost 200Hrs/Month (i.e. 9Hrs/Day *
5Days/Week * 4Weeks/Month) directed towards achieving business goals of the
organization, as done by any other normal employee in the organization. These
synonyms are used interchangeably by the organization on a day to day basis as
the role of pseudo student change to employees and vice versa. The words
salary and scholarship are used interchangeably by the organizations; it’s a
smart policy as it leaves no room for debates over the compensation i.e. any
demands for hike in salary by the WASE employee or in other words a demand
for raise in the scholarship by the WASE students. It’s hard to believe that any
market analysis was conducted before arriving at the compensation, factors
like inflation, rate of growth of economy, rising cost of living, competitive
market compensation for similar candidates in other organization are not taken
into consideration. The expensive options like saving and investing for a
secured future are unimaginable with such a stipend which is not even enough
to sustain the most modest and basic lifestyle. It actually makes one wonder
whether a career as software professional is such a good idea. In short WASE is
four years of poverty and extreme financial and associated hardship for the
candidates and perhaps also for their families.

WASEians aren’t eligible for any performance incentives, bonuses, market rate
correction compensations, and appraisal. Even the overtime benefit i.e.
reimbursement of $1.6 towards dinner for working beyond 18:00 Hours is
denied to the WASEians while normal employees are eligible for it all as their
fundamental right. What more the benefits from the clients like night shift
allowance, performance incentives, project bonuses, overtime benefits are
generally denied to WASEians, these policies are manipulated in real-time as
and when required, any dispute related to allowances are changed and are
reflected on the organization website immediately and then reversed soon
after. One can say policies and processes are dynamic and flexible. The yearly
hikes which range between 10% – 20% for normal employees is denied to the
WASEians. There is yearly hike of around $22/Month - $33/Month in the WASE
salaries, but considering the inflation and raised purchasing parity doesn’t add
up to anything, and doesn’t really raise the standard of living and lifestyle of
WASEians . But the fact is Indian economy has seen quantum leaps in past 3 - 4
of years 2002 - 2006, resulting in a high inflation rate owing to high purchasing
parity. The inflation rate is averaged around 7% - 8% continuously. The property
prices have changed almost 50% - 100% in years 2004 – 2006. The residential
rental rates in Bangalore go up by almost 10% every year in as a trend. In such
an economy which is growing exponentially the stipend given to the WASEians
and the yearly hikes in the stipend are not sufficient. More so the WASE
scholarship is taxable. In what country of the world scholarships are taxable?

Another thing to be noted is the Government of India also endow the

candidates undergoing M.Tech in government institutes like IIT, BITS, NIT, IIIT,
Government Colleges, these endowments are in the range of $100/Month to
$180/Month apart from other scholarships like tuition fee waiver, merit
scholarships etc for a full time program lasting 2 years only. So the question is
what’s so great about doing WASE as compared to undergoing full time M.Tech
outside as far as endowments are concerned? While in the case of M.Tech
outside one doesn’t have to be a full time employee for being endowed while
in the case WASE candidates has to work as a full time employee to get such an
endowment.

The stipend is not even sufficient to provide for most basic of needs. As a
resort to ending financial hardship most WASEians end up borrowing from their
families, which defeat the purpose as many a time many of these students are
here to get quality education which they wouldn’t be able to pursue otherwise.
Other WASEians who owing to self pride or poor family financial conditions end
up taking excessive loans from bank, higher utilization of credit cards and as a
result many a times end up as defaulters owing to non payment of credit thus
landing themselves into legal problems.

What else needs to be noticed is that similar collaborative programs is being

offered by so many other Indian companies, the compensations in these
organization is almost double what Wipro Technologies Ltd pay to the
candidates of its collaborative program.

The WASE stipend for the first two years is in range $126 - $166 which is even
less than $179 spent towards sustaining even the basic needs. The indicated
cost towards monthly food budget is the cost of three meals/ Day at
organizations cafeteria, which is pretty subsidized and, doesn’t include cost
incurred for snacks and drinks or a meal in restaurants outside. The budget
doesn’t include expenses incurred by the WASEians for books and reading
material to be purchased by them, considering the organizational library are ill
equipped to cater to 700 odd student from one batch itself. The budget also
doesn’t include any cost towards clothing expenses, leisure activities,
entertainment expenses, and traveling expenses on an average two round trip
to native place. As many of the candidates are from north India and India being
a vast country, and considering only 15 Days/Annum of permissible leaves to
adjust from, traveling by rail is a time consuming means of transportation, on
an average would cut your trip short by 2 -2.5 days short in one direction, thus
leaving only air travel the only suitable option, which again even with no frill
airlines in picture is an expensive option considering the meager stipend and
absolutely no savings.

The Compensation Offered By Other Indian And International MNC For

Similar Collaborative Program Candidates In Their Organization:

S.No Company 1st 2nd 2nd 3rd Year 4th Year

Semester Semester Year
1 Wipro Technologies. $126 $137 $165 $211 $344
2 Mahindra British $ $ $ $ $
Telecom*
3 Cognizant Technology $200 $200 $290 $375 $480
Systems*
4 Patni* $190 $190 $290 $380 $470
5 HCL Technologies* $ $ $ $ $
These are 2004 -2005 indicative figures. The true figure might differ
Note
slightly.
Actual figures may be higher as influenced by annual appraisal, market
*
and economy influenced compensation correction, annual hike, bonuses.

The financial budget of an average WASEian in Bangalore, the budget for

WASEians in other location would vary very slightly is demonstrated below:

S.No Resources Cost/Month

1 House Rent $67
2 Telephone $22
3 Electricity $3
4 Drinking Water $1
5 Cable TV Connection $1
6 Breakfast @ $0.4 $13
7 Lunch @ $0.9 $27
8 Dinner @ $0.6 $20
9 Medical Insurance $6
10 Transportation Cost i.e. Company Transport $14
11 Interest Towards Bond Money Loan $9
12 Miscellaneous (Personal Care Goods) $10
13 Total $179
These are 2004 -2005 indicative figures. The true figure might differ
Note
slightly.

The Benefits:

The Other Benefits In Other Firms Offering Such Collaborative Programs Are:

Wipro Technologies – Employee Benefits

1. 10 months interest free loans of $444.
2. Parental life Insurance Of $222/Annum.
3. General Medical Insurance $111/Month.
4. Medical Cover of Up to $2222/Annum towards serious aliments.
5. Zero Days/Annum paid sick leaves.
6. 15 Days/Annum paid annual leaves.
7. Zero Days/Annum Maternity - Parental leaves.
8. $50/Month of WASE course expenses paid by the company.
9. 50% rebate on $26/Month company transport (Buses) charge.

Mahindra British Telecom – Employee Benefits

1. Company leased 3 star accommodations on sharing basis.

Cognizant Technology Systems – Employee Benefits

Patni – Employee Benefits

1. General Medical Insurance $333/Annum
2. Medical Cover of Up to $2222/Annum towards serious aliments.
3. ? Days/Annum paid sick leaves.
4. 18 Days/Annum paid annual leaves.
5. 45 Days/Annum Maternity - Parental leaves.
6. Collaborative course expenses paid by the company.

HCL Technologies – Employee Benefits

The Implications:

1. No or very little improvement of the socio – economic conditions and life

style of WASEians and their families. As the stipend is very less WASEians
themselves can barely sustain themselves, also they can’t contribute
towards their families. Their purchasing power is limited, and they remain
at the bottom of the socio – economic ladder for at least four years. Four
years is a pretty long time, as far as economics is concerned and other wise
also. It generally takes longer for WASE candidates to catch up compared to
the normal employees in the organization as a result they are not able to
rise up the economic ladder at the same rate.
2. Many of these talented brains are restrained by the policies and lack of
enabling environment and are not able to venture out as in case mentioned
for studies abroad. This leads to a serious loss to the nation as the
intellectual wealth and talent gets wasted or under utilized.

3. The curriculum is technically not very awarding to the candidates, as result

the candidates successfully completing on an average wouldn’t be of the
same quality as students from other computer science courses from BITS,
Pilani campus or any other world class institutes.

4. No time for personal developments, therefore very little intellectually or

socially growth of individuals.
5. No extra time to put towards studies.
6. No personal savings for future or advanced studies (MBA or anything from
abroad critically depends on previous employment savings, which in case
WASE is nil, thus most WASEians are deprived of such golden opportunities).
7. Inability to fulfill their social obligation towards their siblings, their
families. Higher social responsibilities.
8. Reduced involvement of WASEians in social activities outside the
organization.
9. Financial hardship at times ending in legal problems for WASEians.
10.Higher rate of medical problems amongst WASEians, hyper tension, high
blood pressure.
11.Higher stress level and other psychological affects like inferiority complex,
anger, depression, compulsive obsessive disorders, isolation behavior which
affects their personalities in long term.

The Cost to the Organization:

The point, the fact that the company is investing money is WASE program; is
the reason for creating disparity between non WASE employees and WASE
employees is unjustified. The organization also invests in the MBA program
from Symbiosis, PGSM from IIMB, MS Microelectronics from BITS, Pilani, but
those employees are compensated on industry standard rates & eligible for all
other company benefits. The cost incurred by the organization in offering the
above mentioned collaborative programs would be in the same range as that of
WASE. But it’ll be an organizational suicide if Wipro Technologies Ltd decides to
treat its normal employees like WASEians. Also to be noted is that the
investment by the organization into WASE is not from its kitty, if one calculates
it’s a deduction from the anyways underpaid WASE stipend. What is also not
acknowledged and accounted for is the business created or accomplished by
the WASEians working as full time employees in the organization like any other
employee. Another thing that needs to be noted is that there is no
transparency in the claims about the amount of investment that the
organization swears on running the WASE program. The transparency of the
whole process is being questioned because of the fact that no Account balance
sheet, exclusively indicating the cost incurred by the organization in running
WASE program, has ever been released. Also, what needs to be thought about is
if the organization claims that it invests for 4 years into the WASE program,
then why doesn’t organization have a WASE retention policy after 4 years, to
reap on the return on investment. Almost 98% WASEians leave the organization
in the 5th year i.e. immediately after completing the WASE program. The
reasons for such an alarming attrition rate have been discussed later in this
paper. The fact is return on investment which is 4.2 times more than the
normal employee which the company reaps during 4 year WASE is never
acknowledged.

Therefore the cost including salary of WASE Program/WASEian/month to the

organization = $83

(I.e. $494/6Months)

Therefore the cost excluding salary of WASE Program/WASEian/month to the

organization = $54

(I.e. $326/6Months)

Considering these are just rough estimates, and the fact that the facilities
are owned by Wipro Technologies, thus the infrastructure rent is
considerably less.

The more close figure of cost of running WASE Program/WASEian/month to

the organization = $44

$ $ Total
Batch Students
Salary/Student Salary
2002 70 $344 $24080
2003 230 $211 $48530
2004 690 $167 $115230
2005 680 $144 $97920
Total 1670 $866 $285760

$ Average Salary $171

The Indicative Cost To The Organization/Semester Is As Follow:

No Resources Units Of $ Unit Cost $Total Cost/

Resources/ Per Unit Semester
 Resource/
Semester
Semester
i.e. 16
Lectures
1 Cost Per Faculty 32 Lecturers $1328 $42666
2 Stationary 17 Classes $21 $362
Rental Of Infrastructure
For Conducting Classes.
3 Electricity 17 Classes $3552 $60444
(Water/ Air conditioners /
Lighting/ Projectors)
Student Fees (Tuition,
4 1744 Students $266 $465066
Examination Fee)
Student Salary 1744 Students $168 $293934
6 Total Cost 1744 Students $494 $862472
These are 2004 -2005 indicative figures. The true figure might differ
Note
slightly.
Note Averaged for batches 2002 – 2005

The total cost incurred by the organization per WASEian/batch:

S.No $ Unit Cost

Average
$ Per WASEian
Cost $/
Total Projected for WASE Total Cost To
WASEian/
Number Salary Program / The
Batch Day
Of Per Batch @ Organization/4
Averaged
WASEians WASEian $54/Month Years/WASEian
Over 4
/ Batch For 48
Years
Months
1 1995 25 $8266 $400 $8666 $5.9
2 1996 105 $8266 $400 $8666 $5.9
3 1997 147 $8266 $400 $8666 $5.9
4 1998 159 $8266 $400 $8666 $5.9
5 1999 76 $8266 $400 $8666 $5.9
6 2000 74 $8266 $400 $8666 $5.9
7 2001 0 $8266 $400 0 0
8 2002 94 $10306 $400 $8666 $5.9
9 2003 264 $10306 $2592 $12898 $8.8
10 2004 706 $10306 $2592 $12898 $8.8
11 2005 680 $10306 $2592 $12898 $8.8
These are 2004 -2005 indicative figures. The true figure might differ
Note
slightly.

The Profit (Return on Investment) To the Organization:

Accumulated Cost Reduction Competitiveness of WASEian over Engineers
over 4 Years is almost 427%

Total Cost to the Organization per WASE Batch (i.e. 4 Years) = $22,406,912
($8.8/Day Average Salary * 365Days/Year * 4Years/Batch * 1744 WASEians =
$22,406,912)

Total Income of the Organization per WASE Batch (i.e. 4 Years) =

$481,344,000
($230 /Day Charge from Client* 300Days/Year * 4Years/Batch * 1744 WASEians =
$481,344,000)

That is a whooping 21Times or 2100% Return on Investment to the Company.

This cost doesn’t include the profit returns over the highly subsidized corporate
loans Wipro Technologies would be taking from SBI in return for the business SBI
has been able to achieve for the large amount of 4 Years long Fixed Deposit
Bonds signed between the WASEians, SBI and Wipro Technologies.

Returns on Corporate Investment @ 20%/Annum by Wipro on highly

subsidized corporate loans from SBI = $4,256,502

Principle Amount = $2,907,248

(I.e. $1667 Bond Amount * 1744 WASEians = $2,907,248)
Return on Corporate Investment @ 20% after Paying Interest to SBI for loan @
10% = $4,256,502
Note: Corporate Investment @ 20% is a rough estimate.

The comparative compensation analysis WASEian Vs candidates of

collaborative programs in other firms Vs B.Tech/M.C.A/ B.E.

Wipro Wipro
Industry
Charges Charges
Years Of Pay To
From Wipro From Wipro Pays To
Experience Equivalent
Clients Pays To Clients BE/B.Tech/MCA
No. Of Candidate
Average WASEian Average Average Pay
Years Into s
$/Day $/Day $/Day $/Day
WASE (WASE) $/
For For
Day
WASEians Engineers
0-1 $40 $4.5 $10 $60 $15
1-2 $60 $5.5 $12 $80 $20
2-3 $100 $7.03 $14 $225 $31
3-4 $275 $11.4 $25 $300 $40
4-5 $450 $18.15 $51 $450 $48
Note These are 2004 -2005 indicative figures. The true figure might
 differ slightly.

The Attrition - The Brain Drain:

Another strange aspect of this collaborative instrument is the high attrition

rate after the program completes. The attrition rate amongst WASEians after
completing their MS degree program i.e. in their fifth year of the organization
is as high as 95% in some batches even higher. The question arises why the
organization doesn’t have a policy for retaining WASE employees, when the
organization claims of high investment in running the WASE program.
Considering the high attrition rate amongst WASEian the Return on Investment
of this instrument for the organization would be negligible, a scenario of loss,
and not a good business practice. This is what might seem to an outsider, what
is not accounted for is the full time employment extracted at dirt cheap rates,
the business accomplished and created by the WASEians in their 4 year tenure
compensates the cost incurred and rather contribute much more to the
organizations profits as the economical competitiveness of WASE employee over
normal employee is almost 4 times. These facts are not acknowledged by the
organization, and thus it makes it possible for the organization to make
baseless claims such as high investment incurred in running the WASE program.

The obvious reasons why the WASEians leave the company after the completion
of their program are stated below:

Reasons for High Attrition amongst WASEians:

1. Previous accomplishments are not considered and they have to start ground
zero in the organization again. The organization differentiates 4 years full
time employment by WASEians from 4 years full time employment that of
normal employees. So incase one has to start afresh in an organization why
not join a new better organization.
2. What would take five years for a normal employee even B.Sc. graduate to
get a red band in Wipro Technologies Ltd would take WASEians 9 years in
total i.e. 4 years of the WASE program and five years of services.
3. It takes another six months in the organization after completing four years
program to get Onsite Opportunity Career banding, which makes one
eligible for long term onsite opportunity.
4. After successful completion of the WASE program of 4 years, they are
absorbed into B1 as employees. Assessed for B2 in next progression cycle or
six months which ever is later? Fresh B.Tech candidate is absorbed into band
B1 after confirmation i.e. one year of service, for the same it would take 5
years.
5. The compensation after completing WASE program offered to WASEians is
ridiculously low. The compensation offered to an average WASE pass out in
 2004 was a mere $6666/Annum in Wipro Technologies Ltd, while for the
same candidate the industry pays $16000/Annum.
6. It makes more sense for WASEians to move out after four years of human
abuse and exploitation, suffering and humiliation in the organization.
7. The policies of the WASE era has adversely impacted and would continue to
impact WASEians in future in the form missed opportunities (onsite,
academic growth, technical and managerial growth) which are widely
denied to WASEians in one form or other in the 4 years of the program,
wastage of time (1-2 years) due to penalties in form of prolongation of the
program, incase of many female candidate unfruitful winding up of crucial
growth period of their life in the WASE program which one expected as a
period of learning, growth and development, as most of them reach an
average age of 25 – 26 years by the end of the WASE program, that as per
Indian standards is the new standard marriage age in urban India generally
leads to a gap in their career life and in many cases even end of their
career life without any major accomplishment just at the time of reaping
any benefits of this four year long program.

The Stakeholders - the Culprits and the Remedies:

To understand the stake of each party involved and responsible for the
corrosion of a novel idea the need for a detailed and independent
organizational study is become an utmost necessity before it leads to any
further degradation of the society, its value system and before any more talent
and young lives are wasted. Though this case study does take the initiative to
suggest remedies and ask questions which need to be answered, but in no way
it’s a complete study as a lot more would go in understanding the social, legal
implication of such instruments. Primarily the remedies would come about
with:

Primary Remedies:

1. Business organizations realizing their ethical and moral responsibilities they

owe to their employees, to the community. The organizations need to
accept the very elementary and universal truth about respecting its
employee.
2. Academic institutes realizing their responsibility to do what ever it takes to
polish the immense young talent of this country and doing this job as
personally as possible. As academic institutes and the students are married
to each other and no one else and certainly not the business organizations.
Academic institutes should not become playgrounds for organization as in
case of the WASE collaboration.
3. Governments, political and legal systems taking responsibility to organize
labor in the country, introduce full proof labor laws to protect the interest
of the common man of the country.
The Indian Education System:

By adopting 3+1 degree structures like [B.Sc (3Years) + (Honors Years) (1 Year)]

Birla Institute of Technology and Sciences:

BITS, Pilani has done great by expanding, entrepreneuring and making a bigger
presence in industry and reaching out to wider masses. But what needs to be
realized is such expansion shouldn’t be at the cost of brand equity that it has
created for itself in past. The expansion shouldn’t be at the cost of quality of
academic affairs. In case of collaborative program such as WASE, the short
coming of BITS, Pilani are failure of BITS to provide the same standards of
academic for collaborative program as for its on-campus program.

