|
|
May 16-31, 1999 MASTER FILE |
||||||||||
|
TRAINING INDUSTRY Which Course '99 The pulse of today decides the tools of tomorrow. On the infotech highway, you step into the training mall where courses vary from 2-day workshops on latest programming tools to 3-year formal degrees. Computers Today weighs the choices and suggests the best for you. By Kavita Kaur and Moumita Bakshi
Despite the output, demand far outstrips the supply. According to an industry observer, "Today's IT professional knows that he constitutes the most important entity beyond products and projects, as he knows how to use products and control project schedules." With that trump card in hand, IT professionals have made it big and now thousands of dreamy youngsters across the country are religiously pouring into the training institutes each month-a place which they regard as their gateway to a good job abroad.
Ironically, it is partly because of this "money-in-return-for-job" strategy that the right people holding the competence to use software tools and fight project deadlines are scarce today. Quality is almost a misnomer in the education provided by many IT training institutes in the country, complain CIOs of many user organisations. Explains Adesh Goyal, HR head, Hughes Software, "High turnover of jobs in the industry has attracted a large number of service providers in the education sector who had no previous experience of conducting IT training programmes. To an extent, a few major IT education providers have also contributed to the falling standards by entering into franchise agreements with institutes that house no infrastructure worth the name. So the gap between the institutes and businesses is far from bridged." But Ashok Clement, Education Marketing Head, NIIT disagrees. "In our institute, curriculum is prepared by a special R&D team, keeping in mind the latest technology and training methodology. At NIIT, there is a classroom for theory classes, lab room for practical work and mindroom for brainstorming sessions. This shows our committment towards the system." To keep the students abreast with the latest trends in the infotech world these institutes attempt going beyond the parametres of diplomas. "We go an extra step to prepare our students for the real world by giving them lessons on communication skills and putting them on to challenging projects," adds Clement. The Formal Strength NIIT or Aptech don't represent the whole IT training industry in India, though they garner about 80 percent of the industry revenue between them. Many small private training institutes spawned across the country offer training on applications and programming methodologies that are old and the quality of teaching is poor. While the degree institutes are governed by stringent norms, there is no monitoring of the private institutes. DOE's accreditation programme or HRD's bureaucratic approach have not brought in any standardisation.
The result is obvious: almost all recruiting companies favour engineering students to diploma holders. According to a NASSCOM report, of the 35,000 professionals working in the software export industry, less than 2 percent are from the informal sector. Phiroz A. Vandrewala, executive vice president, Tata Consultancy Services, opines, "Students in the private training schools learn applications but lack aptitude." The leading IT consultancy firm is probably the biggest campus recruiter in India. Out of the 3,000 recruitments made every year, it handpicks about 2,500 students from 40-45 professional institutes. The software giant does not hire anyone who isn't a B.Tech, M.Tech or MCA. The selected students undergo a 8-10 week rigorous training programme at the firm's in-house training centre at Thiruvananthapuram. After that, they are put up on live projects for about 6-8 months. Once the initial training is completed, they are sent back for additional training for about 3-4 weeks. Explains Jayanthi Jagannath, manager, HR, Nucleus Software Exports Ltd, "We take BE and MCAs for entry-level positions. However, in case of other positions for experienced software professionals, exceptionally meritorious candidates holding diplomas from well-recognised computer training institutes are also considered." At present, the BE/MCA vs diploma-holder ratio at Nucleus is about 85:15 percent. The general idea is that the formal sector with its strict inducting norms ensures a higher level of "quality". Stresses Prof. Anshul Kumar, head, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, IIT Delhi, "IITs are fundamental and concept-oriented, while private institutes are more skill and tool oriented." Saving the Private Ryan How do the T-schools react to these observations? Says Rajesh Kumar, senior manager (corporate), IEC Softwares Ltd, "I would place diploma holders at a higher pedestal than the degree holder. Take any public sector training institute, most of them are working on Oracle 7, while the private institutes have moved on to Oracle 8.5." While proper training which is untouched by business needs of the organisation providing the training can only be offered by established universities and institutes, these alma maters need support and incentives to meet the growing manpower requirements of the industry. Although engineering graduates are inducted into the industry quickly, it is often felt that they need further training to be honed in the latest applications. The industry complains that while the colleges and formal institutes provide a good standard of training, their ability to relate to training that they impart to real world usage is poor. Infrastructure is often inadequate and the faculty not well-versed in latest applications. In fact, if one wants to increase the intake through existing systems or by establishing new learning institutes, the major problem would possibly be inadequate facility.
