IT is possible with Arts too
KARTHIK SUBRAMANIAN & MEERA SRINIVASAN
|
It is not just software engineers and business school graduates who land plum jobs. The ITES sector also welcomes arts and science graduates with English language skills and the ability to grasp newer technologies.
|
PHOTO: S. THANTHONI
YOU CAN WIN: Employees in a group discussion at Lionbridge Technologies, Chennai.
So you thought only software engineers and commerce students are riding the outsourcing wave? There are opportunities for arts students as well, especially if you have master communication skills.
A growing number of corporates are outsourcing their `content' for varied application developments — ranging from e-learning courseware for their employees to globalisation of their services.
And the BPOs working in these sectors are looking for candidates with spoken and written language skills in global languages, artists and animators capable of creatives to go with the content and also web application experts in web authoring tools. Functions could range from content writers, instructional designers, graphic artists, multimedia programmers to mainstream IT software engineers and testing professionals.
Robin Lloyd, vice-president and general manager of Lionbridge Technologies India, one of the leading companies in training outsourcing with two e-learning solution centres in Mumbai and Chennai, says the e-learning industry represents the creative side of outsourcing, and adds that India has a unique advantage in the sector.
"India is unique in its understanding of demands of the U.S. or European companies," he says. "Somehow the candidates here seem to have an understanding of what would suit the American audience."
Content outsourcing is right now just a niche segment of the outsourcing pie but Mr. Robin says that the country could cash in more, especially if colleges started offering undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in the subject. "In the U.S., there are postgraduate studies in Instructional Design," he points out. Right now, most companies seem to prefer to recruit freshers or professionals who have been associated with writing.
Different skill sets
Rema Subramanian, managing director, ElementK India, says they have various functions, and the skill sets required for each of them is different. ElementK has a team of over 220 employees and hopes to double the strength this year.
Corporate training managers have started considering e-learning as one of the options for delivering training, but it has yet to become the main vehicle. As organisations expand, e-learning would become a necessity, due to various factors ranging from availability of trainers to logistics to cost.
"Though the skills required may differ, English is a common thread. For content writers and instructional designers, English is the key skill set, with awareness of technology a desired skill. On the other hand, for software functions, technology is the critical skill set with English as a desired skill," says Ms. Subramanian.
T.P. Rekha, an instructional designer with Cognizant Technologies, says: "Instructional Designers should be proficient in English grammar and language. Graduates and postgraduates in English Literature, Mass Communication, or Journalism have an edge. A sound understanding of MS Word and PowerPoint is an added advantage."
On skill sets required by programmers, Ms. Rekha says tools such as Macromedia Flash, Flash Action Script, JavaScript and XML would be useful for programmers. A value-add will be knowledge in Learning Management Systems and e-Learning Standards, she adds.
Graphic designers should be able to visualize a course. They should be strong in Macromedia Flash, Adobe Photoshop and other graphic design tools. Quality analysts should have an eye for detail and should be highly process-oriented. They should be able to understand the course requirement and ensure the final output is error-free. Professionals say there is great scope for utilising one's creativity in this field.
"The challenge in designing e-learning courses is to make them user-friendly, interactive and interesting. There would be several areas where one could come up with creative interactive demonstrations of content, `Do-it-yourself' sessions, graphical representation, Q&A sessions and puzzles," Ms. Rekha adds.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Education Plus
Karnataka
Chennai
Coimbatore
Hyderabad
Madurai
Tiruchirapalli
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