The WASE program needs serious remodeling to bridge the gap what industry
demands, it needs to focus on developing intellectual scientific wealth,
promote collaboration amongst individuals, and promote entrepreneurship
amongst it students. The unique selling point of WASE needs to be redefined, it
needs to be repackaged and remarketed, what needs another look is the
duration of course, content of the course, research and development
components. The course should be future oriented, should be more than just
what industry demands right now, it should have strong research and
development, innovation components so as to become a driver for future
technological revolution. All this can be achieved by following

1. Higher degree of direct involvement of BITS with the students in DLP and
collaborative programs, strictly identifying and implementing standard
invariant policies across all collaborative programs in different organization.
2. Define a process of segregating academic affairs from organization affairs,
all academic affairs like attendance, fees, exams, curriculum, duration of
the programs, faculty selection, timetable, contact sessions should be under
direct and complete jurisdiction of BITS, while organization affairs like
occupational activity, organizational growth, etc should be under direct and
complete jurisdiction of the organization.
3. Implementing check procedures against organization so that collaborative
programs are not misused by organization as an instrument of bonded labor,
slavery, instrument of misusing gaps in the labor laws.
4. Collaborate with students already in the industry i.e. students of
collaborative program, and not just the organizations, to innovate, to drive
a new technological revolution.
5. Same selection process, guidelines and eligibility for faculty as done for on-
campus faculty.
6. Define the maximum number of working hours for students to prevent
misuse of labor laws especially incase the organization designate the
 candidates in these collaborative program as students rather than full time
employees, for instance as in Wipro Technologies Ltd.
7. Reducing the duration of the course to three years. That’ll make the course
more intense, more demanding. It’ll increase the turn around time, the
pace of the cycles of sculpting the raw man power into highly technical
readily deployable manpower.
8. Make the course more advanced, basic refresher courses can be compressed
into first year of the course while reserving second year of the course for
management and software engineering subjects and final year of the course
for advanced computer science courses like AI, Neural Networks, Modeling
and Simulation, Computational finance, Computational Science And
Engineering and reserving final semester for dissertation.
9. Also give students the option of completing dissertation at BITS campus, or
other national and international Research and development institutes and
universities. Introduce more research and entrepreneur component in the
program.
10.Provide a centralized resource and knowledge portal for on campus, off
campus DLP and collaborative program students.
11.BITS need to be more responsible and answerable directly to the students in
collaborative program. There should be a grievance and complaint helpdesk
for to address students issues related to corporate abuse and exploitation,
corporate mal practices apart from academic issues.

Clients/Customers to Indian IT firms offering such collaborative program, e.g.

Wipro Technologies Ltd:

The international clients are totally ignorant about the labor practices in Wipro
Technologies Ltd. The misuse of labor by terming them as students and
extracting full time work out of them under a bond is totally hidden from the
clients so are the malpractices like non billable WASEians being deployed in
client projects working as shadows, underpaying labor largely by terming them
as students so as in interest of their own profit, misusing the fact that large
pool of talented human resource is available for employment at dirt cheap
rates, thus hurting the national interest. What organization offering business to
companies like Wipro Technologies Ltd can do is come in agreement with them
on the terms and condition of the treatment labor being deployed in their
project according to well defined international standards pertaining to labor
laws, labor wages and benefits. What international firm can do without is
pretending to be blind to such malpractices by them or their clients in the
name of business as the western economies have a rich history and have
already seen rise and fall of slavery and bonded labor and great reforms in
their labor laws.

The Industry and the Labor Research Institutes:

The industry, the associations like NASSCOM have role here, after being aware
of the malpractices of organizations they have a role to define the standards
pertaining to labor rights, trade practices of the organization. This would
create a world class environment with guaranteed quality and well defined
processes for IT related business, which would enable higher interoperability
amongst international player, thus enabling Indian IT industry to make a bigger
global mark and operate on the larger share of the total global IT business.

What these associations like NASSCOM can do is collaborate with labor research
institutes of national and international relevance, collaborate with
international IT associations and organize the IT sector, by defining guidelines
and standards for Indian IT firms inline with international labor laws and best
industry practices. These guidelines should define the relation between the
education, experience, competency and minimum benefits associated with it.
Also define the framework for such collaboration between academic institutes
and industry to prevent any malpractices owing to non existence of laws.

The organizations like International Labor Organizations were created to

address these labor related issues; it has a role to play here in India. In a
developing country like India, which is already sharing the world stage with the
world most developed countries, such reforms can be brought about easily and
more transparently at least in organized sectors like IT. What needs to be
resolved is the legitimacy of such collaborative programs, so that they don’t
become the modern day bonded labor and slavery.

The Organization - Wipro Technologies Ltd:

The Program Philosophy:

The problem is not with just the philosophy of the program but with the whole
organizational philosophy. The half hearted and hypocritical approach towards
principles like values, integrity, respect for individuals. What lacks is the
universal feeling on the part of the employees that they are honored, they are
respected and it’s shouldn’t be based on what degree you have and from what
school or what rank or title you have. What really matters is you are part of the
team, and what can you contribute and are you doing your job. It’s about
realizing the fact that people’s actions are directed towards achieving their
own aspirations. People should have some part in making the decisions, which
they are going to be involved with, so as they can more effectively implement
them. The top management should set the overall objectives and goals and
then get out of the way and let the people do their jobs. As it’s these engineers
who are involved in the development of products, they should develop qualities
to take ownership and responsibility of their actions, to implement and
contribute more effectively. The decision making should be at the lowest
possible level.
The exploitation of human beings, unethical labor practices under the cover of
education should stop. The only ethically and morally right way around is
acknowledging the fact that WASEians are full time employees contributing in
whole to the business of the organization as any other employee in the
organization and they also undergo full time educations on i.e. officially
holiday i.e. Saturdays on their own free will for which the organization just
acts as a facilitator rather than policing body. Such acknowledgement would
certainly lead to change of status of WASEians from students to full time
employees, revised compensation in line with the industry, revisions in the
banding structure and career growth plans. The WASE program should have an
outcome that 100% of these well groomed candidates take on major technical
and managerial roles in the organizations or else be successful entrepreneurs
outside. They should demonstrate leadership and make global impact,
contribute to the community.

The key to such activities is establishing an enabling environment with people

friendly policies setting up entrepreneurship incubators and drive people
collaborate individually and take the stage. There should an active drive on
extracting maximum technical, social in the form of white papers, design
documents, computational models, re-engineering from the WASEians in the
organization. The organization can successfully utilize the WASE academic
circle for Research and Development Activities. Innovations can be realized if
these young mind can be collected, allowed to collaborate within and outside
the organization with like minds from worlds best universities, research and
development institutes Initiative are required to provide an enabling
environment for academic and technological exchanges through students’
exchange, guest faculty exchange, knowledge sharing, establishing cooperative
research and development facilities. A collaborative environment where the
best universities from around the world are connected with WASE. Rather than
wasting such extreme talents on benches and C.o.E. (Centre of Excellences) for
years and years, they can be utilized to develop product prototypes; this would
also instill the core engineering skills in these candidates as they will learn
aspects of product engineering, technology and resource management,
optimization and project management.

The Training:

Wipro Technologies Ltd can work out a training collaboration with CDAC for
world class advanced training; the training would be then oriented towards a
sought after diploma from CDAC, there by instilling the candidates with
advanced knowledge and making them highly qualified. The trainings could also
be directed towards various certifications like Sun, Rational, and Oracle etc.

PRP can be improved and better utilized by making it more advanced by

introducing in-depth curriculum and redefining the course for certain domains.
The PRP for telecommunication as in 2004 needed drastic improvements as
most its contents were repetition of what candidates learnt in there FRP and
hardly had any applicative contents or anything related to the real projects. At
least PRP should have more hands on and practical sessions.

A 2-3 months project oriented activity can be introduced at the end of the
training. The projects should be more focused towards research and
development, oriented towards a product. Teams of 50 -100 candidates can be
developed and given an overall goals and objectives, empowered with tools,
delegated responsibilities, allowed to simulate and experience the project
environment. It’ll teach candidates to collaborate, understand team work, and
understand business dynamics. It’ll empower them to make decisions, take
leadership and responsibility, make contribution, and take the stage. It’ll instill
in the candidates confidence, ownership, risk taking and decision making
qualities. It’ll lead to innovation; it’ll lead to a product, as a by product.

The Human Resource Management:

WASE has been utilized by the organization as an instrument to reduce

operating cost significantly. As one of the responsibilities of the HR is that of
compensation manager, it’s their job profile to control compensation, reduce
resource cost by recruiting the cheapest available candidates, running
operating cost reducing instruments such as WASE. The HR in case of WASE
failed to focus on the principles of TQM – “Total Quality Management”, which
states all parties i.e. customer, vendors, employees, community (employee
family & society around), business stakeholders need to be equally taken care
of & satisfied. In case of WASE neither the employees, nor the community
around is taken care for. The HR practices has created a technological &
economic divide by not respecting and acknowledging WASE employees for the
efforts, the work, the business achieved, the revenues generated by the
WASEians. What needs to be realized is individuals in any organizations are not
like replaceable parts as in assembly line of a production plant, we are talking
about human beings here, who need to be treated with respect.

The Policies:

The scrutinizing policies imposed on WASEians which severely restrict their

growth in the organization have all been formulated by the HR department.
These policies only serve the purpose of making WASEians uncomfortable,
divided, and paranoid in the organization. Most of these policies are
impractical, unethical and more of punishments rather than operating
guidelines. The policies for example shortage of attendance attracts severe
penalties like a year drop punishment, even in the cases where the WASE
candidates were involved in project activities even on weekends for the
organization itself due to work pressure from the practices, have severely
hampered the WASEian’s trust in the system. The everyday problems of policies
coming across day to day activities of WASEians leave them disinterested and
unmotivated. The unessicary disparity induced by the HR amongst WASE and
normal employees makes almost impossible for WASEians to connect and
contribute, as it creates an environment which is void of respect for
individuals, equality and trust. It absolutely makes policies pertaining to
academic affairs formulated by Wipro Technologies Ltd questionable on both
ethical, legal grounds as no academicians are involved in formulating such
policies rather they are formulated by human resource managers, who are no
way qualified as academicians. What needs to be realized is that in matter of
student affairs, the initiative should be driven from the students themselves,
the policy formulation should be done with equal involvement of students and
academicians rather than only business organization management.

A more liberal and democratic approach should be adopted while devising

policies for sensitive instruments like academics. The organization should
restrict its jurisdiction to organizational affairs and only some aspects of
academic affairs like facilitation of learning environment, infrastructure, while
alienating itself from all other academic affairs like attendance, fees, exams,
grade sheets, transcripts curriculum, and duration of the programs, faculty
selection, timetable, and contact sessions. The candidates are full time
employees undergoing educational program out of their free will without
compromising on the occupational aspect of the WASE collaborative
instrument. The organization should not deviate from its role of being just a
facilitator for its employees to pursue higher education, while they contribute
full time towards organizations business goals. Wipro Technologies Ltd is
neither a university nor an educational institute it’s a professional business
organization. The policies should be more process oriented, should be explicit
and should have high traceability covering all possible scenarios. They should
be accommodating, flexible and sensitive. The students and academicians
should be directly of wholly involved in the process of devising policies
pertaining to academic affairs, as they are the only one’s who are impacted by
these policies.

The HR department should initiate more transparent, organization wide open

houses, employee referendum, all hands meets to discuss and communicate
issues, opportunities, organizational & academic affairs, and research &
development affairs etc.

The Academic Affairs:

The Employment:

According to BITS Pilani policy the candidature to academic program in which

an employee is enrolled with the university as a part of DLP or collaborative
program would terminate only incase if the employment bond between the
employee and the organization is terminated by the organization or the
employee, but incase the employee terminates the contract and there is a
change of employment (generally in the organization with similar enabling
environment), in that case if the new organization agrees to sponsor the
employee for his education , the employee can still continue with the program
from where it was suspended. Example: if Wipro Technologies Ltd WASE
employees if decide in the middle of the bond period say in 3rd semester to
terminate the employment bond with Wipro Technologies Ltd and join a new IT
firm say Mahindra British Telecom, Cognizant Technology Systems, HCL Limited,
IBM and if these firm have no objection with the employee to continue his
educational program and sign a sponsorship contract with BITS, its very much
possible for the employee to continue the academic program from the
semester it was suspended in the new organization.

The Stipend:

The Cost:

As per the BITS, Pilani policy i.e. the organization is not liable to pay the
candidates fees for the educational program, unless organization feels an
obligation to sponsor the candidates out of its will, the candidate being a full
time employee with the organization is supposed to bear the cost of education,
while the organization is liable to pay the candidate for their services. The
cost of $50 per WASEian per Month incurred by the organization for facilitating
WASE program if calculated and analyzed is actually deducted from the
anyways underpaid salary. Also when the organization is also investing in other
training programs like M.S. Microelectronics from BITS, M.B.A from Symbiosis,
and PGDSM from IIMB for normal employees and there is no disparity between
candidates undergoing these programs and other employees, so morally there
shouldn’t be any discrimination with WASEians also.

The Profit/Return on Investment to the Organization:

Accumulated Cost Reduction Competitiveness of WASEian over Engineers

over 4 Years is almost 427%

Total Cost to the Organization per WASE Batch (i.e. 4 Years) = $22,406,912
($8.8/Day Average Salary * 365Days/Year * 4Years/Batch * 1744 WASEians =
$22,406,912)
Total Income of the Organization per WASE Batch (i.e. 4 Years) =
$481,344,000
($230 /Day Charge from Client* 300Days/Year * 4Years/Batch * 1744 WASEians =
$481,344,000)

That is a whooping 21Times or 2100% Return on Investment to the Company.

This cost doesn’t include the profit returns over the highly subsidized corporate
loans Wipro Technologies would be taking from SBI in return for the business SBI
has been able to achieve for the large amount of 4 Years long Fixed Deposit
Bonds signed between the WASEians, SBI and Wipro Technologies.

Returns on Corporate Investment @ 20%/Annum by Wipro on highly

subsidized corporate loans from SBI = $4,256,502

Principle Amount = $2,907,248

(I.e. $1667 Bond Amount * 1744 WASEians = $2,907,248)
Return on Corporate Investment @ 20% after Paying Interest to SBI for loan @
10% = $4,256,502

Note: Corporate Investment @ 20% is a rough estimate.

End Of Case Study

Consolidated Issues v0 1.doc By Another WASE 2004 BDC Student

I. MS by BITS Pilani?

The level of knowledge?

1. Knowledge being imparted in the course DOES NOT gives us the feeling that
we are doing MS from an institution as reputed as BITS Pilani, that too in
collaboration with Wipro Technologies – which provides an excellent
exposure to the latest practices, technologies and tools available in the
market.
2. The theoretical knowledge imparted by the faculty in the class is
sometimes even below than what we studied at the bachelor’s level.
3. This is considered at par with on-campus program, we at least expect
exposure and strength of curriculum, standard of examinations conducted
and quality of students enrolled to be at par.
4. No practical labs. Expect us to learn programming in languages like C, JAVA,
etc without labs. Computers in the training rooms are switched off or not all
the computers have necessary softwares for people to practice. LAB
sessions should be conducted. We suggest 1 hr theory + 1 hr lab for such
 classes considering that syllabus is not too vast and people grab faster
with practicals.
5. Management says it is on job training but does not realize that not all are
working on same technology what they are learning in their current
semester. Some may not even have access to those softwares for practice
and no one is expected to do their course-related practice on client
machines.

Infrastructure?

At classes conducted in WIPRO campus

1. 115-120 students sitting in a training center with maximum capacity of 90.

2. 60 is ideal strength of any class (agrees faculty). Still they are asked to
manage huge batches for lack of infrastructure, faculties and cost-
effectiveness.
3. Need well-maintained projectors, markers, mike, etc.
4. With 400 Students in a batch, Only < 10 books are available in Library

At classes conducted outside WIPRO campus (eg. Dayananad Sagar

Engg College)

1. 90 students sitting in a class of maximum capacity 60.

2. 60 is ideal strength of any class (agrees faculty). Still they are asked to
manage huge batches for lack of infrastructure, faculties and cost-
effectiveness.
3. No fans, AC available. There are 2-3 floor fans, not much bigger than table
fans to adjust with. No more fans available.
4. Amenities like proper projectors for slides, etc are not available.

Quality of faculties?

1. With ever-increasing number of batches and strength, not due attention is

being given to selection of quality faculties.
2. WIPRO says BITS decide on faculties and they have no say over there. But
management need to take it seriously and sort out with them because it
impacts WIPRO’s name. (refer BITS Bulletin 2003-2004 pg V-1
“faculty/resources persons are drawn from the institute, the participating
organizations as well as experts from other institutions”)
3. Faculties lack commitment towards students.
4. Faculties do slide-reading instead of imparting knowledge through effective
case-studies and assignments.
5. The examination standard has gone down drastically. Ask any person to
compare examination papers of this year with any of the previous year’s.
They are not even of standard of Internal exams of colleges, forget tough
papers of BITS.
6. The evaluation procedure has many faults. Examples are there where
faculties have given marks to one and not to another on correct answers
(also at places where answer is one-word as YES/NO.) There had been
examples where faculties have not given marks on correct answers, there
are calculation mistakes and when brought to the notice of faculties/WASE
co-ordinator, they deduct marks from other answers, creating fear among
people who approach.
7. Poor communication skills of many faculties.
8. Poor knowledge of the subject among many faculties.
9. Faculties use phrases like 'GET OUT', 'YOU WILL HAVE IT IN THE EXAM', and
many more.
10.In the first hour itself the faculty walks in 15 minutes late. Has to let in
students who come even later; can't question them!
11.We also suggest them to forward the slides in advance instead of sending it
pretty late. Would help us prepare on topics in advance and clarify doubts
in class.
12. WASE program is becoming nothing but a wild chase of marks and a
degree.

Quality of students?

1. Students intake has grown in leaps and bounds.

a. 2002 – 94
b. 2003 – 264
c. 2004 - 706
d. 2005 – 680
2. Quality of intake has been affected. Eligibility criteria like minimum 65%,
Mathematics in graduation, etc exist only on papers. Many people were
identified failing in such criteria but were allowed.
3. Quality of written examinations, technical interviews and HR rounds had
degraded badly. Earlier it was a pride to be through; now it is anyone and
everyone.

Extra initiatives

1. Motivations were kept high by awarding trophies to people who managed to

maintain CGPA of 9 an above. This has been stopped.
2. Feel of being student of BITS was given by organizing convocation at BITS
campus for pass-outs. This has been stopped as a cost-cutting measure.

II. Quality of FRP/PRP

1. Earlier system was automated which used to give score on click of a button.
From 2005 batch onwards, the system only mentioned CLEARED/NOT
 CLEARED. Marks were announced the next day. (No data available to cross-
check even if a student is sure to be through). Decreases transparency and
gives power in hands of management to decide anything as no one is aware
of anything.
2. Minimum 80% pass-marks brought down to 70%.
3. It was 80% minimum in both independently. Need to pass FRP for PRP
exams. Now, they made it an average of both exams to be above 70%.
4. Earlier when people failed in FRP/PRP, they were asked to leave the
organization. For 2004 batch, they were asked to continue with no
increment for 3 months. For 2005 batch, they were asked to continue with
no increment for 3 months and extended bond period of 6 months.
5. Faculties answers different from answers written in slides/notes provided.
Not sure which one is right choice.
6. At the end of the day, not a single student was asked to quit on basis of
failure in FRP/PRP. The basis of existence of such trainings and policies
come into question.

