Reinforcing its commitment to driving electronic literacy in India, Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corp., today commemorated the opening of its 100th eLearning Centre in Hyderabad. The Centre was commemorated in the presence of Shri Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary, Information Technology, Government of Telangana. Also present at the occasion were Geoff Hunt, Senior Vice President – Engineering, P&W and Amit Pathak, General Manager of Pratt & Whitney's Customer Training Center in India.

Located at Zila Parishad High School (Boys and Girls), the two centres (99th and 100th) which were inaugurated today are equipped with modern facilities including tools and technologies to support both teachers and students. These resources include computers, wireless internet, digital projectors, display screens, audio systems, software, and furniture.

By establishing the eLearning Centres since 2011, Pratt and Whitney is focusing on providing high-quality digital education to Government schools in India. The company has been driving these eLearning projects in close partnership with an NGO, Engineers Without Borders India (EWB-India) and other partners.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Jayesh Ranjan said "For the goals of Digital Telangana to become a reality, it is important that all the stakeholders, particularly common citizens, start valuing the benefits and impact of technology. Digital literacy and digital education creates a predisposition for people to seek technology solutions for the challenges they face in their day-to-day lives. The efforts of P&W to set up eLearning Centers in our schools would greatly support us in reaching the goals of Digital Telangana faster".

Commenting on the milestone, Geoff Hunt said, "As part of our focus on serving communities in which we operate, our eLearning initiatives in India are aimed at equipping young students with high-quality digital education. We are committed to supporting these future leaders by providing them an environment and the resources to think critically and grow."

Amit Pathak said, "We are proud to open Pratt and Whitney's 100th eLearning Centre today. The announcement is a testimony of our commitment towards promoting digital education in the country. Together with our project partners, we stand committed to further strengthening our in-country network of eLearning Centres in alignment with the government's priorities on skills and education".

Pratt and Whitney works on eLearning projects in partnership with companies such as QuEST, RGBSI, Cyient, Jaisara, Larsen and Toubro, Genpact amongst others. Members of the Hyderabad, Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh and Bangalore chapter of Engineers Without Borders-India and members of the University of Connecticut chapter of Engineers Without Borders-USA have also contributed to the construction of the eLearning Cnters in the past.

Pratt & Whitney's sponsorship of eLearning Centers in Hyderabad and Vishakhapatnam builds on the efforts the company has made in India over the last decade to inspire the next generation of engineers. Since 2004, Pratt & Whitney has made annual contributions to the Association Saikorian that now total more than $200,000 USD (13,729,000 INR). Additionally, Pratt & Whitney has funded major projects with Project Krushi in Gowdavally, Hyderabad and Project KGNMT in Hyderasakote, Hyderabad.