A workforce development initiative
ABDUL LATHEEF NAHA
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The National Association of Software and Service Companies recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the All India Council for Technical Education to develop a manpower base for the software and IT-enabled services sector.
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UPDATING SKILLS: A software expert on the job.
THE INTERFACE between the country's IT industry and academia is no longer sluggish. It has been given a boost, especially with the National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom) signing memorandums of understanding (MoUs) first with the University Grants Commission (UGC) and later with the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).
The accord with AICTE, signed some weeks ago, is expected to give an impetus to Nasscom's ongoing IT Workforce Development Initiative, thus strengthening the country's technical education through curricula, faculty, infrastructure and pedagogy improvements.
As per the agreement, Nasscom will help AICTE in projecting the manpower requirements of the industry. Both bodies will jointly undertake initiatives such as curriculum review, training modules, database, and study international models.
The MoU also looks forward to catalysing the interface between the industry and academia through specific programmes, and exploring alliances and programmes for specific initiatives with corporate, academic associations and consultancy firms.
This academic collaboration has come as part of Nasscom's mission to equip two million professionals for IT and IT-enabled service sectors with industry-relevant skill sets by 2010. Kiran Karnik, president of Nasscom, reiterates that "education, and nothing else, is the future of the country."
Primary objectives
According to Mr. Karnik, the primary objectives of the initiative with AICTE are to identify the needs of the IT industry in terms of the number of people, skill sets and quality in various disciplines at different levels. Strengthening Indian professional education in line with the IT industry's requirements is felt more strongly today than ever.
This was evident at a two-day meeting of Nasscom held in August in Chennai. The meeting opined that direct interaction with the academia was the only way out to meet the challenges that the BPO and IT industry would pose in the immediate years. Hence, Nasscom's call to the Government and campuses to come to the industry's rescue.
Competition
It is feared that China, which is growing with a vengeance by establishing many premier technical education institutions, would soon overtake India in IT and IT-related fields.
According to Mr. Karnik, India has an edge over the Chinese in terms of comfort level in English-speaking skills. But China's number of graduates and postgraduates with soft-skill-sets has been growing phenomenally. The Chinese Government has been giving a great thrust to education. Mr. Karnik has called upon Indian universities and technical institutions to increase their pace of functioning and include the latest concepts in their curricula.
Educational experts point out that academia and industry represent two different cultures and straightening the mismatch between the requirements of both is a challenge most countries face.
This is where Nasscom's initiative with AICTE gets added significance.
Nasscom-UGC tie-up
It was a few months ago that Nasscom signed an MoU with the UGC. As part of the agreement, Nasscom and UGC jointly undertake a faculty development programme for upgrading the skill-sets and knowledge base of the existing technical faculty.
Foreseeing the growing demand for skilled professionals, Nasscom and the UGC have begun to work together to increase student and faculty interface with the information technology industry by way of mentorship programmes, workshops, seminars, and projects.
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