III. RELEVANCE OF CONTACT SESSIONS

1. In some of the cases, the level of education imparted by the faculty has
been very low and unsatisfactory. If the contact sessions are so ineffective,
then their relevance is seriously questionable.
2. By consuming our time on Saturdays, these contact sessions waste the
precious little time we are left with for self study after working throughout
the week in office.
3. BITS has no minimum 75% criteria. So, either the quality of contact
sessions should be improved or we should not be forced to attend the
classes.
4. We feel that when we are doing a post-graduation, it is not about reading
slides and scoring marks. As a student of MS, I am expected to cover the
portions for myself. Faculties are there to give brief overview of problem
and explain them in terms of case studies and assignments. Do you think
students, who have been selected as best of graduates from best of colleges
by WIPRO's quality intake policy, aren't capable enough to read
slides/books for themselves and understand the subject? Don't you think
what they want is extra knowledge which they have accumulated by years
of teaching expertise and not what is written in books? Please improve the
ever-falling standard of MS. It is impacting the name and fame of BITS +
WIPRO.

IV. COURSE DURATION

1. The course is expected to be over in four years. Inspite of delays for senior
batches, repeated reminders/queries to TTD on delays, complete statistics
showing that delays are just prolonging instead of coming down, there is no
proper response from TTD except promises that they are in discussion with
 BITS on schedule.(for past don’t know how many months) and things should
go better.
2. WASEians are not even aware of policies in affect during extended period
and TTD is failing to provide even that in terms of Bond (which expires in
August, 2008), salary in extended period (as we have defined salary only
upto August, 2008), year and duration of completion in the MS degree
certificate, and any other policies(implicit or explicit) in effect which
affect us directly or indirectly.

V.DEVIATION IN THE SCHEDULE OF CLASSES

If there is a deviation in class schedule; we need to be informed
about that. For example, if there is more than one session of a subject in
one day instead of one session per subject in a day, then not coming for
such Saturdays will increase the risk of attendance shortage. It is to be
noted that some of the WASEians from the 2004 batch were not allowed to
give their end semester exams due to attendance shortage, which happened
for them in a subject for which there were two sessions taken on a single
day (without prior intimation). TTD is not even considering their case and
they end-up losing a year.

1. VI.POLICIES

2. There is a set of policies listed for WASE in

http://learning.wipro.com/talent_transformation/e_initiatives/e_wase_
policy_student.htm. They are incomplete and provide only for
overall/general scenarios.
3. We were not aware of single while joining and are not even aware of
many after 2 years of completion. Why TTD (after 11 successful years
of running the program) still do not have any clearly defined policies
for us?
4. They keep changing the policies without even intimating us (forget
consulting us). We do not even know policies which exist today would be
there tomorrow or not?

VII. CONFLICTING POLICIES

1. BITS policy says a student would be awarded NC for a semester if he fails to

take up exams for it. This means they can complete their 3rd semester inm
parallel to other semesters or after 8th and would be awarded degree after
completion of all.

CONFLICT: Why students, who were asked to refrain from writing 3rd
semester, not allowed to continue the 4th with a Not Cleared cert for 3rd.
(This makes them lose only 6 months. Asking them to continue their 3rd
 with juniors assure them a complete one year). What are they going to do
for one full semester when juniors are doing their second semester?

REASONS WE COMPREHEND: Management have asked them to continue in

junior batch. Makes things simpler for them to handle in absence of well-
defined policies on the matter, get 2 years experienced WASEians again at
the cost which they pay to WASEians with 1 year experience (which would
be a lot higher if they are continuing after 8 th sem), get them to work for
another 6 months on a low stipend.

2. Policy says: We would be awarded MS degree on successful completion of all

the semesters and grade sheets at the end of each semester. (refer page V-
7 of BITS Bulletin 2003-2004)

CONFLICT: They are not providing us with marksheets/transcripts for the

semesters we have completed. On what basis are they being stopped by
WIPRO when the same is being provided by BITS?

REASONS WE COMPREHEND: With marksheets in hand as proof that we were

part of this program and that after 1 year of completion, we are fit with 16
years of education and eligible to apply for GRE/GMAT, etc, management
wants us to restrict from exploring such ideas.

3. BITS Policy says that this program is for employees of an organization where
the organization is willing to sponsor their program. (refer page V-4,5,7,37
of BITS Bulletin 2003-2004)

CONFLICT: WIPRO says we are students and not employees of WIPRO. Thus
we cease to be a part of this program altogether. Who are we?

REASON WE COMPREHEND: All the policies which refrain us from employee

benefits like Employee Referral, QPLC, etc is validated.

4. Appointment letter says that we have our study hours from Monday to
Friday.

CONFLICT: We are full-time billed employees serving the organization. They

are trying to portray that we are having our on-job training classes during
the weekdays. Now, why are we billed to clients as employees? Why is there
no defined curriculum of our study pattern for these four years? Why are
different students into different curriculums/trainings and why they do not
change every semester? Why no curriculum evaluation of these trainings?
Appraisal is at organization level and not BITS level? If this is classes for us,
they should be evaluated and we should be awarded marksheets for that.
 REASON WE CONPREHEND: It was mentioned there to support their
statements that we are students.

5. Policy says that if a student is not able to attend classes for official reasons
including onsite travel, he needs the approval of PM/TM and TTD and his
case would be considered on official grounds.

CONFLICT: Why TTD tries all possible ways to refrain WASEians to go onsite
or work on weekends (for releases possible only on weekends)? What is the
basis of attendance issue when we do have a policy in place to take care of
it?

REASON WE COMPREHEND: Clueless and demoralizing; when these things are

also being done for the benefit of the organization and not personal.

6. BITS Policy says that Examinations to be conducted on basis of Viva,

Seminar, GD, Assessment of Proj reports, Seminars and course examinations.
CONFLICT: Never heard of anything else but course examinations.
REASON WE COMPREHEND: Cost and Time factor. Time factor can be
attributed to poor planning.

VIII. POINT OF CONTACTS

WIPRO co-ordinator says the decisions are taken by BITS on academic
fronts. WIPRO just provide infrastructure and students to BITS.
BITS co-ordinator says : BITS conducts the M.S Program in collaboration
with Wipro. The policies for running the program are jointly worked out and
implemented by both the organizations. If you have any suggestions which
can enhance the effectiveness of the program you are welcome to suggest
the same to Wipro. Wipro management who in turn may take up the
issue with our institute for analyzing the feasibility of implementing them.

IX. ANSWERS

Most of these queries and problems have already been informed to the TED
and the TT. The open houses were conducted, promises given but the
answers never come out from them. All that we hear is "Have been
escalated", "Things are in Progress", "We will work on the same". In an
organization like ours we expected issues to be resolved sooner and
especially when they are affecting around 1700 people. In the Q&A
session Pratik said they'll come back to us in 2 week's time. Its 2 months
now and there has been no communication yet.

X. WHERE DO WE STAND?
 When we compare ourselves to the fraternity of people doing the same from
other companies like IBM, PATNI, HCL, CTS, MBT, Mindtree, etc.. Here are a
few of the major differences we feel.

ISSUE WASEians Others in same Comments

program from
BITS with other
companies
Duration 4 years 2 years in HCL Can be justified
4 in CTS considering
2 in Satyam syllabus covered
2In Tata Elxsi in 4 years is vast.
4 in MBT But need to
2 in Mindtree improve on
quality of it.
Stipend Rs. 5200 (first 3 Average What we get in
months) Rs.10,500 3rd year is still
RS. 5700 (3 mths – 1 yr) starting lower than what
Rs. 7450 (2nd year) Increment based others start in
Rs. 9200 (3rd year) on appraisal their 1st year? Is
Rs. 15200 (4th year) every it justified?
6mths/year. No
fixed slab.
Status Students Employees Why diff when its
same program
from same
institute?
Salary/Stipend Stipend Salary
Onsite Refrained to 3 months Equal Why refrain
opportunites in the whole MS opportunities as when its for
program of 4 years other employees official purpose?
Increment Fixed slab Appraisal basis Performance
driven is
motivating. Why
not us?
Mark-sheets At completion of MS At end of each Against policy on
program sem WIPRO’s behalf.
Experience As a student/trainee As an employee Against policy as
Certificate we are supposed
to be enrolled as
employees.
Schedule Delay increasing Existing Delay Why if BITS is
further every semester decreasing every responsible?
semester
Employee Not for WASEians Valid How does it
Referral make any
difference to
WIPRO, who
referred the
person if the
person who was
referred is good.
Faculty/Course From BITS From BITS So no difference
in degree or
expertise.
Other benefits Different from other Same benefits Why should
like employees. are extended to number of leaves
Leaves/Medica all. be different
l Benefits when both
contribute the
same efforts?
SAP details Not shown even if you Your right details Why the role is
are leading a team are shown given but not
acknowledged?

XI. LEGACY Vs LATEST

After 11 years of expertise in running the course, WIPRO is failing to

identify that earlier there was no competition and WIPRO attracted cream.
Brand image might not hold for long with companies like IBM, TCS, PATNI, CTS,
and HCL also competing with this concept. If these companies would pull in
best students with the above comparisons, WIPRO might have to settle for low
quality, who have no options but to get in WASE program. This would impact
productivity and quality across all projects and verticals.

Analyse for yourself and suggest why would cream-crowd prefer WIPRO to
others for this program. So this would be a short term concern of us WASEians
(that is another 2 yrs) but in the long-term, it’s WIPRO who might lose out on
this concept if corrective actions are not taken right now.
End Of Consolidated Issues.

Voice of a WASEian Regarding The program and the Sessions From A Student
From WASE, HDC .

From: joy
To: P.B. Kotur (WT01 - TALENT TRANSFORMATION & STAFFING)
Cc: 'Vinodkumar Bethi' ; pnr_bits@yahoo.co.in
Sent: Tuesday, February 15, 2005 10:59 AM
Subject: Voice of a 'Wase'ian! Reg. the program and the Sessions.

Dear Sir,

I am a WASE (2003) student. I had a few thoughts and I felt it best to share
them with you. This is obviously regarding the sessions we have during the
weekends. These are no complaints or grievances rather some suggestions
which I felt might generate some enthusiasm and participation during the
sessions. This comes after some exercise we had for the past two weeks during
the “Algorithm Design” classes. We had some of our friends giving seminars on
certain topics, which indeed was a welcome change.
What is happening now is definitely good. But I strongly feel it can be made
much better and being part of an organization, that is open for thoughts, I was
confident you will appreciate these suggestions. But why do I feel change is
needed?

(Please don’t mind the length of the mail. I will ensure I will make sense. First
I would like to express what I/we go through for 5 days of the week before we
step into the classes. Later I shall put forward some concerns and suggestions
regarding the weekend sessions)

1. Program Design:

1. The program is designed in such a way that we have to work (like any
other employee) for 5days of the week and study (like any other
student) for 1 day of the week. Simple math! (71.4% of the week - Work,
14.18% of the week – Student) So we are quickly juggling two roles,
demands of each of which are unmistakably high. Within 14.18% of the
week we need to change our garb because we need to wear exact garb
of an employee (work, talk and behave) for five days. It’s a competitive
environment and absolutely challenging. I swear it’s a great feeling
being a professional and still being called a student. Sincerely, it takes
all our mind, energy and commitment to excel at the place of work.
Most of the managers have expressed their satisfaction regarding our
deliverables. (At least from what we were told, assuming the frankness
of the senior managers who express the same) Now why I said all this is
to let you understand what happens with us when you are not with us
in our cubicles. Now, many good managers shoot ponderous questions.
Some of them:

a. It’s not impossible

b. Many did it before you. Many in this world are doing, so you can also
do it. Incidentally, one lecturer also pointed out the same
c. You get to work on “live projects”, that’s a great experience!
d. You are young blood, you can do that!
e. All of them are right! (Partly right or incompletely stated)
 2. It’s not impossible but it’s very difficult! Why? Because the work place
we are talking about is not ideal and not completely predictable! With
all the uncertainties and difficulties (No one can deny), we are expected
to meet the expectations. We are doing that! That comes with some
cost. Extra effort to execute on par with a normal employee (who gets a
handsome pay, perks and benefits – befitting treatment for the effort,
not to forget QPLC and many more I don’t know of because all I only
know is one thing - “stipend”) to tell ourselves what our effort is doesn’t
deserve a befitting treatment is, may be, another painful cost.

3. WASE is a unique program. Which manager doesn’t boast about it? But
then, are many doing it?? One of them should be true (Many/unique)!
Well our seniors definitely are a hope for us that we can see it through.
Seniors! Who are they now? I never met and interacted with one until my
third month in Wipro when accidentally one of my colleagues pointed
out. Wipro always documents all it does to look back and learn and get
better. We would love to read their experiences (a living document) to
get some of our inexplicable doubts and problems sorted out. All
problems can’t be sorted out with the managers (trained to be
diplomats) but need some one, who has been through the problem
(he/she knows what it feels like in that shoe) Is it possible to think of a
possibility that our seniors could interact with us. I came to know from
some of my friends that in BITS they have a way to relate to their seniors
(ID pop and ID mom…. ID cousins and ….) Am I asking too much?? It’s
definitely not impossible with such latest technology to get people
together. Simple! You say – “Many have done it before!” I want to know
how they have done it before.

4. Live project/ dead project, what people look for is the satisfaction that
they created something that works. Normal employee or abnormal
employee (called students) will have the same expectations! From what
is clear many don’t get to work on the development projects (5/10% of
all may be lucky lot to be in one) I wish I could give the correct number.
Well the point is that the other 70/80/90% don’t get to be those lucky
ones. Some get to work constantly in development projects and some
are constantly deprived. In all it’s not a very great experience working
with Word and Excel all the 71% of the term in Wipro.

5. Finally we are young blood but still we need that consideration that any
other human gets. Thanks to WISH scheme. A breather indeed that
management realizes that young blood can still fall sick!

WHAT IS A WASIAN LIKE BEFORE HE/SHE ATTENDS A CLASS IS WHAT HAPPENS

TO HIM/HER FOR THAT 71% OF THE WEEK BEFORE THE OMINOUS WEEKEND!!
Before ‘Wase’ian comes to the class he comes stressed, tired and sometimes
dissatisfied. Therefore we need to consider the way the Sessions are
designed.

6. Session Design:

1. Lecturer-lectured awareness: ‘Wase’ian should come to the class with

the complete consciousness that he/she is a student but to face a
lecturer who is completely unconscious of the lot he is lecturing. I mean
with no idea of what we go through (our situation/needs/problems) the
rest of the week. But the question you might ask – Should he know?? Yes
he should. If it is just delivering few words of the subject, a taped
lecture will do.

2. Lecture span: With all the stress we come to class and it’s very difficult
to focus our attention on 120 minutes of endless stream of words. Please
accept the realty Sir! With an attention span of a normal human being
some 30 minutes at most, how can a student be expected to give un-
divided total concentration? There definitely should be some way to
keep the attention of the student for the whole stretch of 120
minutes. I read somewhere – “Most people have an attention span in an
intensive situation such as flight instruction of little more than 10 to 15
minutes at best. Beyond this point nothing more is absorbed, thus
continued instruction beyond this point is wasted. The instructor must
learn to monitor the attention span of each student as each will have a
different attention span depending on many variables, including the
particular student, his disposition on the day, the stage of instruction
and not least, the expertise and behavior of the instructor.” I would
request you to reconsider the new parameter when absorbing a
lecturer for the next semester. The one who can make his point across
and keep the instruction interesting for 120 minutes. Please consider
this request on a very practical level. It is more important than having a
PhD in a subject or 15 years industrial experience. What’s the point if
he can’t deliver the knowledge, he/she has gathered? I am sure you
will not disagree that the lectures should be thought provoking.

3. Course Design: It’s great and well structured but not without a problem.
Let me take an example. We have a course “Object Oriented Design”;
the course assumes the prior knowledge of JAVA, most of us don’t work
with. Definitely when we are graded relatively then all should be graded
from the same base line, which has to be set, at least when making
assumptions like knowing a technology itself. Obviously a person who
knows JAVA is in a better position. Good managers say – “If you have the
drive you will learn it” we have two managers, one at office who
expects me to pick up one technology and one at my classes who asks
me to learn another by myself. Ultimately I need to have two drivers one
 to drive me to learn one technology and the other to drive me to learn
another technology. There is a problem here – There are two drivers and
one driven! Consider the work hours in the S/W companies and the
number of hours he/she needs for himself and the time he/she spends
leaning two new technologies.

4. Initiatives and suggestions:

1. We can’t have all the softwares needed for our course on our systems at
the work place because of license problems. Please consider a Lab/hall
(dedicated for us) so that we can use the same to have any
discussions/practice sessions during the week. Most of our lecturers
expect us to practice but where is the platform to do that?

2. Have Brainstorms/Discussions/Seminars now and then to increase the

participation of the student. Encourage student initiatives.

3. Lectures given at various locations can be recorded (audio) and shared

across the other locations. (Is it not a culture in Wipro to share the
knowledge?) Interested students can attend the audio sessions during the
week. It is not impossible but please Sir, think about the good it does!

The point is that 8 hrs of instruction needs to change drastically. Practically

it’s not enough! Very little can be done about our work conditions but
something can be done about the way the sessions are executed and the
lectures, the way they are delivered. Sir, I express this to you because I am
sure you can initiate a change!

Thanks and Regards

Joy Joseph Darla
Wipro Technologies
End Of Joy’s Concern

The Dynamic Overtime $1.6 Cash Claim Policy:

The Email Chain between WASEians and TED, TTD, Wividus

The chain exhibits the dynamics of the policy, how it is manipulated by TTD in
real-time to avoid confrontation and reverted back as matter becomes a cold
case.

The Email Chain Follows:

(In Original Order)

FYI
From: Ashish Goyal (WT01 - TALENT ENGAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENT)
Sent: Monday, November 14, 2005 10:30 AM
To: Srilakshmi Kesari (WT01 - TALENT ENGAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENT)
Cc: Gujjari Achala (WT01 - Voice & Next Generation Networks)
Subject: RE: Rejected reimbursement claims for WASE-ians

Srilakshmi/Gujjari,

As per the policy, there are restrictions on the cash reimbursements that are
available for WASE students. If the claims have been allowed earlier, I am sorry
to say those have been infringements of the policy.

Regards,

Ashish

From: Srilakshmi Kesari (WT01 - TALENT ENGAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENT)

Sent: Monday, November 14, 2005 10:01 AM
To: Ashish Goyal (WT01 - TALENT ENGAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENT)
Cc: Gujjari Achala (WT01 - Voice & Next Generation Networks)
Subject: RE: Rejected reimbursement claims for WASE-ians

Hi Ashish,
For some guys the claims have been rejected but for some they have
been approved….Pls look into this.
Regards,
Srilakshmi Kesari
Associate -TED[Madhapur]
Ph-30795062/30792247

PS - My mail ID has changed from Srilakshmi.duriseti@wipro.com to

Srilakshmi.kesari@wipro.com.

