01 — Center Architecture

Three-Tier Model

Tier	City Hub	District Spoke	Digital Layer
Capacity	200–500 students/batch	50–100 students/batch	Unlimited (async)
Location	Tier 1/2 city centers	District HQ / Tier 3 towns	Mobile + web
Purpose	Full delivery, trainer base, employer connect	Blended delivery, community anchor	Scale reach, pre-skilling, ongoing support
Staffing	14–20 FTEs	4–6 FTEs	3–5 central FTEs

Physical Requirements

City Hub (3,000–5,000 sq ft)

• 3–4 classrooms (30 seats each), 1 computer lab (40 seats), 1 hands-on/shop-floor lab
• Server room / networking closet, admin area, placement/counseling room
• Equipment: 40 desktops/laptops, 1 Gbps broadband (redundant), projectors per room, cloud lab access (AWS/Azure credits), domain-specific equipment (healthcare mannequins, EV components)
• Power: UPS backup (4 hrs), generator for Tier 2 locations
• Connectivity: Primary fiber + 4G failover

District Spoke (800–1,500 sq ft)

• 1 classroom (30 seats), 1 shared computer/lab space (20 seats)
• Small admin + counseling area
• Equipment: 20 laptops (mobile cart model), 100 Mbps broadband, 1 projector, smart TV for live sessions from Hub
• Power: UPS backup (4 hrs)

Digital Layer

• Mobile-first PWA (works offline, syncs when connected)
• AI tutor accessible via WhatsApp + app
• Content CDN with edge caching for low-bandwidth areas

Co-Location Opportunities

Partner	Advantage	Considerations
ITIs (15,000 across India)	Existing infra, equipment, NCVET alignment	Bureaucratic MoU process, state-level approvals
Engineering/Polytechnic colleges	Underutilized labs, evening/weekend slots	Faculty resistance, academic calendar conflicts
CSCs (4L+ centers)	Deep rural reach, existing digital infra	Very small spaces, limited to digital layer
Co-working spaces	Plug-and-play in Tier 1/2 cities	Cost, not available in Tier 3
Corporate training rooms	Employer-branded, placement signal	Availability limited to off-hours

Recommended starting strategy: Co-locate Hubs with underutilized polytechnic colleges (evening batch model). Deploy Spokes through ITI partnerships. Use CSC network for Digital Layer entry points.

Minimum Viable Center (MVC)

The smallest unit that can deliver outcomes:

• 1 classroom (30 seats) + 1 computer lab (20 seats) = ~1,000 sq ft
• 20 laptops, 1 projector, 100 Mbps broadband, UPS
• 3 staff: 1 trainer, 1 facilitator/admin, 1 placement coordinator
• Live-streamed master classes from Hub
• Capacity: 60–90 students/year (2–3 batches)

Estimated Setup Cost Per Tier

Cost Item	City Hub	District Spoke	Digital Layer
Lease deposit (6 months)	Rs 12–18L	Rs 2–4L	—
Renovation/fit-out	Rs 15–25L	Rs 3–6L	—
IT equipment	Rs 20–30L	Rs 8–12L	Rs 5–8L (central)
Domain-specific equipment	Rs 10–20L	Rs 3–5L	—
Furniture	Rs 5–8L	Rs 2–3L	—
Branding/signage	Rs 2–3L	Rs 1–2L	—
Total setup	Rs 65L–1.04Cr	Rs 19–32L	Rs 5–8L
Monthly operating cost	Rs 8–12L	Rs 2.5–4L	Rs 1.5–2.5L

Key assumption: Co-location reduces setup cost 40–60% (shared infra, no renovation).

Phasing

• Month 0–6: 1 City Hub (Bangalore) + Digital Layer
• Month 6–12: 1 District Spoke (within 200 km of Hub) + 1 additional Hub city
• Month 12–24: Scale to 3 Hubs + 6–8 Spokes