The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : “State not affected by economic slowdown”

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Sunday, Mar 15, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

“State not affected by economic slowdown”

Special Correspondent

“Low-cost operations and flexibility among strong points”

— Photo: R. Ravindran

BRIDGING THE GAP: Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology A. Raja inaugurating Virtuosity, a skills building institute, in Chennai on Saturday.

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu is not going through the phase of economic slowdown that is happening in the rest of the world, K. Purushothaman, NASSCOM Regional Director, said on Saturday.

Noting that the State is one of the major information technology (IT) clusters, Mr Purushothaman gave an account of several companies’ plans to set up their units in the State and their business negotiations with IT firms. Low-cost operations and flexibility are among the strong points of the State.

Pointing out that IT firms are spending a huge sum of money on training of recruits, the regional director indicated that this can be cut down if the candidates possessed skills, which are required by the firms. Mr. Purushothaman was participating in the inauguration of Virtuosity, a skills building institute.

Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology A. Raja emphasised the need for bridging the gap between the requirements of industry and employability of candidates. He referred to the decision of the United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre in establishing the national council on skill development and that of the State government in setting up the ICT (information and communication technology) academy.

R. Palani, chairman of Afflatus iLabs, which founded Virtuosity, said the objective behind the venture was to increase employability of candidates.

P. Shiva Prasath, managing director of Afflatus iLabs, said the focus would be on working closely with colleges to supplement college education for avoiding skill gaps. Glenn Nott, vice-president, Skillsoft, was present.

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