From: Gujjari Achala (WT01 - Voice & Next Generation Networks)

Sent: Monday, November 14, 2005 9:39 AM
To: Srilakshmi Kesari (WT01 - TALENT ENGAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENT)
Subject: Rejected reimbursement claims for WASE-ians
Importance: High

Hi,

I am Achala gujjari (11000773). I had applied for transport reimbursement on

10.10.2005. I have received a mail on Saturday which states

Your claim: 9613011027 has been rejected for the following reason:
As per policy WASE-ians are not eligible for any cash reimbursements.

This is not the first time I have applied for reimbursement. Then, why is the
sudden change in policy? Does this mean WASE-ians are not eligible for any kind
of cash reimbursements further on?

Please look into the matter or redirect me to the concerned authority.

Thanks and regards

Achala

Thanks Sumit,

But i want to get clear on something.

Mathew claims that there had been some confusion and its been resolved now,
but Ashish has maintained , till today (check the attachment), that WASEians
are not eligible for any cash reimbursement.
So is the policy being changed for WASE , or is it that Wividus is continuing as
previously.
If later is the case then we need to take up this matter further.

From: Sumit Agrawal (WT01 - Embedded Systems)

Sent: Tuesday, November 15, 2005 2:19 PM
To: Naresh Goyal (WT01 - Embedded Systems); Celine Anthony (WT01 - E-
ENABLING); Nitya Ramagopal (WT01 - Voice & Next Generation Networks);
Sapna Nair (WT01 - MANUFACTURING); Arushi Srivastava (WT01 -
Technology,Media,Transportation&Services); Akshat Drona (WT01 - Testing
Services); Sushil Surana (WT01 - Testing Services);
Subject: FW: Regarding Cash Claims
FYi

With Regards
Sumit Agrawal
Mobile: 09886569141

From: Mathews Abraham (WH01 - WIVIDUS)

Sent: Tuesday, November 15, 2005 2:15 PM
To: Sumit Agrawal (WT01 - Embedded Systems)
Subject: RE: Regarding Cash Claims

There was a confusion on this. This has been resolved. Concerned processing
group has been advised to revise their stand.

With kind regards

Mathews
(D) 51354103 (M) 9845186594
VOIP 806 1638

From: Sumit Agrawal (WT01 - Embedded Systems)

Sent: Tuesday, November 15, 2005 2:03 PM
To: Mathews Abraham (WH01 - WIVIDUS)
Subject: Regarding Cash Claims

Hello Sir

Please let us know are we Waseians Entitled for Cash reimbursements.

Till Last month we were doing the same, but today I got some forwarded mail
from our friends stating that there is a change in policy and now onwards we
are not entitled for the same.

Please Clarify.

Thanks & Regards

Sumit Agrawal
Mobile: 09886569141

Nitya,
All WASE students are eligible for reimbursement of expenses under the
early/late/holiday working policy. My apologies for the inconvenience caused.
The processing team in Wividus has been informed, and they will process all
similar claims which have been rejected.

Regards,

Ashish

From: Nitya Ramagopal (WT01 - Voice & Next Generation Networks)

Sent: Tuesday, November 15, 2005 11:15 AM
To: Ashish Goyal (WT01 - TALENT ENGAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENT)
Cc: Celine Anthony (WT01 - E-ENABLING); Arushi Srivastava (WT01 -
Technology,Media,Transportation&Services); Naresh Goyal (WT01 - Embedded
Systems)
Subject: RE: Query - Cash Claim Policy for Wasians [#189657]

Hi Ashish,

This is one of the claim numbers 9611048544 which has been rejected.And this
was the reason provided.

Dear Sir / Madam,

Your claim :9611048544 has been rejected for the following reason :
As per policy WASE-ians are not eligible for any cash reimbursements.

Thanks and Regards,

WIVIDUS
Regards,
Nitya
From: Naresh Goyal (WT01 - Embedded Systems)
Sent: Tuesday, November 15, 2005 11:10 AM
To: Ashish Goyal (WT01 - TALENT ENGAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENT)
Cc: Celine Anthony (WT01 - E-ENABLING); Nitya Ramagopal (WT01 - Voice &
Next Generation Networks); Arushi Srivastava (WT01 -
Technology,Media,Transportation&Services)
Subject: RE: Query - Cash Claim Policy for Wasians [#189657]
Hi Ashish,

FYI

Thanks and regards

Regards
Naresh Goyal
ph:25502001 - extn:6329

From: wividus helpdesk

Sent: Monday, November 14, 2005 7:17 PM
To: Abhijeet Vinodkumar (WT01 - MANUFACTURING)
Subject: RE: Query - Cash Claim Policy for Wasians [#189657]
Hi,
We shall check and revert tomorrow.
Thank you for contacting Wividus Helpdesk.
We look forward to assist you better.
Have a great day ahead.
Regards,
Wividus Helpdesk
--Original Message--
From: abhijeet.vinodkumar@wipro.com
Date: 11/14/2005 6:11:47 PM
To: wividus.helpdesk@wipro.com
Subject: RE: Query - Cash Claim Policy for Wasians [#189657]
Hi

Can you kindly let me know as to when and why was this policy introduced
as I have done cash reimbursements in the past? Also as we might be having
some of our snacks/refreshments bills dated before the introduction of this
policy, Can you kindly assist me as to whehter I can claim these bills?
If yes How? & if no why not?

Regards,
Abhi
From: wividus helpdesk
Sent: Monday, November 14, 2005 5:41 PM
To: Abhijeet Vinodkumar (WT01 - MANUFACTURING)
Subject: RE: Query - Cash Claim Policy for Wasians [#189657]
Hi,
Waseians are not eligible for cash claims.
Thank you for contacting Wividus Helpdesk.
We look forward to assist you better.
Have a great day ahead.
Regards,
Wividus Helpdesk

--Original Message--
From: abhijeet.vinodkumar@wipro.com
Date: 11/14/2005 5:09:35 PM
To: wividus.hrd@wipro.com
Cc: wividus.helpdesk@wipro.com
Subject: RE: Query - Cash Claim Policy for Wasians [#189657]
Hi,

Can you kindly look into the following query?

Regards,
Abhijeet

From: wividus helpdesk

Sent: Monday, November 14, 2005 2:27 PM
To: Abhijeet Vinodkumar (WT01 - MANUFACTURING)
Subject: Re: Query - Cash Claim Policy for Wasians [#189657]
Hi,

We have received your mail. There will be delay in response to your queries as
we are receiving huge number of queries.

Kindly bear with us.

In case of emergency, please contact wividus.hrd@wipro.com

Thanks and Regards,

Wividus Helpdesk

----- abhijeet.vinodkumar@wipro.coom Wrote -----

Hi,

This is just to clarify as to whether wasians are eligible for cash claims?
If yes, when and why was this policy changed?
Also if the bill dates are earlier to that of introduction of this policy, how could
we get it reimbursed?

Regards,
Abhijeet

Hi all,

Well the policy has changed again, try going to cash claims and submit a claim
it will say no line items found i.e. ( early/late food expenses).For employees
there will be Lunch dinner and breakfast, eligible ammount shows as 75/-.
Thanks & regards
Sasmit Hota
Application Services Team
Global Data Repositories / Worldbase
Office : +91-80-30292242

From: Sumit Agrawal (WT01 - Embedded Systems)

Sent: Tuesday, November 15, 2005 2:19 PM
To: Naresh Goyal (WT01 - Embedded Systems); Celine Anthony (WT01 - E-
ENABLING); Nitya Ramagopal (WT01 - Voice & Next Generation Networks);
Sapna Nair (WT01 - MANUFACTURING); Arushi Srivastava (WT01 -
Technology,Media,Transportation&Services); Akshat Drona (WT01 - Testing
Services); Sushil Surana (WT01 - Testing Services);
Subject: FW: Regarding Cash Claims
FYi

With Regards
Sumit Agrawal
Mobile: 09886569141

From: Mathews Abraham (WH01 - WIVIDUS)

Sent: Tuesday, November 15, 2005 2:15 PM
To: Sumit Agrawal (WT01 - Embedded Systems)
Subject: RE: Regarding Cash Claims

There was a confusion on this. This has been resolved. Concerned processing
group has been advised to revise their stand.

With kind regards

Mathews
(D) 51354103 (M) 9845186594
VOIP 806 1638

From: Sumit Agrawal (WT01 - Embedded Systems)

Sent: Tuesday, November 15, 2005 2:03 PM
To: Mathews Abraham (WH01 - WIVIDUS)
Subject: Regarding Cash Claims

Hello Sir

Please let us know are we Waseians Entitled for Cash reimbursements.

Till Last month we were doing the same, but today I got some forwarded mail
from our friends stating that there is a change in policy and now onwards we
are not entitled for the same.

Please Clarify.

Thanks & Regards

Sumit Agrawal
Mobile: 09886569141
The Onsite VISA Policy:

Internal TTD mail about VISA policies for WASEians:

From: Vasudeva Nayak (WT01 - TALENT TRANSFORMATION & STAFFING)

Sent: Thu 6/9/2005 8:53 AM
Subject: Visas for WASE and Contract employees

Hi,

As we are taking more WASE trainees and Contract employees and put them on
client projects, the need for onsite requirements will grow.

Immigration Laws differs from country to country and have some restrictions on
the type of visas. Hence it is very important to know the eligibility criteria and
type of visas by which we can depute them for onsite projects.

Some important Country wise analysis of Work permits for WASE and
Contractee’s:

Country Type WASE Contractee Remarks

For WASE, at least 3 years of
training program should be
USA H1 Yes Yes completed. US recognize 4 year
degree or 3 years experience as
one year degree.
Not Possible, as applicant should
L1 / BL1 No No be with Wipro for at least 1 year
on roles.
Yes –
sponsorship For WASE B1 only for advance
B1 Yes
from training purpose.
contractors.
Employee must be with Wipro
UK WP – Tier 1 No No
for at least 6 months.
Advertisement must clearly
specify that position is
contractual and for specified
WP – Tier II No Yes period. Cannot be paid Indian
salary and UK allowances,
instead lump sum payment
every month?
WP- TEWS Yes No Training work permit can be
 processed for WASE. However,
they cannot travel to UK after
completion of training for 1 or 2
years.
( Trainee
Secondly, training schedule is
WP)
required duly certified by the
trainer i.e. our client? Whether
client is willing to do the same?
Payment of salary?
Yes – by
BV No
contractor.
Work
Permit
Under pilot project – minimum 2
Canada (Pilot No Yes.
years IT experience is required.
Project
Scheme)
Work
For WASE, employee should have
Permit
Yes Yes at least 1 years of training
(HRDC
completed.
approval)
Business Given only for business
No No
Visa discussion for 15 days maximum.
An employee should have
Work
France No No worked at least 1 year with
permit
Wipro
Yes – if
Business
No working with
Visa
Offshore
An employee should have
Work
Italy No No worked at least 1 year with
Permit
Wipro
Yes - if
Business
No working with
Visa
Offshore
Work
Belgium No No
Permit
Yes – if
Business
No working with
Visa
offshore.
Work
Switzerland
Permit
Business Given only for business
No No
Visa discussion.
Sweden Work No No Offer of employment need to be
Permit signed between employee and
 Wipro. Legal problem?
Payroll processing?
No Yes – if
Business
working with
Visa
offshore
Work Offer of employment need to be
Permit signed between employee and
Finland No No
Wipro. Legal problem?
Payroll processing?
Business
No No
Visa
Training work permit can be
Japan COE Yes No
processed for WASE. Training
Business Training visas can be processed
Yes – if
visa for WASE. Training schedule has
Yes working with
to be attached along with the
offshore.
application
Work Offer of employment need to be
Permit signed between employee and
Germany No No
Wipro. Legal problem?
Payroll processing?
No Yes – if
Business
working with
Visa
offshore.
Work Offer of employment need to be
Permit signed between employee and
Australia No No
Wipro. Legal problem?
Payroll processing?
No Yes – if
Business
working with
Visa
offshore

With Warm Regards,

M V Nayak
W.A.S.E Reforms 2005
TRANSPERENCY, EQUALITY, QUALITY
Wednesday, January 31, 2007

ANALYTICAL STUDY OF WASE POLICIES AND DRAFT OF PROSPECTIVE

REFORMS IN WASE POLICIES - W.A.S.E REFORMS 2005 - TRANSPERENCY,
EQUALITY, QUALITY

INDEX

1.) CONTENT TABLE ………………………………………………………………………..1

2.) FORWARDING LETTER TO WIPRO TECHNOLOGIES …………………………….2
3.) SUMMARY / INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY ………………………
….................3
4.) STUDY POSTULATES ( ISSUES / REASONS / SOLUTIONS )
…...................4 – 8
3.1 WASE RECRUITMENT ………………………………………………………..4
3.2 WASE TRAINING ………………………………………………………………4
3.3 WASEIANS INTERACTION / COMMUNICATION POLICY & FORUM….
4
3.4 WASE M.S SESSIONS…………………………………………………………5
3.5 WASE M.S EXAMS……………………………………………………………..5
3.6 WASE EMPLOYEE TREATMENT…………………………………………….6
3.7 WASE BENEFITS……………………………………………………………….6
3.7.A WASE WIPRO BENEFIT PLAN……………………………6
3.7.B QPLC…………………………………………………………..6
3.7.C EMPLOYEE REFERAL………………………………………6
3.7.D RELOCATION & TRANSFER BENEFITS…………………6
3.7.E BANK LOAN FACILITY……………………………………...6
3.7.F COMPANY OFFERED LOANS……………………………...6
3.8 WASE CAREER BAND…………………………………………………………7
3.9 WASE ONSITE OPPURTUNITY / OOC BANDING………………………….7
3.10WASE STIPEND / SALARY STRUCTURE…………………………8
3.11WASE RETAINMENT POLICY……………………………………….8
5.) TED ISSUE TEMPLATE …………………………………………………………......9 - 11
W.A.S.E Reforms 2005
TRANSPERENCY, EQUALITY, QUALITY
Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

To,

Wipro Technologies,
Bangalore, Karnataka,
India,

SUBJECT: ANALYTICAL STUDY OF WASE POLICIES AND DRAFT OF PROSPECTIVE

REFORMS IN WASE POLICIES.
Sir / Madame,

We would like to present you this draft, on behalf of students / employees of

WASE Batch 2004 at BDC, consisting of a study conducted on WASE policies by
means of random surveys; by this mean the draft also takes the initiative to
suggest prospective reforms (redefinition) felt needed in the WASE policies.

Note: Refer Draft On Page Number 2.

Thanking you,

Sincerely,
WASE 2004 (BDC).

W.A.S.E Reforms 2005

TRANSPERENCY, EQUALITY, QUALITY
Wednesday, January 31, 2007

ANALYTICAL STUDY OF WASE POLICIES AND DRAFT OF PROSPECTIVE

REFORMS IN WASE POLICIES.

In the absence of any external consultancy or internal initiative to study WASE

Policies and their Organizational Impact, the WASEian have taken upon
themselves to conduct this study. This study consist of analysis of Career
Issues / HR Issues / Organizational Issues / Corporate Policies / Employee
Perception , their impact and solutions to various organizational problems .This
is a study conducted on WASE policies by means of random surveys; by this
mean, the draft also takes the initiative to suggest prospective reforms
(redefinition) required in the WASE policies. This document has been formally
drafted, reviewed and acknowledged as collective efforts by the above
mentioned WASE batches. This document has its basis in the Socio – Economic
organizational analysis of WASE policies. All postulates mentioned in the draft
have been postulated after careful analysis and figurative studies; Socio –
Economic factors like Inflation, Cost Of Living, HR, Quality, and Cognitive
sciences have been taken into consideration. The process of drafting involved a
survey across all students of WASE 2004 batch. The survey involved polls /
questionnaires related to various WASE issues ranging from Recruitment,
Stipend, MS Sessions, MS Exams, Training, Benefits, Employee perception of
similar programs in other firms.

All the postulates in this draft are neutral in all respects. It’ll be highly
appreciated that the draft be respected and treated as valuable inputs to
enhance WASE; as a part of never ending process of organizational evolution of
Wipro. This is in no attempt to unionize WASE or to bring about some
renegade’s revolution. The cause is larger; WASEians are a part of a great
organization and contribute to a larger cause than WASEians themselves that’s
community, the society at large and even larger the nation. WASEians are
equally responsible to make all the systems they are part of perfect. This draft
is an attempt to make WASE as lucrative choice by default. So as to attract the
best in the industry, so that the ROI for the investment done by the
organization on value creation of WASE is high.

WASE policies and structures were first drafted in 1995 and there must have
been reviews, but considering the fast changing socio – economical
environment it’s been widely felt by WASEian a lot more changes are due long
time. We would be obliged if the postulates mentioned in the draft are
reviewed and analyzed by an independent neutral panel for their validity
and feasibility and required changes be introduced strictly in a timely
approach .

Note:
• Kindly Note Figures / Statements Stated Are Only For Factual References
And Are Not For Comparisons And Should Be Taken In Best Of Spirit.
• Refer Draft On Page Number 2•.

Thanking you,

Sincerely,
WASE 2004 (BDC).

W.A.S.E Reforms 2005

TRANSPERENCY, EQUALITY, QUALITY

WASE Recruitment:

The number of WASEian being recruited each year is growing, which is being
driven by the business requirements. The Quality of Human Resource is by no
means compromised for the sake of Quantity. The consequence of under quality
WASE Human Resource would reflect in the future in the organization. The
value of WASE needs to be maintained and the bar should be high.
·
Kindly note figures / statements stated are only for factual references and are not for
comparison and should be taken in the best of spirit.
• A rigorous selection and screening pattern should be adopted for WASE
recruitment, to ensure quality.
• Transparency and Exposure to WASE policy during recruitment is
required.

WASE Training:

• Training should be rigorous and based on skill set acquired at graduation.

• Hands on should be imparted.
• Training should be conducted in proper institutes, unlike institutes like
I.A.S.P.L which doesn’t even have the required infrastructure.
• Leadership Development Programs for WASEians.
• Value Sessions, to enhance and add Human, Managerial, Social and
Technical skills and values so that WASEians proactively contribute towards
the society and nation at large.

WASEians Interaction / Communication Policy and Forum:

Proper and wide communication channels, well defined policies need to be

established for transparent communication. It should empower WASEians like
any other employee in this organization to communicate their thoughts and
issues at all levels in the organization. It also provides formal channels to
communicate WASE issues.

• W.A.S.E community interaction sessions. Interaction between fellow and

senior W.A.S.E students.
• There is a need to establish a WASE open discussion forum, for WASEians.
• Well defined channels of communication and policies empowering WASE
committee to raise WASE issues at all level in the organization.
• Regular Monthly / Bi – Monthly review sessions with WASE committee in
Wipro to discuss WASE related issues.
• Establish W.A.S.E get together / cultural Fest. Social and Cultural
involvement.
• Processes need to be established to initiate updation of policy changes in
a strict time framed manner and its open and transparent communication
to all in the organization.

