COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on every aspect of human life. Campuses too are not going to be the same as they have been for years. There is a new normal which will define the campus of the future. Like the corporate world, most campuses and universities are looking at students, not 100% back to physical classes and not even fully virtual. The future is a hybrid model with options for education to be multi-functional and multi-dimensional.
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Sodexo building next generation campus
A future-ready campus will be all about Technology-based innovation – enhanced smart solutions, digital payments, robotics, automated cleaning, AI backed solution to name a few. This use of technology will be made to enhance productivity & reduce operating costs. At Sodexo, in addition to mechanized cleaning, robotics has been piloted to maintain floor hygiene of large floor infrastructure facilities for optimum manpower utilization. Also, at 2 of the premium NIRF top ranked Engineering campuses at North & South of India, Sodexo has deployed complete digital ordering & payment solutions for on-campus F&B retail. Recently, AI backed kitchen management solutions are being piloted by Sodexo to enhance safety and increase efficiency. It helps to watch the process compliance of hygiene by temperature scanning, safety attire detection, hand wash compliance, cleaning activity detection, and social distancing check. Sodexo kitchens runs on uniform cooking techniques, which leads to retention of nutrients, improved productivity & food services, saving consumption of water, energy efficiency, and better working conditions for the kitchen staff.
The right Nutrition among students in India has been spoken about for years, but change will happen if this is done at a campus level and not only at homes. Well-nourished students equate to better academic and overall performance. The future of India lies with the overall health of students. Serving high nutritious meals should be a mandate and not an option. In India, the newly launched food offerings by Sodexo are Food & Co. and Food & You to delight students by providing the right nutrition. Both these formats encourage students to connect, build camaraderie and hold inspiring and engaging conversations over food. Sodexo brings this space to life by providing a variety of tasty food that confirms the Wellness Charter, drawn up by their global team of nutritionists.
Another key aspect of campuses will be about it being a facilitator to community creation. Communities help in continuous engagement with peers for more embedded learning and development and mental well-being. Strong relationships among youth can be explicitly oriented toward building community and impacting the future of India. Sodexo runs various food programs, festivals, and engagements that also aim at nourishing as well as creating community experiences.
India is already looking at a huge environmental crisis, campuses currently and in the future have to not only be about net zero carbon campuses but also should lead by example for the students to be aware of the environmental impact of their every action and be a part of global and national level save the environment movement. Sodexo runs an initiative to prevent food waste with the WasteWatch powered by Leanpath Program. Using the program, Sodexo teams rapidly and easily capture food waste data, get clear insights into what is being wasted in their kitchens and why. With this new understanding, teams are implementing targeted operational and behavioral changes to avoid food waste. In India, Sodexo is actively working with 15 education campuses to implement this program in a robust manner.
With COVID-19, everyone has learnt a huge lesson about real estate, campuses have to look at smart infrastructure and smarter space utilization of real estate. Campuses should be agile; spaces should have multiple uses and it should create surplus and benefit society at large.
Sodexo, India’s leading food and facilities management company for education institutions has always been focused to enhance the quality of campus life for students, teachers and campus communities. Sodexo is currently spending all its efforts in helping education institutions prepare for the “new normal” and more importantly make them ready for the next generation.
Nitin Trikha, Country Head, Sodexo, Education Services Segment, “We are committed to partner with campuses and make them future ready. Campuses have a huge responsibility to provide students a nurturing environment which is focused on growth and wellbeing. Campuses are an incubator center to prepare students for the future world. The campus lifestyle is evolving at an unprecedented pace and Sodexo wants to bridge the gap by providing unmatched Food, Hospitality & Campus care services to the education sector in India.
Tech-savvy gen-z students need campuses that have adapted to their digital way of living. The future of campuses is going to be webbed with advanced technology. Sodexo brings in an evolutionary mindset and a range of innovative services that align with new transforming campus needs. The campus lifestyle evolution is happening now and Sodexo is here to lead the way.”
About Sodexo, Education Service Segment
Sodexo is proud to serve iconic 4,600 education campuses across 42 countries with exceptional food, facilities & campus care services for over 50 years. In India, currently, they work with premium schools & universities across 15 states & 20 cities serving more than 50 million healthy & nutritious meals every year to 1,00,000 students and 10000 staff and faculty. Sodexo also manages 30 million sq. ft. of facilities including complete maintenance of 10,000 hostel rooms on campus.