W.A.S.E Reforms 2005

TRANSPERENCY, EQUALITY, QUALITY

WASE M.S Sessions:

• An online portal for W.A.S.E with a central repository of study material/
handouts/ notes/ e-books. A discussion forum. Use of Audio-Visual lectures
for sharing and revisiting recorded lectures over the portal.
• There should be state of art, well stocked libraries.
• The equipments in the Floating learning center need maintenance :
o Electronic Writing Boards don’t work. Writing directly on the board
is more or less ineffective as people sitting beyond a certain distance
aren’t able to make much out of what’s written on the board.
o Projectors are placed on the desk and leading to poor visibility due
to glare.
o Markers many a times are not replaced.
o The Sound Systems / Microphones needs to be maintained and
batteries replaced.
• Improvement in Lunch arrangements is required considering the fact that
many people are from other locations and not just from South India.
• The Air – Conditioners need to be powered on during MS Session. It has been
observed on many instances specially Sundays; the AC’s are not working.
• Require dedicated Lab(s), with open source development tools / free-wares
to deal with licensing issues for practical, hands-on.
• Have Brainstorms/Discussions/Seminars now and then to increase the
participation of the student. Encourage student initiatives.

WASE M.S Exams

• Only one exam on any given day.

• Exams Only On Saturday and Sundays.
• Possible approaches to Exams are :

4 Sundays in a month exams.

1
4 Saturdays before the examination day a preparatory leave.
1 Exam On Saturday.
2 1 Exam On Sunday.
Exams finished in two consecutive weeks.

W.A.S.E Reforms 2005

TRANSPERENCY, EQUALITY, QUALITY

WASE Employee Treatment:

WASEians work in the organization from Monday To Friday ( 8:30 AM to 9 :00 PM

) like any other employee , contributing in all aspects of this great organization
from value , to technology , to business . WASEians undergo higher studies for
their own benefits and that’s value addition. As WASEians it’s an emotional
journey as it’s the first break in life for most of them, it’s a big break. It has
also been observed there have been instances where WASEians have been
discriminated and humiliated on issues related by Stipend / Project
Opportunity / Onsite Opportunity / Employee Treatment / Sharing Concerns
etc. Thus for equal involvement and contribution in all company matters,
WASEians plead for “Equal Rights, Equal Treatment”.
• Since after 1 year into WASE most if not all B.C.A, B-Sc (CS), B.I.T, B.I.S. and
B-Sc (Electronics) students have 16 years of education and are comparable
to B-Tech / B.S as they are eligible for GRE and GATE also .They should be
treated equally in Wipro. This can be determined by an Evaluation Exam or
Performance Analysis over the year in WASE.
• WASEians need to be treated with dignity as regular employees, undergoing
MS on their own free will and that’s value addition.
• WASEians should be considered equally for any “Opportunity within the
Organization”.
• WASEians should be considered and evaluated equally for “Project
Allocation”.
• WASEians should be considered and evaluated equally for “Onsite
Assignments”.
• WASEians should be considered equally “Billable in a Client Project”.
• Equal treatment based on performance and value added by an individual
to the company.
• WASEians need to be considered for at least most basic benefits (QPLC,
Employee Referral, and Sick Leaves).
• Options for mentorship for WASEians.
• Instances pertaining discrimination against WASEians while allocation of
Project, Onsite Opportunities, Employee Treatment should be eliminated.
• Less time in free pools.

WASE Benefits:

A benefit gives any employee another reason to believe and be a part of a

cause i.e. the company. It’s a gesture of belongingness offered by the company;
it’s a token of appreciation for the employee’s presence and contribution in the
company. To appreciate the presence and contribution of WASEian who equally
contribute towards all causes of this organization and as a token of
belongingness at least the most basic benefits must be offered.
• A well defined Wipro Benefit Plan for WASEians.
• “Q.P.L.C” could be offered to the WASE students, as policies for QPLC have
been revised and QPLC return is now atleast 100%.
• “Employee referral scheme” has not been offered to WASEians. Also to be
noted is that “Employee Referral Policy” was stated in joining document for
WASE 2004 batch.
• WASEians need to be considered for “Relocation and Transfer Benefits”. As
Companies Business Requirements Equally Demands Relocation And
Transfer Of WASEians As Any Other Employee.
• “Bank Loans facilities for WASEians” at subsidized interest rates. For
instance housing loans are available for regular Wipro employees from SBI @
7.5 %.
• WASEians could be considered for “Interest Free Loans from the
Organization” up to certain limits.
• Revaluation of Leave Policy for WASE is required.
• At least 5 Days of Sick Leaves Annually. WASEians should be entitled to
Maternity / Paternity Leaves.
• Policy Pertaining To “Compensatory Leaves” for working on Official
Holidays (Sunday, Religious and National Holidays) needs to be clearly
defined for WASEians.

W.A.S.E Reforms 2005

TRANSPERENCY, EQUALITY, QUALITY

WASE Career BAND:

• W.A.S.E career band should be flexible. It should not be restrictive for

career growth, should be transparent and based on performance.
• Restructuring of WASE Band by sub banding is required. Some possible
solutions can be :

1 Split WASE Band Into Sub Bands Similar To The Regular Career
Band Categories Like A1 / A2 Etc. Based On Job Profile and Role In
The Company.
2 Adoption Of Regular Wipro Employee Career Band Policy For
WASEians Also.

• It should have a provision for growing up the career ladder even while in
WASE band. For Instance Band B1 after 4 Years of Experience and a M.S
degree from BITS Pilani, sounds unjustified as B.Tech Employees after 1 Year
Of service in Wipro are absorbed in BAND B1.
• Policy pertaining to “6 Months Wait To Travel Onsite after MS Completion
i.e. Banding – OOC” needs to be reviewed.
• Possible Review of Policy Pertaining Allocation of Career Band after
Completion of WASE \ MS and should be transparent and based on
performance.
• Red or Some Alternate Color Band For WASEians After 5 Years Since
Joining. Or Duration for Acquiring Red Band Be Reduced From 5 Years to
2-3 Years.

WASE Onsite Opportunity / OOC Banding :

Onsite Opportunities / Onsite Trainings / Client Interaction and Job Profiles

like Requirement Gathering / Analysis, Business Development Practices are
core part of learning the processes of any software professional. It enables
Employees to develop a cosmopolitan outlook empowering them to deal with
clients from all over the world, giving them insight about their culture,
business practices. Such exposure helps employees to grow and further
capture more business for the organization. And like any regular employee
WASEians should also be allowed to grow

• “Equal Onsite Opportunities” for W.A.S.E students.

• Policy pertaining to “Offshore / Onsite WASE Salary / Stipend”.
• Policy pertaining to “Difference in Offshore / Onsite WASE Salary /
Stipend”.
• Policy pertaining to “6 Months Wait To Travel Onsite after MS Completion
i.e. Banding – OOC” needs to be reviewed.
• The Possible Solutions Are :

If WASEians are treated as regular full time employees , pursuing

there higher studies on their own free will , just like some B.Tech
1 people also pursue their MS are treated as regular full time
employee , would be a way to get around legal complications
related to VISA processing and International Labor Laws .

• Policy pertaining to “Categorization of WASEians” for VISA and Legal Issues.

Category 1 : 16 Years Of Education ( I.e. B.Tech )

Category 2: 15 Years Of Education + 2/3 Years Of Experience.
Category 3: 15 Years Of Education + Enrollment In 2 Year M.Sc / MS / MCA
Education.

Category 1, Category 2, Category 3 Are Equivalent Categories Which Are

Required For OOC For Most Countries.

WASEians Fall In Category 3 + Experience Rather Than Category 2 as

WASEians after a year in MS are eligible for GRE and an US MS Degree
equivalent.

W.A.S.E Reforms 2005

TRANSPERENCY, EQUALITY, QUALITY

WASE Stipend / Salary Structure:

Considering factors like Inflation rate over past year which has peaked to 8.4 %
and averaged at ~ 6.1 % and also the rise in cost of living primarily in
Bangalore. It has been observed widely that there is a major dissatisfaction
amongst WASEian regarding WASE stipends. The comparatively very low stipend
being offered has lead to poor living standard of the WASE employees; also it’s
hypocritical with respect to TQM and doesn’t justify Software Engineer as a
good career option. A stipend should atleast be enough to provide justifiable
decent lifestyle. Thus following has been widely expected:
• WASEian should be offered if not equal at least a respectful, dignified and
comparable stipend at least after a year into WASE
• W.A.S.E stipend should be reviewed to be inline with the market.
• W.A.S.E stipend should be calculated and reviewed based on comparative
market analysis, considering factors like economical environment
(inflation, cost of living, stipend offered by other firms for similar
arrangement) . For Instance , It sounds totally unjustified to claim 5000 INR
/ PM in hand stipend is rightful and has been scientifically calculated based
on above factors and would be able to sustain even most basic lifestyle .
• For• same kind of arrangement (M.S @ B.I.T.S Pilani + Work) @ C.T.S and
M.B.T offer 13,500 I.N.R and 11,500 I.N.R respectively apart from benefits
starting year 1.
• Policies pertaining to “WASEians Eligibility for Employee / Project Bonuses
/ Production Support Remuneration” needs to be clearly defined.
• Policies pertaining to “WASEians Eligibility for Allowances Distributed By
Clients E.g. CISCO” needs to be clearly defined.

WASE RETAINMENT POLICY :

As WASEians it’s an emotional journey as it’s the first break in life for most of
the WASEians, it’s a big break. For Four Years in this organization, WASEians
contribute in all aspects of this great organization from value, to technology, to
business, profits etc. But what has been observed is that WASEians with so
much technological and managerial expertise look forward for a career outside
Wipro after four year, which is well demonstrated by attrition rate amongst
WASEians in 5th Year, is touching as high as ~90 %. This brain drain has never
been addressed. Thus following widely expected considering factors like (4
Years Wipro Work Experience + MS @ BITS Pilani):

• Possible review of policy pertaining to allocation of “Career Band after

Completion of WASE \ MS”.
• Possible review of policy pertaining to “Salary Packages After Completion
of WASE \ MS” is required .
• Policy pertaining to “6 Months Wait To Travel Onsite After MS Completion
i.e. Banding – OOC” needs to be reviewed.

·
Kindly note figures / statements stated are only for factual references and are not for
comparison and should be taken in the best of spirit.
W.A.S.E Reforms 2005
TRANSPERENCY, EQUALITY, QUALITY

TED ISSUES

N ISSUES
V: Valid / R : Review / I :
Implement
WASE RECRUITMENT
The number of WASEian being
recruited each year is growing,
which is being driven by the
business requirement. The
Quality of Human Resource
shouldn’t be compromised for
the sake of Quantity. The
consequence of under quality
WASE Human Resource would
reflect in the future in the
organization. The value of
WASE needs to be maintained
and the bar should be high.
Quality cannot be
compromised for Quantity.
A rigorous selection and
screening pattern should be
1
adopted for WASE recruitment,
to ensure quality.
Transparency and Exposure to
2 WASE policy during
recruitment is required.

WASE EMPLOYEE TREATMENT

WASEians work in the
organization from Monday To
Friday (8:30 AM to 9:00 PM)
like any other employee,
contributing in all aspects of
this great organization from
value , to technology , to
business . WASEians undergo
 higher studies for their own
benefits and that’s value
addition. As WASEians it’s an
emotional journey as it’s the
first break in life for most of
the WASEians , it’s a big break
. Thus for equal involvement
and contribution in all
company matters, WASEians
plead for “Equal Rights, Equal
Treatment”.

It has also been observed there

have been instances where
WASEians have been
discriminated and humiliated
on issues related by Stipend /
Project Opportunity / Onsite
Opportunity / Employee
Treatment Issues.
Since after 1 year into WASE
most if not all B.C.A, B-Sc (CS),
B.I.T, B.I.S, and B-Sc
(Electronics) students have 16
years of education and are
comparable to B-Tech / B.S as
3
they are eligible for GRE and
GATE also .They need to be
treated equally in Wipro. This
can be determined by an
Evaluation Exam or Performance
Analysis over the year in WASE.
WASEians should be considered
4 equally for any “Opportunity
Within The Organization”.
Equal treatment based on
5 performance and value added
by an individual to the company.
WASEians should be considered
6 equally “Billable In A Client
Project”.
WASEians should be considered
7 and evaluated equally for
“Project Allocation”.
8 WASEians should be considered
and evaluated equally for
 “Onsite Assignments”.
WASEians need to be treated
with dignity as regular
9 employees, undergoing MS on
their own free will and that’s
value addition.
Instances pertaining
discrimination against WASEians
10 while allocation of Project,
Onsite Opportunities, Employee
Treatment should be eliminated.

WASE SALARY / STIPEND

STRUCTURE
Considering factors like
Inflation rate over past year
which has peaked to 8.4 % and
averaged at ~ 6.1 % and also
the rise in cost of living
primarily in Bangalore. It has
been observed widely that
there is a major dissatisfaction
amongst WASEian regarding
WASE stipends. The
comparatively very low stipend
being offered has lead to poor
living standard of the WASE
employees . A stipend should
at least be enough to provide
justifiable decent lifestyle.

It sounds totally unjustified to

claim 5000 INR / PM in hand
stipend is rightful and has been
scientifically calculated based
on above factors and would be
able to sustain even most
basic lifestyle .

WASEian should be offered if not

equal at least a respectful,
11 dignified and comparable
stipend at least after a year
into WASE . . .
12 W.A.S.E stipend should be
calculated and reviewed based
 on comparative market
analysis, considering factors
like economical environment
( inflation , cost of living ,
stipend offered by other firms
for similar arrangement ) .
W.A.S.E stipend should be
13 reviewed to be inline with the
market.
Policies pertaining to “WASEians
Eligibility For Employee /
14 Project Bonuses / Production
Support Remuneration” needs
to be clearly defined.
Policies pertaining to
“WASEians Eligibility For
15 Allowances Distributed By
Clients E.g. CISCO” needs to be
clearly defined.

WASE CAREER BAND

W.A.S.E career band should be
flexible. It should not be
restrictive for career growth,
should be transparent and
based on performance. It
should have a provision for
growing up the career ladder
even while in WASE band. For
Instance Band B1 after 4 Years
Of Experience and A M.S
degree from BITS Pilani ,
sounds unjustified as B.Tech
Employees after 1 Year Of
service in Wipro are absorbed
in BAND B1 .

Solution 1 :
Split WASE Band Into Sub Bands
Similar To The Regular Career
Band Categories Like A1 / A2
Etc. Based On Job Profile and
Role In The Company .

Solution 2 :
 Adoption Of Regular Wipro
Employee Career Band Policy
For WASEians Also .

Restructuring Of WASE Band by

16 sub banding ( Refer Solution 1
and 2 above )
Policy pertaining to “6 Months
Wait To Travel Onsite After MS
17
Completion i.e. Banding – OOC”
needs to be reviewed.
Possible Review Of Policy
Pertaining Allocation Of Career
18 Band after Completion of WASE \
MS and should be transparent
and based on performance.
Red Or Some Alternate Color
Band For WASEians After 5
Years Since Joining. Or
19
Duration For Acquiring Red
Band Be Reduced From 5 Years
To 2-3 Years .

WASE BENEFITS
A benefit gives any employee
another reason to believe and
be a part of a cause i.e. the
company. It’s a gesture of
belongingness offered by the
company; it’s a token of
appreciation for the
employee’s presence and
contribution in the company.
To appreciate the presence
and contribution of WASEian
who equally contribute
towards all causes of this
organization and as a token of
belongingness at least the most
basic benefits must be offered.
A well defined Wipro Benefit
20
Plan for WASEians.
Employee Referral Scheme can
21
be offered .
22 Q.P.L.C can be offered to the
 WASE students, as they
contribute towards the
performance and output of the
firm.
Revaluation Of Leave Policy
23
For WASE.
At least 5 Days Of Sick Leaves
24
Annually.
WASEians should be entitled to
25
Maternity / Paternity Leaves.
Bank Loans facilities for
26 WASEians at subsidized
interest rates.
Interest Free Loans form the
27
company up to certain limits.
WASEians Can Be Considered For
28 Relocation And Transfer
Benefits.
Policy Pertaining To
“Compensatory Leaves” for
working on Official Holidays
29
(Sunday, Religious And National
Holidays) needs to be clearly
defined for WASEians.

WASE Onsite Opportunity /

OOC Banding
Onsite Opportunities / Onsite
Trainings / Client Interaction
And Job Profiles Like
Requirement Gathering /
Analysis, Business
Development Practices are core
part of learning the processes of
any software professional. It
enables Employees to develop a
cosmopolitan outlook
empowering them to deal with
clients from all over the world,
giving them insight about their
 should also be allowed to grow.
The Possible Solutions Are :

If WASEians are treated as

regular full time employees ,
pursuing there higher studies
on their own free will , just
like some B.Tech people also
pursue their MS are treated as
regular full time employee ,
would be a way to get around
legal complications related to
VISA processing and
International Labor Laws .

Its based on following

Categorization :

Category 1 : 16 Years Of
Education ( I.e. B.Tech )
Category 2 : 15 Years Of
Education + 2/3 Years Of
Experience .
Category 3 : 15 Years Of
Education + Enrollment In 2
Year M.Sc / MS / MCA
Education .

Category 1 , Category 2 ,
Category 3 Are Equivalent
Categories Which Are Required
For OOC For Most Countries .

WASEians Fall In Category 3 +

Experience Rather Than
Category 2 as WASEians after a
year in MS are eligible for GRE
and an US MS Degree
equivalent.

“Equal Onsite Opportunities”

30
for W.A.S.E students.
Policy pertaining to “Offshore /
31
Onsite WASE Salary / Stipend” .
 Policy pertaining to “Difference
32 In Offshore / Onsite WASE
Salary / Stipend”.
Policy pertaining to “6 Months
Wait To Travel Onsite After MS
33
Completion i.e. Banding – OOC”
needs to be reviewed.

WASE RETAINMENT POLICY

As WASEians it’s an emotional
journey as it’s the first break
in life for most of the
WASEians, it’s a big break. For
Four Years in this organization,
WASEians contribute in all
aspects of this great
organization from value, to
technology, to business, profits
etc. But what have been
observed is that WASEians with
so much technological and
managerial expertise look
forward for a career outside
Wipro after four year , which
is well demonstrated by
attrition rate amongst
WASEians in 5th Year is
touching as high as ~80% - 90%
. This brain drain has never
been addressed. Thus
following widely expected
considering factors Like ( 4
Years Wipro Work Experience +
MS @ BITS Pilani ) :
Possible review of policy
pertaining to allocation of
34
“Career Band after Completion
of WASE \ MS”.
Possible review of policy
pertaining to “Salary Packages
35
After Completion of WASE \
MS” is required .
36 Policy pertaining to “6 Months
Wait To Travel Onsite After MS
Completion i.e. Banding – OOC”
needs to be reviewed.
BITS Collaborative Program Syllabus Site:

http://www.bits-pilani.ac.in/dlp-home/degrees/collab/body_mssewmp.html

Off-Campus Work-Integrated Learning Programmes

Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani

M.S. Software Engineering (Wipro, MBT, Patni)

Type of Sponsored employees (with adequate work experience) with a B.Sc.

Input & Degree or its equivalent with adequate preparation in Mathematics &
Duration Physics, for an Eight Semester programme
:
Special This is a specially designed programme for Human Resource
Feature: Development of employees of Wipro Technologies, Bangalore; Mahindra
British Telecom, Pune and Patni Computer Systems Ltd., Mumbai.

Year First Semester U Second Semester U

SE** ZC211 Mathematics I 3 SE** ZC212 Mathematics II 3
SE** ZC221 Structured 3 SE** ZC222 Advanced 3
SE** ZC241 Programming 3 SE** ZC213 Programming 3
I SE** ZC261 Principles of3 SE** ZC252 Techniques 3
Management Probability &
Digital Electronics & Statistics
Microprocessors Discrete Structures
for Computer Science
Total 12 Total 12
SE** ZC413 Computer 3 SE** ZC421 Computer Networks 3
SE** ZC415 Organization &3 SE** ZC362 Programming
SE** ZC461 Architecture 3 Languages &3
II SE** ZC432 Data Structures &3 SE** ZC322 Compiler 3
Algorithms SE** ZC422 Construction 3
Software Engineering Database
Object Oriented Management Systems
Programming Operating Systems
Total 12 Total 12
 SE** ZG659 Technical 4 SE** ZG651 Software 5
SE** ZG512 Communication 4 SE** ZG661 Architectures 4
SE** ZG511 Object Oriented5 SE** ZC473 Software Quality3
III SE** ZC462 Analysis & Design 3 SE** ZC451 Management 3
Design & Analysis of Multimedia
Algorithms Computing
Network Internetworking
Programming Technologies
Total 16 Total 15
SE** ZG514 Data Warehousing 5 SE** Dissertation 20
SE** ZG552 Software Testing4 ZG629T
IV SE** ZG622 Methodologies 4
SE** ZG513 Software Project4
Management
Network Security
Total 17 Total 20

Note 1: This is the currently operative pattern as approved by the Senate-

appointed committee, subject to change if the situation warrants.
Note 2: For the course number in the above chart the symbol ** can be
substituted by WP for Wipro, MB for MBT and PC for Patni.

[DLP Home] [Introduction] [Admission Notification] [BITS Virtual University]

[Educational Process] [Distance Learning Programmes]
[Collaborative Programmes] [[Fees] [Contacts] [Online Query]
[News] [BITS Home]

BITS Collaborative Program Policies:

http://www.bits-pilani.ac.in/dlp-home/eduprocess/eduprocess.html

Educational Process
1. Educational Process

2. The Role of a Mentor

3. Evaluation Methodology

4. Some Stipulations

5. Operating Definitions of Certain Key Terms

Educational Process

Considering that the Off-Campus distance learning and collaborative degrees

are work-integrated learning programmes, it is essential that the applicant is
engaged in work in the relevant professional areas. The final offer of admission
for such programmes would be based on the applicant's educational
background, academic achievements, work profile, relevant work experience,
profile of the employing organization and proposed mentor's profile.

The education in the off-campus distance learning and collaborative

programmes is characterized by person-centered approach where the rigour
and standard are maintained on par with Institute's system of education on-
campus. These programmes judiciously combine the flexibility and ingenuity of
the off-campus educational system with all the regular features of the on
campus education system. Also, the learning and evaluation process draws upon
the successful and established methodologies followed by the Institute.
The work learning environment of a student under the Off-campus Distance
Learning and Collaborative programmes consist of two broad-based facets:
- Academic Environment created by Pilani-based and off-campus centre based
Instructors who are BITS faculty drawn from different disciplines;

- Student's own Work Environment from which assignments, projects, seminars

etc., may emerge to integrate theory and practice. A (locally-based) Mentor
imparts structured guidance and conducts certain evaluation components (see
Role of Mentor' below);
Central to the educational philosophy of the Institute being the dialectical link
between theory and practice, the student's own work environment provides an
ideal ground where theory could be meaningfully combined with practice
through Assignments, Case Studies, Laboratory-Oriented Projects, Work
Experience, Inservice Training, Internship, Thesis-Seminar and Dissertation.
These evaluation components and courses search for evidence of self-study,
time planning, conceptual understanding and application of the concepts in a
real-life situation, self-reliant articulation, enthusiasm for, awareness of and
participation in new pedagogy. One of the distinctive features of this system is
the complete formalization of pursuit of education at the work-learning
environment. An organization creates a work learning environment by providing
academic sponsorship for the candidates as well as infrastructural facilities
such as place for conducting formal classes/mentor interactions/examination
apart from library, computer and laboratory access. The work learning
environment form a strict requirement in order to infuse a strong component of
teacher-student contact through course instructors as well as Mentor (a senior
officer of the student's own organization). Thus work-learning environment is a
very important component of the person-centered learning process. There is in
the design, a clear arrangement of periodic personal discussion in the work-
learning environment with the students so that their progress is directly
monitored by planned interaction. Further, the students at the work-learning
environment receive help from mentors. Throughout the student's learning
process, which is conducted in his own work place, through systematic self-
study, and self-learning process, the student remains continually in contact
with the course instructors for any clarifications. Thus the operation is an
imaginative combination of the contact hours and tutoring of the on-campus
system with the student-centered self-study feature of the off-campus system
and an organizational and pedagogic commitment of the collaborating
organizations. The student is at once, a full- time student as well as full-time
employee.

For each course offered by the Institute, there would be an Instructor, who is a
BITS faculty, drawn from the relevant discipline who is charged with the
responsibility of the conduct of that course. This will be in terms of preparing
question papers, evaluation of answer papers and answering student's queries
apart from preparing instruction manuals, question bank, supplementary notes,
etc. wherever required in order to strengthen the course.

For each course, there will be a handout, which will spell out the plan of study
and evaluation scheme, prescribed text book / suggested reference books apart
from other details. The evaluation schedule is also announced in the beginning
of the semester itself. All details pertaining to the operation of the course
including grading procedures are shared with the students through this
document. It is the responsibility of each student to acquire textbooks and
other reference materials recommended for each course in the course handout.

The Role of a Mentor

A Mentor is a senior officer of the student-employee who has been nominated

by his organization or is a person in a senior position willing to undertake and
discharge the academic responsibilities on his own volition. It is expected of
the Mentor to possess adequate qualifications to guide the student and the
Mentor has to be approved by the Distance Learning Programmes Division
before admission is finalized. Typically for the B.S. programmes mentor is
expected to have minimum educational qualification of the level of Integrated
First Degree of BITS or its equivalent such as B.E./BITS B.S.
/B.Tech./M.Sc./A.M.I.E. etc. and for the M.S./M.Phil. Programmes of the level
of Higher Degree of BITS or its equivalent such as M.E./M.S./
M.Tech./M.Phil./M.D. etc. However, for the M.S. / M.Phil. Programmes, senior
professionals holding a First Degree of BITS or its equivalent such as B.E. /
BTech. / MSc. / MBA / M.C.A / M.B.B.S etc. and having a minimum of ten years
of relevant work experience may also be proposed as mentors. Preference will
be given to applicants having a suitable mentor from the same employing
organization. In case Mentor is not chosen from the same employing
organization as that of the applicant, it is mandatory for the applicant to give
adequate justification in a separate document which must be duly forwarded
by the applicant's Employer.
The Mentors would assist the course instructors in terms of the following:
- Achieving the set of academic objectives enunciated by the instructors;

- Verifying if a student is indeed sticking to the plan of study given in the

handout;

- Monitoring involvement of the student in self-study, time planning,

understanding of concepts and their use, developing self-reliant articulation,
awareness of and enthusiasm for new pedagogy, responsibility to meet
deadlines, developing familiarity with the library, etc.

- Conducting certain evaluation components like Seminar, Assignment, Project,

Case Study, etc.

Evaluation Methodology

Evaluation for a given course is internal and continuous and has the following
features:
- Assignments, Projects, Case-studies, spread over a semester for making the
course relevant and meaningful to the work learning environment of the
students;

- Written examinations - one at the mid-semester point and another

comprehensive exam at the end of semester. These examinations are
conducted at specified off-campus centers of BITS in a centralized manner
under the supervision of BITS faculty; (Presently for the Distance Learning
Programmes, BITS exam centers are located at Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi,
Hosur, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Nagda, Pilani and Dubai).
- For the exam centre at Dubai, in addition to the semester fees, there will be
an exam centre fees of 1000 UAE Dirhams or equivalent per semester to be
paid at the time of appearing in Mid-semester examinations at Dubai Centre for
that semester.
- Strict adherence to the evaluation schedule as announced through the course
handout at the start of the semester;

- The Institute follows continuous system of internal evaluation and letter

grades A, B, C, D, E carrying grade points 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 respectively are
awarded for all courses other than Dissertation / Thesis-Seminar for which only
non-letter grades namely EXCELLENT, GOOD, FAIR, POOR are awarded. If a
student does not offer adequate opportunity for evaluation in a course, reports
such as NC (Not cleared) may be awarded.

- The final grading in a course is done by tabulating in descending order

(equivalently a histogram) the total marks of all students in a particular course.
The performance of the course will be analysed in terms of average, highest
and lowest marks and dividing lines between various clusters. Gaps between
clusters and the nature of clusters will guide drawing the dividing lines
between various grades. In a normal class of large size, the C-band will usually
include the average mark. This is not a hard and fast rule and exceptions may
arise in cases of small classes or a skewed histogram etc.

- The Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) on a 10 Scale basis is used to

describe the overall performance of a student in all courses for which LETTER
GRADES are awarded.
U1G1+U2G2+U3G3+...............+UnGn
CGPA = ----------------------------------------
U1+U2+U3+.........+Un
Where U1, U2, U3, .. Un denote units associated with the courses taken by the
student and G1, G2,G3,...Gn denote grade points of the letter grades awarded
in the respective courses. Non-Letter grades do not go into computation of
CGPA.
- In the case of Integrated First Degree programmes the final division for the
degree is decided on the basis of CGPA and there are three classifications,
namely Distinction (CGPA 9.00 or more), First Division (CGPA 7.00 or more but
less than 9.00) and Second Division (CGPA 4.50 or more but less than 7.00).
However, no division will be awarded in diploma, higher degrees and Ph.D.
programmes.

- Subject to fulfilling the Academic Regulations of the Institute, the student

will be issued at the end of each semester a grade sheet and at the end of the
programme a Transcript and Provisional Certificate followed by the Final
Degree Certificate. The minimum academic requirements for the M.S.
programme stipulate that a student obtains a CGPA of 5.50 and no E grade in
any course. Similarly for the B.S. programmes, student should obtain a CGPA of
4.50 and no E grade in any course. Students who fail to meet the minimum
academic requirements or put under the purview of Academic Monitoring Board
(AMB), which monitors their programmes, and give guidance so that they are
properly rehabilitated at the earliest.
- The Institute’s Academic Regulations must be consulted for additional details.

Some Stipulations

- While the students who are admitted to on-campus degree programmes may
be permitted to transfer to off-campus degree programmes, the reverse is
normally not possible since the admission modalities for the two degrees are
not the same. However, all off-campus degrees are equivalent to the
corresponding degree of on-campus and for admissions to the Institute for any
higher degree programmes the off-campus degrees will not be distinguished
from on-campus degrees.

- In any examination, as far as possible, the direct interactive process of the

evaluation would be made at a place nearest the working place of the
candidates. Wherever there is not adequate number of candidates, the
Institute will be free to demand that all candidates come to Campus or other
Off-Campus centers for this purpose.

- A student who is admitted to the Institute because of sponsoring from an

organization will cease to be a student if he discontinues employment from the
organization. However, his case will be entertained without prejudice if the
new organization in which he is employed agrees to sponsor him for the
degree. However, if the person becomes unemployed he may not be continued
because of the requirement of work learning environment for the degree,
which may no longer, be available to the student.

- Any student admitted to a programme may be allowed to transfer to another

programme provided he is eligible for the same and is supported by his work
environment and sponsorship of his employer.

- Since every student admitted to off-campus degree programme is treated as a

full-time student and a full time employee, it is essential that such a student
be not enrolled for any degree or diploma programme, part-time or otherwise,
in any other university. If it is found that a student is admitted/registered in
some other university for degree programme, then his admission / registration
will be cancelled.

Operating Definitions of Certain Key Terms

- A course is a component of knowledge, which serves as the irreducible

minimum building block in the curriculum or syllabus.

- A programme of studies is a set of courses constituting the requirements of a

degree.
- A regular student is one who is enrolled for a degree.

- A collaborating organization is an organization that helps the Institute in

setting up the necessary facilities and in the running of classes and laboratories
for all students. Such an organization may simultaneously be also a sponsoring
organization.

- A sponsoring organization is an organization, which fulfills one or more of the

following features:

a. The organization is the employer of the student and pays fully / partly the
fees/dues of the student and also provides facilities required for the learning
process.

b. The organization is an employer of the student but does not pay the
fees/dues of the student. Nonetheless the organization agrees to encourage
and actively participate in the special nature of the educational process for the
mutual benefit of the organization and the employee.

- An associate student is one who is allowed to register in any of the courses

offered in each semester with an ultimate goal of obtaining a diploma/degree
or without any such ambition. The treatment of these students will be different
from that of the casual students in that these students will be registered on
credit and not on audit basis and may be admitted for a degree or a diploma, if
situation so warrants. Further, admission procedure and the fee structure may
also differ in contrast to the casual students. Presently the Institute considers
only sponsored candidates from structured collaborative programmes for
Admission as Associate Student.

Duration

This may vary from programme to programme depending upon the input
qualification, experience requirements, nature as well as the need of the
collaborating organizations including the viability and feasibility of course
offerings. The Semester wise pattern given in the following pages indicate the
currently operational details for various programmes which may be varied
whenever situation warrants.
Wipro WASE Career Website

http://careers.wipro.com/wase/
Wipro Academy of Software Excellence (WASE) program is primarily
designed to suit the manpower development needs of Wipro
Technologies. This program is intended to prepare some of the best B
Sc., BCA and BCM students for the future applications development
environment, by giving them right kind of training. Also, this program
aims to equip students with the platform skills and professional
certifications necessary to applying thought in Wipro, along with
instilling the need for a quality process.
Selection Process

The WASE program is open only (2006 Batch) for fresh science
(B.Sc.) graduates who have opted for Computer science, Who is eligible to apply?
Electronics, Mathematics or Information Technology (IT) as BSC (Computer Science/IT/
subjects and BCA/BCM graduates. The brightest students with Electronics/ Mathematics/IT stream
at least 60% aggregate in there graduation, Plus 2 and 10th only) or BCA
Examinations and with Mathematics as a subject in their +2 With consistent academic record of at-
/PUC can eligible to apply for this four-year program. least 60% aggregate from their 10th
till their Graduation.
The selection process is multi-level with standard aptitude Must have Math as one of the subject
test, Communication & Programming Skills test and personal in +2/PUC.
interview. The aptitude test is similar to the GRE and GMAT
format. Candidates are filtered after each level. Details on the selection process: The
selection will be conducted in
WASE recruitment is done through both Campus & off-Campus Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad,
process. Campus process is restricted to selected colleges of Kolkata, Delhi and Pune.
Students of only these colleges go through the selection Selected candidates are required to
process and are recruited in their third year of graduation. In complete the 4 year degree program
Off-campus process students are intimated through and sign a service agreement for the
Advertisement in all leading National English dailies across all program duration.
metros of the country.
WASE History:- The first WASE batch
All selected candidates have to student service agreement was started in 1995. Since then Wipro
with Wipro for four years. The only pre-condition for students has been recruiting B.Sc / BCA / BCM
under WASE program is that they have to be in Wipro to graduates for WASE.
complete the WASE MS degree. But, there is no condition that
they should stick on to the company once they finish their
course.

Scholarship / Stipend

The company also provides an attractive scholarship / stipend for the selected WASE students which
would take care of their necessary expenses in Bangalore or in other Wipro development centers in
India. Apart from this the full fees of four-year MS program is borne by Wipro.

Program structure

As part of the WASE program, every student registers for an 8 semester MS program with Birla Institute of
Technology & Science (BITS), Pilani (Rajasthan, India). In the first seven semesters, WASE students are
doing their course work and the dissertation in the last semester.

During their MS Program with BITS Pilani, the WASE students are placed in the various Business domains.
Here they will participate in the live projects as the regular employees do.

The schedule and plan will be intimated to the WASE students from time to time. The faculty from the
best Engineering Colleges and IT Industries in the locality are selected through a very systematic and
Wipro Collaborative Program Website

http://learning.wipro.com/talent_transformation/e_initiatives/e_wase_introd
uction.htm

WASE Introduction

Selection Process..

Scholarship..

Program Structure...

Teaching Methodology...

Schedule...

Code of Conduct...

Orientation Training...

WASE Strength...
1

WASE

WASE (Wipro Academy of Software Excellence) is a pioneering effort of Wipro

Technologies, in preparing some of the best B.Sc, BCA and BCM graduates to
face the challenges presented in the everchanging world of Information
Technology, by giving them right kind of training.
Apart from equipping the students with the necessary platform skills,
behavioral skills and providing the live project exposure, this program provides
an opportunity to pursue an 8-semester (four year) off-campus Collaborative MS
Program from Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS), Pilani (Rajasthan,
India).

Selection Process

The WASE program is open only for fresh science (B.Sc.) graduates who have
opted for Computer science, Electronics, Mathematics subjects and BCA/BCM
graduates. The brightest students with at least 65% aggregate and with
Mathematics as a subject in their +2 /PUC can eligible to apply for this four-
year program. Short listing and selection is strictly on merit.

The selection process is multi-level with standard aptitude test, group

discussion and personal interview. The aptitude test is similar to the GRE and
GMAT format. Candidates are filtered after each level.

Advertisement is published in all leading National English dailies across all

metros of the country. On an average there will be 100 applications for each
seat. Candidates are filtered after each level of tests. Finally, the candidates
with all-round capabilities will be selected and informed.

All selected candidates have to sign a bond with Wipro for four years. This is
the only pre-condition for WASE candidates, under this they have to be in Wipro
to complete the WASE MS programme. But, there is no condition that they
should stick on to the company once they finish their course.

Scholarship / Stipend

The company also provides an attractive scholarship for the selected WASE
candidates, which would take care of their necessary expenses in their location
of MS Program (Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune and Gurgoan). Apart from
this the full fees of four-year MS program is borne by Wipro.

Program Structure

As part of the WASE program, every selected candidates registers for an 8-

semester MS program with BITS Pilani (Rajasthan). In the first seven semesters,
WASE students are doing their course work and the dissertation in the last
semester.

During their MS Program with BITS Pilani, the WASE students are placed in the
various Business domains. Here they will participate in the live projects as the
regular employees do.
The schedule and plan will be intimated to the WASE students from time to
time. The faculty from the local Engineering Colleges and IT Industries are
selected through a very systematic and stringent Faculty evaluation process,
for conducting the WASE contact classes.

WASE MS program is a highly structured program of 16 weeks contact classes

(two hours each), and classes are being conducted on every Saturday. All
classes are held at Wipro's development Centers at Bangalore, Hyderabad,
Chennai, Pune and Gurgoan.

Teaching Methodology

The teaching is basically Instructor Led Training (ILT) and in some cases it is
through the Virtual classrooms (Video Conferencing) in order to reach the
Wipro employees outside Bangalore.

There will be four courses per semester and classes are conducted as per the
'course plan' prepared by the Faculty in accordance with the syllabus
prescribed by BITS Pilani. The emphasis is given on business integration of
these courses and bring more focus on collaborative curriculum.

All the classrooms in our Learning Center are equipped with flat monitor based
desktops, a smart board and a LCD. These classrooms acoustically designed so
that a student in remote corner can hear clearly.

Faculty use presentations for all sessions. He / She can also use white
board/smart board / Magnetic board/OHP in case of illustrations.

Program Schedule

Normal classroom sessions will be held between 9:00am to 6:00pm on every

Saturday. However, there will be some sessions that may go on beyond 06:00pm
and may be started before 08.30am. These sessions will be shown in the week
plan.

If required the Faculty may call the students to attend his /her class on some
other day including Sunday. But this will be informed well in advance. He/ she
will seek the convenience of the students before scheduling the class.

Code of Conduct

Students have to complete the assignments and submit the same on time. The
faculty reserves the right of not accepting late work.

WASE students should be punctual to the classes and maintain decorum in all
the classes and during examinations. The Consultant, Educational Initiatives
may, from time to time, call the WASE students to meet him for discussions,
counseling and collecting Clearance letter, Experience letter and
Recommendation letter. The WASE student has to make himself / herself free
and meet the Consultant at his place during the specified time.

WASE student shall not involve directly or indirectly in cheating, falsifying, and
defaming the reputation of the Faculty or other individuals who have been
working in this novel Initiative.

On any event of violation of the code of conduct by the WASE student, the
decision of the Principal Consultant, Educational Initiatives shall be final.

Dropping out of the WASE program will necessitate reimbursement of training

fees by the WASE student to the company on a pro-rata basis, the details of
which are available in the bond, signed by the candidate prior to joining the
WASE program.

Orientation Training Program

All WASE students will undergo a strategically planned and scheduled

Orientation Training Program (Foundation Readiness Program for 28 days and
Project Readiness Program for 35 days, together 12 weeks training). This is a
mandatory Training program for all WASE students. This Training may be a
Comprehensive Training or an intensive Certification Oriented Training Program.
The duration is typically ranges from 35 to 45 days.

Instructors for this training are exclusively from the Talent Transformation and
if needed for specific training we outsource the external Faculty.

This training is conducted before the WASE students are getting registered for
the MS Program with BITS Pilani and placed in their respective Vertical as well.

Each WASE student part of the Orientation Training Program has to pass the
courses with a minimum cut-off percentage* prescribed by Talent
Transformation from time to time. A retest is given to the student to improve
his/her performance. If the student has failed to score prescribed percentage
in the retests, then the student will be asked to quit the program.

If the Orientation Training Program is tagged to Certifications, then the WASE

student has to complete the specified Certificate exam within the given time
frame and score the requisite percentage. Wipro Technologies will bear the
cost of the certification under its novel initiative 'U Pass V Pay'.
WASE Strength

The first WASE batch was started in 1995. Since then Wipro has been recruiting
B.Sc / BCA / BCM graduates for WASE. The following Table depicts the number
of recruits since 1995.

*For 2004-05, it is 80% for both FRP and PRP

BDC - Bangalore Development Center

CDC- Chennai Development Center
HDC- Hyderabad Development Center
PDC- Pune Development Center
GDC - Gurgaon Development Center
Wipro Technologies WASE Policies Website

http://learning.wipro.com/talent_transformation/e_initiatives/e_wase_policy
_student.htm
Policy Guidelines for WASE Students

Classes...

Attendance...

Payment of Fees...

Leave...

Examinations...

Scholarship...

Confirmations...

Certificates /Letter...

Certification Examination...

Meeting...

Discipline...

Personal Folders...

Contact Classes

1. First semester starts from (2004-05) 9th October 2004.

2. Presently, all contact classes are conducted at Wipro Electronics City office
in Bangalore, Madhapur office in Hyderabad, Sholinganallur office in
Chennai, Hingewadi in Pune and Gurgoan Wipro Office.
3. Buses are arranged for the WASE contact classes at the respective location
to pick up and drop WASE students. In this connection, contact WASE
coordinators: rajesh.gururaja@wipro.com at Bangalore,
vinodkumar.bethi@wipro.com at Hyderabad and
shanmugham.viswanathan@wipro.com at Chennai and
ravindra.hurkadli@wipro.com at Pune and dhananjayan.nar@wipro.com at
Gurgoan.
4. All WASE students should communicate to their WASE coordinators the
details of their location of work, extension, domain / account, names of PM
and TM and other relevant information for office purpose, immediately
after reporting into verticals.
5. Should be punctual for every class.
6. Should maintain decorum in the class.
7. Dress up smart casuals while coming to the classes.
8. Give feedback on the classes and the Faculty, honestly and critically,
whenever asked. This is mandatory.
9. Should submit assignments to the Faculty on time.
10.WASE students are expected to come prepared for the contact classes and
discuss with Faculty for all doubts and queries.

Attendance

1. Attendance is COMPULSORY. Attendance of 75% is a pre-requisite to take the

exams. The WASE students who have less than 75% of attendance are not
allowed for the exams.
2. Students falling short of attendance even in one subject are not eligible to
write exams for the current semester.
3. Students can not abstain for TWO consecutive semesters. Consequence -
deletion from BITS rolls. And hence from the WASE program.
4. Remaining absent for the classes, without the prior approval / permission
from the concerned Authority, will be treated as indiscipline.

Payment of Fees

1. Full fees for all 8-semesters is borne by Wipro.

2. In case of backlogs / Re-registration course, the WASE student has to pay
the required amount of fees to BITS Pilani.
3. Dropouts from the course are subjected to the conditions laid down in the
service agreement (Bond executed during the time of recruitment)
4. No reimbursements for WASEians for any expenses incurred by them during
the MS program.

Examinations

1. There are TWO examinations for each semester: Mid semester exam and
End Semester exam. The mid semester Exam carries 40% weightage while
the End semester Exam carries 60% weightage.
2. Mid semester Exam is a closed book exam and End semester (Comprehensive
- covers all topics) Exam is Open book exam.
3. Both the Mid semester and End semester examinations are conducted on
Weekends only.
4. All exams and dissertation evaluations (Viva-Voce) are held at respective
locations (BDC - Bangalore, CDC - Chennai, HDC - Hyderabad, PDC - Pune,
and GDC - Gurgoan) only.
5. Provision for make up exams only on medical exigencies / onsite
assignment.
6. Make up exam request to be enclosed with medical certificate / letter from
TM / BUH as required and submit the same to the Principal Consultant,
Educational Initiatives.
7. For each course only one Make up exam (for both mid and end semesters)
will be scheduled.
8. Each WASE student has to show a very good overall performance by securing
highest CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point average) in the program.
9. Each course is graded on the basis of relative grading which lead to, A, B,
C, D and E grades.
10. You are expected to maintain CGPA at 5.5 to get MS degree from BITS Pilani
11. Re-registration in case of `E’ grade or CGPA less than 5.5 (as per BITS), fee
will be borne by student.
12.All WASE students who have secured 'E' grade or CGPA less that 5.5 are
called for counseling (conducted only for Low performers at the end of the
semester, schedule will be communicated).
13.Each Student has to attend the counseling meeting, at the specified venue
and time, along with his/her PM and TED manager, without fail.
14.A WASE Student will be asked to quit the organization, under the following
conditions:
15.Any time he/she secures TWO “E” Grades during the WASE Program. Some
of the scenarios are as follows:
16.It can be in the same semester or across two semesters.
b) It can be in the same subject (E in Retest also) or across two subjects.
17.When he/she secures ONE 'E' grade during the WASE Program and gets
Improvement required (“IR”) Appraisal rating by his/her Supervisor
/Manager in the Project.

Leave

1. Each WASE student will get a maximum of 15 days leave during the
Academic cycle starting from 1st January and ending with the 31st December.
No carry forward of leave.
2. For WASEians working days are from Monday to Saturday, therefore leave
request should be made through TEDweb and update the same in the
manual System.
3. Availing leave beyond 15 days is treated as Loss-Of-Scholarship(LOS).
4. For Personal Marriage, a maximum of 25 days of leave will be granted,
which includes permissable 15 days leave. The additional 10 days are
treated as LOS.
Scholarship

1. WASE coordinator sends in the details of scholarship of each WASE student

to the Payroll department every month and payroll is done accordingly.
2. Current Scholarship scheme is as shown in the following Table.

Year Scholarship Amount

(in INR)
First 3 5700.00
Months
4th - 12th 6200.00
Months
Second 7450.00
Third 9200.00
Fourth 15,500.00

Confirmations

1. All WASEians will be absorbed into the organization (subject to the

organizational policy) as confirmed employees after successful completion
of their MS program with BITS Pilani.
2. Confirmation is withheld in case the bond period is not over.
3. Wipro's WASE Coordinator will send a list of all WASEians, who have
successfully completed their MS program to the line TED Managers.
4. The line TED managers will send their inputs/feedback on the WASE
students working in their account, to the WASE coordinator.
5. WASE Coordinator will consolidate the inputs and prepares the final list of
confirmations and send the same to the group TED manager.
6. Group TED Manager will take care of SAP updation.

Certificates /Letters

1. WASE student would need the Clearance Certificate, Experience certificate,

Address Proof Certificate, Provisional Degree Certificate (PDC), Convocation
Certificate and Education certificate during or after their four year MS
program.

2. The Clearance Certificate, Experience certificate, Provisional Degree

Certificate, and Convocation certificates are issued by the Consultant,
 Educational Initiatives. But Address proof certificate will be issued by the
TED Manager.
A. Clearance Certificate :

1. When a WASE / MS programs student is going onsite (with approval from

his/her TM and Consultant, Educational Initiatives), can request for the
Clearance Certificate with the necessary information, asked by the Wipro-
BITS Collaborative Initiatives coordinators.
2. Wipro WASE Coordinator has to issue the clearance Certificate to the
requester within 24 hours. The requester can escalate it to the Consultant,
Educational Initiatives, on violation of timeline.
3. The requester has to come in person and collect the clearance Certificate,
by putting signature in front of the coordinator/Consultant Educational
Initiatives.
4. The requester has to send the Xerox copy of the clearance Certificate to
the Wipro WASE coordinator, after taking the signature of his/her TM.

Provisional / Convocation certificates

1. The WASE / MS programs students are communicated in advance by the

WASE coordinators about the receipt of Provisional Degree Certificate (PDC)
/ Convocation Certificate.
2. The WASE / MS programs students have to confirm their date of receiving
the provisional / convocation degree certificate to the respective
coordinator.
3. WASE Coordinators have to take the signature of the candidate and other
relevant details while issuing the provisional / Convocation degree
certificate.
4. Onsite WASE / MS programs students can authorize some person who they
believe, to collect the certificates in case of urgency. Otherwise, he /she
has to collect the same, once he / she comes back to Banglore or other
WASE locations.

Address Proof Certificate

Take the print out from HRweb (HRweb->My Data-> Address Proof) and get the
signature from any TED Manager / your TED Manger at your location.

Certification Examination

1. WASE students are allowed take up Certification Examination as per the

direction of Talent Transformation / by the project requirement
2. Prerequisite: One year in Wipro
3. The interested WASE student should send the request mail (online request)
to the Consultant, Educational Initiatives, specifying the Certification
Examination details with the approval from his/her TM/SDH.
4. WASE students will avail, the Certification Exam, under "One Exam Per Year"
and "U pass V Pay" policies.
5. For Reimbursement, WASE student should submit the relevant bills /
documents as needed by the Accounts department.

Meeting

1. From time to time, the Consultant, Educational Initiatives, may wish to

have meetings and discussions with the WASE student at his place.
2. WASE student is expected to make himself / herself free to meet and
discuss during the specified day and time as per the instructions of the
Consultant, Educational Initiatives
3. The Consultant, Educational Initiatives, shall initiate the discretionary
actions on those WASE students who have failed to adhere to the above
requirements.

Discipline

1. WASE student shall conduct himself/herself worthy and truthful in every

activity (viz. Contact classes, Tests and Exams, Viva-Voce Exams, Counseling
meeting, Paper distribution and allocation, Convocation, anything related
to WASE Education) of WASE MS Program conducted, in any premises of
Wipro, in and outside of Bangalore.
2. WASE student shall not involve directly or indirectly in cheating, falsifying,
and defaming the reputation of the Faculty or other individuals who have
been working in this novel Initiative.
3. WASE student shall not involve in any event that violates Wipro's BS7799
guidelines.
4. Each WASE student is expected to exhibit the professionalism in both
Academic and Project activities.
5. On any event of violation of the code of conduct by the WASE student, the
decision of the Consultant, Educational Initiatives shall be final.

Personal Folders

1. Wipro WASE coordinator will maintain the personal folders of each WASE
students till the end of 4 year of MS program (Successful Completion of the
Academic Requirement)
2. WASE coordinator will hand over the same to group TED on the day of
Confirmation.
Guidelines for Faculty

Classes...

Attendance...

Examinations...

Honorarium...

Classes

1. All classes are conducted at Wipro Electronics City office at Bangalore,

Madhapur office in Hyderabad and Sholinganallur office in Chennai. And
classes are Instructor Led Training sessions.
2. Local transportation can be arranged for the faculty on demand and contact
WASE coordinators: at Bangalore, vinodkumar.bethi@wipro.com at
Hyderabad and shanmugham.viswanathan@wipro.com at Chennai and
ravindra.hurkadli@wipro.com at Pune and dhananjayan.nar@wipro.com at
Gurgoan.
3. Each faculty has to give the details in terms of his /her qualification,
profession, institute /organization, number of teaching experience in both
industry and academics, research credentials, office and residence contact
numbers and correct communication address.
4. Faculty has to be punctual for each class.
5. Should have a professional control over the audience.
6. Faculty can use an OHP and presentation slides. The LCDs are installed in all
the classrooms.
7. Should prepare the course plan / course handouts well in advance and
distribute the same to the students.
8. Should advise the students on the textbooks, reference book and any other
source of knowledge for their better understanding of the concepts and
constructs of the course.
9. Should prepare case studies and assignments relevant to the topics and give
them to students to work out.
10.Faculty can seek feedback from the participants from time to time to
evaluate the overall effectiveness of the program and thereby modify the
course plan and structure and style of Talent delivery, if required, based on
the inputs given by the students.
11. Faculty, in case of an emergency, is not able to come to the class, he / she
has to provide a stand by / make an alternate arrangement, so that the
classes are not disturbed.
12.Should maintain quality and integrity throughout the semester.
13.Periodic feedback is taken from the WASE and MS programs students (formal
and informal) and if they are unhappy and dissatisfied with the faculty,
 faculty will be informed to improve in the pain areas of teaching, suggested
by the employees.
14.The Consultant, Educational Initiatives, Wipro Technologies, may drop in the
class any time, with the permission of the faculty in the classroom.

Attendance:

1. Attendance is COMPULSORY for the students.

2. Attendance of 75% is a pre-requisite for the students to take the exams,
unless bounded by official work. Therefore, faculty has to take attendance
regularly and hand over the attendance report to the Wipro WASE
Coordinators, before leaving the premises.
3. Faculty has to update the Wipro WASE Coordinators, about the students who
have shortage of attendance.

Examinations:

1. There are THREE examinations for each semester: Mid semester exam, End
Semester exam and Make up exam. Mid semester Exam carries 40%
weightage while the End semester Exam carries 60% weightage. The make
up exam is to help our MS program students who miss their classes and Mid
semester and End semester exams due to onsite assignment / Medical
reasons.
2. Mid semester Exam is a closed book exam and End semester Exam
(Comprehensive- Covers full syllabus) is Open book exam. So the questions
papers to be designed accordingly.
3. All exams are held at Wipro offices.
4. Faculty has to be present on the day of examination and collect the papers
from the coordinators.
5. Faculty has to evaluate the papers within a week and distribute the same
to the MS program students.
6. Rectifying the correction if any and update the students and coordinators
7. Faculty has to evaluate the examination papers and give the relative
grading for the results, which leads to the, A, B, C, D and E grades. A is the
highest grade and E is the lowest.

Honorarium

1. Honorarium is fixed for each faculty based on the subjects.

2. For each subject Rs. 27,500/- is paid as an honorarium.
3. 50% of the honorarium is paid at the end of the closure of Mid semester
grading and other 50% is paid at the end of the semester.
4. Faculty has to give his / her PAN number for IT / office purpose.
WASE Policies: Guidelines for Dissertation

WASE and MS (Lateral) Program

Guidelines for Dissertation

1. Identification of Topic: Dissertation topic should be related to the day-to-

day work/ ongoing project and your MS Program. In any case, it should add
value to the organization.
2. Identification of Supervisor: depending on the topic/subject of
dissertation, a supervisor has to be chosen from within the work
environment.
3. Dissertation Outline: After identifying the Topic and Supervisor, you need to
submit a “Proposal” constituting the aim / objective of the Dissertation
Work to BITS in the prescribed format. The duly completed “Dissertation
Outline” should reach the BITS Coordinator by 5:00pm on or before
______________ (dd/mm/yyyy).
4. Two or more students CANNOT do a joint/ combined dissertation work.
5. Registration: Subject to clearing (not having any 'E' grade or NC) all the
courses and having a CGPA greater than 5.5, a student will be allowed to
register for dissertation. In the first instance, the registration is provisional
only.

6. Calendar of events is published by BITS coordinator in association with

Wipro Coordinator through a group mail. Update the same to your
supervisor and keep informed other on other formalities to be done in
course dissertation.
7. Duration of the Dissertation work is typically FOUR months. For WASE,
dissertation work is given in 8th semester and for MS lateral programs it is in
their 4th semester.
8. Submit Two copies of your dissertation to the BITS coordinator at least 15
days before your Viva-voce.
9. All Viva Voce exams are conducted at our Electronics City office. If there is
change in the location / venue, it will be communicated to each well in
time.
10.Onsite students should appear for viva-Voce at their own cost or as per the
policies of the client account.
11.Appear for Viva-Voce exam at least 15 minutes before the scheduled time.
12.Install your presentation and demonstration material on the specified
desktop / server in the specified examination hall.
13. Students who carry their personal Laptops should inform the Wipro-BITS
collaborative initiative coordinator at least one week before the exam and
get the permission as per BS7799 guidelines.
14. Duration of Viva-voce exam is typically 45 minutes for each student - 20
minutes presentation, 10 minutes demonstration and followed by 15
minutes question and answers.

Supervisor

1. The supervisor has to essentially guide the student throughout the project
and evaluate him/ her on a regular basis.
2. The supervisor should assume the role of a guide and mentor to the student
for the dissertation.
3. The supervisor should set high quality standards for the dissertation work
and motivate the student to work hard and show tangible results.
4. The supervisor should encourage the student to explore various sources and
discover the ideas pertaining to the dissertation.
5. The supervisor is responsible for monitoring the progress of the dissertation
through weekly interaction with the student. A specific time can be fixed
for the weekly interaction with the student.
6. The dissertation students are to be treated as full-time students and full-
time employees at the same time. Hence, no concession on quality or
quantum of work should be made with respect to their work (job
responsibilities) or their dissertation.
7. A full-time dissertation requires a lot of hard work. The student should be
urged to allocate a fixed, but substantial amount of time each day to the
dissertation work, and record the progress made on a daily basis. Hence the
cooperation is very much needed in carrying out the dissertation without
any hitches.
8. The supervisor is responsible for the periodic/ regular evaluation of the
dissertation work and submission of the duly completed evaluation proforma
/ sheet by the due date specified in the course handout, to the BITS
Coordinator.
9. The supervisor has to be present during the time of viva-voce and explain if
queries are asked on the overall dissertation work.
10.The supervisor can be in touch with the Wipro-BITS Collaborative Initiatives
coordinators for any information on dissertation and clarification.

Qualification and Experience of the Supervisor:

1. Min. BE/ B.Tech/MCA in the relevant discipline but preferably M.E./ MS/
M.Tech.
2. S/he should have adequate experience in the relevant domain- min 02 years
for BE and min 01 year for ME/MS/M.Tech.
Examiner

1. “The 02 Examiners and the Supervisor” together conduct the final

evaluation (final seminar, report and viva) and jointly recommend the final
grade to be awarded.
2. An examiner will be a professional who has expertise in the area pertaining
to the topic of dissertation work done by a candidate.
3. Both the examiners come into picture only when a seminar / viva is given by
the student. The names of the TWO examiners have to be mentioned in
the Dissertation Outline.
4. The TWO examiners could also be from the faculty who conduct courses for
the MS program at Wipro, or could be experts from outside Wipro or BITS.
5. The choice of examiner is the Supervisor's prerogative. However, certain
things should be kept in mind while choosing the examiner.
6. The examiner should be senior, in terms of experience to the student
concerned, and should have good knowledge in the area of the dissertation.
In any case, the examiner can’t be from the student’s peer group.
7. The same expert/professional could be an examiner for any number of
dissertations, provided s/he fulfils the criteria mentioned above, and gives
her/his consent to being an examiner for each of them.
8. The supervisor should inform the proposed examiners well in advance and
obtain their consent to be examiner, before formally nominating them as
examiner.
9. In case, the chosen examiner(s) is/ are not available during the final
evaluation, other expert(s) could be chosen to act as examiner(s), and the
BITS Coordinator can be informed accordingly.

Onsite Students:

1. Even if a student is deputed onsite during the Dissertation, it is mandatory

for
2. The onsite student to be present in Bangalore for the Viva Voce.
3. The dates of Viva Voce to be conducted by BITS, Pilani will be
communicated to all on-site students well in advance. However, students
are advised to keep the Wipro Coordinator- Mr. Rajesh Gururaja
(rajesh.gururaja@wipro.com) informed of their latest coordinates.

N.B. Students and Supervisors should note that BITS Coordinator will accept
only signed hardcopies of documents. Softcopies of the evaluation sheets or
reports will not be accepted. However, students are requested to preserve
soft copy of the Final Report for Wipro Database.
WASE Policies: Examination instructions and guidelines

Mid Semester Examination

1. This is a closed book exam. And hence the usage of notes, text books,
course handouts and other study material, Laptops, PCs, Palmtops and other
electronic equipments, irrespective of their size and capacity, to store and
retrieve the digital information, is prohibited during the time of the
examination.
2. This exam carries 40% weightage.
3. The topics covered in the first 8 classes will be the syllabus for the mid
semester exam.

End Semester Examination

1. This is a comprehensive exam. Hence the entire syllabus is covered for

setting question papers. This exam carries 60% weightage.
2. It is an OPEN book exam.
3. No exchange of books and other information during exams is strictly
prohibited.
4. The study material in hard copy, covering the following is allowed
5. Recommended text books
6. Specified reference books
7. Faculty provided course materials
8. Class notes
9. Tutorial information, assignments, quizzes.
10.Complete solution books

Common Guidelines for both the Exams

10.Usage of Laptops, PCs, palmtops and other electronic equipments,

irrespective of their size and capacity, to store and retrieve the digital
information, is NOT permitted during the time of the examination.
11.Should be present at the examination all at least FIVE minutes before the
examination.
12.Kindly adhere to the seating arrangements made in the examination halls.
13.Please bring at least ONE pen with full ink. I have seen some people asking
for my pen.
14.Please bring pencil, eraser, scale and curchief (sweaty palmists:-) ).
Otherwise answer scripts become wet!!).
15.No eatables are allowed during the examinations.
16.Sharp weapons are not allowed.
17. Those who are having less than 75% of attendance are NOT allowed for
the examination.
18.Please maintain silence during the examination.
19.Please obey the instructions given by the Invigilators.
20.Please obey the instructions given by the Invigilators.

Wipro Technologies WASE Frequently Asked Questions Website

http://learning.wipro.com/talent_transformation/e_initiatives/faq.htm
What is WASE?

WASE - Wipro Academy of Software Excellence, is a brainchild of Wipro in

developing and deploying B.Sc/ BCA talent into the corporate world.

When was WASE started?

WASE was started in 1995 with 25 B.Sc graduates.

Who can apply for WASE?

Any B.Sc / BCA /BCM graduate with 65% aggregate and who had Mathematics as
one of the subjects in his/her 11th and 12th class is eligible to apply for WASE.
The aggregate percentage and the disciplines may change from time to time as
per the company policy.

How can I come to know about WASE?

WASE advertisement will be published in the National English dailies.

What is the selection process?

The WASE selection process is a multi-level test comprising of:

i) Aptitude Test
ii) Technical competency Test (Introduced from 2003)
iii) Group Discussion
iv) HR Interview

And all selected candidates will be intimated through e-mail.

Where do you conduct all these tests?

The WASE selection tests will be conducted at all Metros (Bangalore,

Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkota, Pune and Delhi) based on the
number of applications/requests received in that geographical region. Short-
listed candidates are intimated well in advance to appear for the test at these
places.

How do you keep track of the WASE applicants? Because there will be
hundred thousand requests / applications for WASE?
It is a good question. We receive applications in 1:100 (Requirement : Requests)
ratio. Each applicant is given WASE application number and his/her resume is
stored on our database. The potential aspirants of WASE are asked to log in and
submit their resume to http://careers.wipro.com/wase.

All candidates who have applied for WASE need to transact Wipro through this
website only.

I am a B.Sc. graduate and working in a small IT company in Pune, can I apply

for WASE?

The answer is NO! Currently, we are selecting only fresh graduates who have
completed their B.Sc / BCA.

I have completed my BIT (Bachelor in Information Technology), and a friend

of mine has completed BCS (Bachelor of Computer Science), can we apply
for your WASE?

As long as they are 3-year degree courses, we treat BIT and BCS on par with
BCA and B.Sc (Computer Science), hence both of you are eligible to apply for
WASE.

What is the designation of WASE recruits? Are they considered as Wipro

employees?

The WASE recruit is called as "Student -Computer Appplications". The answer

for your second half of the question is "NO"!

What are the documents to be submitted, at the time of my admission to

BITS Pilani MS Program under Wipro-BITS collaboration?

At the time of admission to MS Program with BITS Pilani, the candidate should
enclose the following documents along with the application:

1. Attested copy of Class X pass certificate for Date of Birth.

2. Attested copy of class XII pass certificate
3. Attested copy of the B.Sc/BCA/BCM degree certificate or at least the
Provisional Degree Certificate (PDC).
Attested copy of all the year's marksheets of the degree.
4.
5. Five unattested passport size colour photographs

Where are the WASE recruits placed after their selection?

Since the beginning of WASE the WASE students are placed in Bangalore. From
2003 onwards, we are allocating the WASE students to other locations in India.

Is there any bond signing as part of WASE selection? Why?

Yes. All candidates selected for WASE have to sign a service agreement with
Wipro for four years. Because all WASSE students will be undergoing a 4-year
MS Program with BITS Pilani (Rajasthan, India), under Wipro-BITS Collaborative
Initiatives.

What is WASE MS program? Is it a correspondence course or regular course?

It is a 4-year degree program (8 semesters) during which the WASE students will
study different courses to fulfill the requirements of the Masters degree. This is
degree is equivalent to any ME/M.Tech degree awarded by any Indian
Universities.

It is a regular program under Wipro-BITS Collaborative Initiatives.

If I am right, Wipro recruits B.Sc. graduates with Physics, Maths, and

Electronics as their major subject apart from Computer Science. Do you
think that they all have common programming knowledge to meet your
requirements? How do you make them understand programming languages
and other important concepts?

Once WASE selection is over, all the selected candidates are placed into a
mandatory orientation-training program. During which the WASE students will
study various technologies like Basic platform skills, JAVA Technologies,
Microsoft Technologies, SAP, Mainframes, Telecom and Behavioral skills.

This is a highly structured and rigorous program that provides a great learning
opportunity for WASE students to understand more concepts in general and
some Technologies in particular.

Depending on the organizational requirement, this program aims at 'Developing

and Deploying Talent' with Technology certifications such as SCJP, MCP, MCAD,
etc. WASE students will be given sufficient time and adequate resources in
preparing for Certificate exams.

I would like to know who would pay the certification fees? Whether Wipro
or the WASE student?

Wipro pays. But, under the policy that "U Pass V Pay". WASE student has to get
registered himself / herself for the specified Certificate Examination and pass
the same. Once the candidate is passed, Wipro will reimburse the fees.

Are there any specific prerequisites for the mandatory orientation-training

program?

No. Since it is the mandatory program, we take all the WASE students as a raw
input and prepare them to face the challenges of ever changing world of IT.

Where will the WASE MS classes be conducted? Is it in Bangalore or in BITS

Pilani?

All WASE MS classes (contact classes) are held at Wipro offices. You need not go
to BITS Pilani.

Are there any exams during the orientation training? If I don't perform well
in these exams, will I be asked to quit the organization?

In a mandatory training program, there will be a test at the end of each

course. These tests are online tests. In each test, the WASE student has to
score minimum 80%. If students are not able to score the target percentage in
their scheduled test, they are given two retest chances to improve their
performance. If he / she is not able to score 80% in the retests will be asked to
quit the organization.

How many courses are there in each semester?

Four courses per semester. Like this you will study 28 courses in first 7
semesters and doing dissertation in your 8th semester.

Can I skip any semester?

Yes you can. But with permission- from the Technical Manger and the
Consultant, Educational Initiatives.

One disadvantage here is that, you will be delaying your degree.

Is attendance for the WASE classes compulsory?

Attendance is compulsory. In order to qualify for the examinations of WASE MS

Program, each student has to secure at least 75% attendance in all courses.
Permission will not be given for those who fall short of attendance.

Can I get leave during the orientation and MS programs?

In a mandatory training no leave is granted. However, you can get leaves during
your MS programs.

How many days of leave are granted to WASE students per year?

15 days leave are granted to WASE students. This includes both casual and sick
leave. If any WASE student has availed more than 15 days, is then advised to
LOS (Loss of Scholarship)

What is the calendar followed for Leave for WASEians?

The calendar year for leave calculations is from 1st January to 31st December of
every year.

Is WASE MS degree a full-time or part time degree?

It is a four-year full time degree for WASE students. BITS Pilani awards the
degree for all WASE students who have successfully completed their MS
courses.

Is BITS Pilani MS degree recognized outside India?

Yes. Both Industries and Institutes recognize BITS MS degree.

I am fresh B.Sc graduate and I am in dilemma whether to apply for WASE or
do My M.Sc. I want to know whether Wipro continues with WASE or stops in
between? If continues, how long?

Wipro's main strength is its Talent. And believes in Talent Transformation as an

ongoing process. As, WASE is the most sought after Educational Program in
Wipro, therefore organization continues with it.

What are the benefits I get if I join WASE in your company?

i) Scholarship
ii) Learning
iii) Getting Master degree at the cost to the company
iv) Finally, a job in Wipro.

Can you elaborate on the scholarship amount that Wipro gives during the
WASE program?

Scholarship
Year Amount (in Rs )
per month
First three Rs. 5,700/-
months
4th -12th Rs. 6,200/-
month
Second Rs. 7,450/-
Year
Third year Rs. 9,200/-
Fourth Year Rs. 15,500/-

On an average, Wipro invests arround Rs. 1,50,000/- per annum for each WASE
student.

Can I get any interest free loans during my MS Program in Wipro?

No.

Can I get Medical assistance/ benefits from Wipro when I am doing MS

program in your organization?
Yes

On completion of the WASE MS course, would the WASEians join in Career

Group A OR “Team Rainbow”?

The WASEians on completion of the WASE MS course would join in Career Group
A.

Can the WASEians undertake any Certification program, which can be

reimbursed by Wipro?

For each employee a training budget would be finalized. Talent Transformation

would look into the feasibility of nominating. However, if a need is felt for on
the job training, the respective Vertical would take care.

When will I be confirmed in the organization? Whether is after my MS

Program or at the end of fourth year?

As mentioned in the Bond executed at the time of joining, based on successful

and satisfactory completion of Academics and Assessment of their work
performance by the supervisor, Wipro reserves the right to offer suitable
employment to WASE Students.

More precisely, "All WASE students will be absorbed into the organization
(subject to the organizational policy) with effect from the 1st of the subsequent
month, from the date of the announcement of their final results of viva-voce
from BITS Pilani."

I am studying in 6th Semester WASE MS program, I would like to pursue my

MBA through Symbiosis' Distance Learning Program, Pune. Can I enroll for
this MBA course. This program is independent of Wipro's collaborative
program with Symbiosis.

No WASEian can undergo more than one Educational Program during his / her
MS Program with BITS Pilani. Hence you cannot enroll for MBA course through
Symbiosis' Distance Learning Program, Pune.

Will Wipro sponsor onsite assignments for WASE students?

At least first two years, it is not. After the third year, of course, yes.
During my onsite assignment, will I get salary apart from my scholarship?

The WASE students who are eligible to onsite assignment, and if there are on
long term assignment, would get onsite salary.

What is the prerequisite for WASEians to get onsite assignment?

Minimum 16 years of Schooling and subject to the changing policies of OOC

(Overseas Operations Cell)

During my MS course, if am given opportunity to go on an onsite assignment,

how can I get the 75% of attendance?

Your onsite assignment is an official work. Hence you will be given full
attendance for that period when you are onsite, provided you have taken the
prior approval from your TM and the Consultant, Educational Initiatives.

How many exams I have to take up during my MS Program?

There are two exams per course: First one is the Mid Semester Test which is
conducted after the first 8 weeks of contact classes. Second one is the End
Semester Examination. This is conducted after other 8 weeks of contact
classes followed by the Mid Semester Test.

The Mid Semester Test carries 40% weightage and it is closed book exam. The
End Semester Examination is a closed and comprehensive examination, having
60% weightage covers the whole syllabus. It is an open book examination. The
WASE students can bring the textbooks, reference books and study material to
the examination, suggested by the faculty.

And, we also have provision for 'Makeup Exam', which is designed for those who
have missed any of their semester exams. The provision is given ONLY to those
who were onsite and had serious health problems.

Suppose if I missed both the Mid Semester Test and End Semester
Examinations for my personal reasons, can I get provision for Make up
exam?

There is NO provision for make up exam under reason 'personal'.

What is the curriculum of all semesters? Please give me semester-wise
courses.

The curriculum for all the 8 semesters is given in the following Table.

Year Semeste Courses

r
Semester Mathematics I
1 Structured
Programming
First Principles of
Management
Digital
Electronics and
Microprocessor
Semester Mathematics II
2 Advanced
Programming &
Techniques
Probability &
Statistics
Discrete
Structures for
Computer
Science
Semester Computer
3 Organization &
Architectures
Second Data Structures
& Algorithms
Software
Engineering
Object Oriented
Programming
Semester Computer
4 Networks
Programming
Languages &
Compiler
Construction
Database
Management
Systems
Operating
 Systems
Semester Technical
5 Communication
Object oriented
Third Analysis &
Design
Design &
Analysis of
Algorithms
Network
Programming
Semester Software
6 Architectures
Software Quality
Management
Multimedia
Computing
Operating
System
Semester Data
7 Warehousing
Software Testing
Fourth Methodologies
Software Project
Management
Network
Security
Semester Dissertation
8

Dissertation and Viva-Voce:

I have an ‘E’ grade in one of the courses, can I simultaneously register for
that course and do the dissertation?

No. Unless you clear all the courses, you will not be allowed to register for
dissertation.

My CGPA is just below 5.5, can I register for the Dissertation?

No. BITS will offer you registration (repetition) in some course(s) in which you
have obtained a poor grade in one of the earlier semesters. You got to improve
your grade(s) and make your CGPA above 5.5 in order to be eligible for
Dissertation. Registration in some course(s) for improving CGPA will depend on
the availability of courses in a particular semester.

My supervisor / examiner(s) is/are coming back only after …!

Find an alternate supervisor / examiner(s) immediately. In case a change the

supervisor is necessary, please hand over a fresh copy of the “Original Outline/
Proposal” duly signed by the new supervisor to the BITS Coordinator. Any
change can be done only with the consent of the current supervisor. Replacing
or finding a new examiner is the responsibility of the Supervisor.

What is the implication of delayed seminar presentation?

You will be awarded GA (Grade Awaited). However, you should obtain the
required permission for delayed presentation.

My supervisor / examiner(s) is/are abroad, I am in Bangalore, how will the

viva be conducted?

Viva can be conducted by you being here and your supervisor / examiner being
abroad, you need to have an examiner locally (apart from an examiner abroad)
to vouch for you. The BITS & Wipro Coordinators should be intimated about
these dates well in advance.

Apart from Video conferencing, is there any other way to conduct the viva/
seminar in the above situation?

No, seminar and viva cannot be conducted through E-MAIL, FAX, TELEPHONE or
VoIP.

When will I get my degree?

After completing all your evaluation components, including seminars / Vivas

and your supervisor recommending you a grade and having cleared the Viva
Voce by BITS, Pilani, the Dean, DLPD will pass it on to the examination
committee. Subject to the approval of your grade by the examination
committee, the degree will be awarded to you.

On Successful completion of dissertation, will I get a certificate?

On successful completion of dissertation you will get the marksheet (Transcript,
as known in BITS parlance) from BITS, Pilani which will have grades of all the 3
semesters and rating (non- letter grade) for your dissertation. Apart from the
Transcript, you will also be awarded the Degree Certificate (Provisional, in the
first instance and later, Diploma of the Degree, ie Original Degree Certificate)
by BITS, Pilani.

Is the presence of the Supervisor/ Examiner(s) mandatory during the Viva

Voce by the BITS Panel?

Yes! The student should be accompanied by at least one of the three ie either
the supervisor or one of the two examiners. All three together are always
welcome.

If, I'm onsite during some/most/all of the final dissertation period, how do I
go about completing my dissertation?

a. You could take up the mid-sem presentation with your mentor/supervisor

via telecon/in person.
b. Arrange to submit hardcopies of the mid-sem report as specified in your
dissertation guidelines.
c. Get to know all possible viva dates for the final dissertation presentation
from your WASE coordinator from BITS. Typically, A few dates are added
toward the end of the semester to facilitate students onsite and not
available on the original dates. This is decided by Wipro and BITS depending
on the number of such cases.
d. Presence during end-sem viva is mandatory. Mentor/supervisor need NOT be
present. If you could be back at the viva center's location by any of the
available dates, please discuss with your WASE Coordinator from BITS to
arrange for the same. (This is not needed, if your schedule fits into the
whole regular viva timetable dates)
e. In the worst case, you cannot reach the viva center location on any of the
given dates, you will have to arrange to send a mail from your mentor
and/or manager to the Manager Educational Initiatives WIPRO and BITS
Coordinator in charge of WASE, informing of the reason and requesting that
you will take up the dissertation/viva during the next semester/years dates.
Please note that your provisional certificate will not be generated unless
you complete your viva with BITS.