According to Unmesh Brahme, CEO, Ovation Development Consultancy Services, a Mumbai-based consulting firm, "A major issue is the orientation and skills of trainers. Most of them are so removed from the reality of practical computer use that they can rarely instill the practical utilities in their students for using PCs effectively." "Forget about statistics,"says Pranav, a B.Com student from New Delhi,"For most of us there is no option. Not all can get entry into IITs and IIITs. Private institutes are the safest and easiest route to entry in the world of computers. Moreover, they are ideal for college going students who want to do a side-course and increase their job-worthiness." Adds Vikas Gambhir, executive, business development, CMC, "Where are the seats? Look at the number of institutes offering B.Tech/MCA courses and compare them with the graduate population. There is no option for thousand of students but to go in for diploma courses." A balance might be in the offing. Many IT companies today are tying up with Indian and foreign universities or formal sector schools to offer courses or refine their intakes. The past few months have witnessed educational alliances where noted hardware and software giants have tied up with premier universities to further their own stake. Apple Publishing Technology Centre (APTC) joined hands with IGNOU and All India Management Association (AIMA) to offer new Web courses. Wipro Infotech, meanwhile, has forged an alliance with Bureau of Information technology services. The US-based Radiant Systems and the Chennai-based Kaashyap Institute of Information Technology Pvt Ltd together set up an infoschool to offer training in different ERP packages. The duo have now entered into an agreement with the Component Mangement Group (CMG, USA) to set up a component developement centre for CORBA professionals. The graduates who excel in their courses would be absorbed internally by Kaashyap and CMG and rest by CMG division worldwide. Besides this, IIS Scientific Computing Ltd has joined hands with the Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT) and the IIT, New Delhi, to offer training courses in CAD/CAM/CAE software. Saurabh Srivastava, executive chairman, IIS Infotech Ltd says, "The high- end program, such as this, establishes a bridge between the industry and academia." Training and Advanced studies in Management and Communications (TASMAC) has entered into an aliance with the Institution of Incorporated Executive Engineers (IIEXE) of UK to offer diploma courses in engineering management in Pune. The courses would provide knowledge of management practice, give an insight to management processes, and also provide knowledge of techniques applicable to engineering management.
Close on the heels of opening a technology lab in Mumbai, Intel has set up its second technology lab at IIT Delhi. Microsoft plans to invest $35 million in what it calls "University Advanced Technology Labs Program" to target university-level computer science education, computer education in schools and training for IT professionals. Metamor Global Solutions Ltd, has set up its 'Metamor School of Excellence' at the IIIT, Hyderabad. Government's Long Hand The government, on its part, is bending backward to push quality into computer education offered by the private institutes in India. It may be recalled that Parliament's concern led to the formation of a working group and the birth of the unique DOEACC (Department of Electronics Accreditation of Computer Courses) scheme. Tracing the roots of the DOEACC society, V.K. Bhatia, additional director, DOEACC society, explains, "In order to meet the demand for IT professionals, we decided to exploit gainfully the resources available with the non-formal sector for the development of quality manpower. This led to the formation of a National Working Group under the aegis of All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) the statutary body of the country for the recognition/ accreditation of technical educational programmes, in 1989." The working group made recommendations that the society should take advantage of the facilities available with the institutions in the private sector, to conduct standard courses laid down centrally. The stamp of excellence by granting accreditation would be based on the performance of the students fielded by such institutions in the DOEACC examinations and on the infrastructure maintained by the institutions. The group further maintained that the scheme should be designed for four levels of varying skills which are "O" (Foundation), "A" (Advanced Diploma), "B" (Graduate) and "C" (Post Graduate) spanning from console operator at one end to system manager/ administrator at the other. The government of India accepted the recommendations of the working group and thus the DOEACC scheme was launched in 1990.
Today, under the scheme, private institutes are granted provisional accreditation for conducting courses- O/A/B/C-based on the specified norms and criteria for that particular level of course. Exams are conducted twice a year at important cities and towns all over India. However, while institutes struggle to ensure that they churn out quality software engineers and programmers every year, the cream fly to greener pastures abroad. Says Prof Kumar of IIT Delhi, "Brain drain is mainly due to the lack of opportunities in our country." But for those grabbing their resume and hastening their steps towards placement consultants, here's a word of caution. A recent survey shows that over 90 percent of the newly trained computer professionals in the US take to the armchair due to the lack of projects. Finally, a correction. Infotech is not all about software engineering or programming. There is a whole world out there just waiting to be explored and exploited. Database administrator, system and network manager, technical writer, Web page designer, movie animation specialist, infotech journalist: these are equally interesting job profiles. What your career needs is careful planning. It's all about making the right choice.
|
|
Issue Contents Write to us Subscriptions Syndication INDIA
TODAY | BUSINESS
TODAY | INDIA TODAY PLUS | TEENS TODAY
© Living Media India Ltd |
 |
 |
Software is, undoubtedly, the silver lining to the
India's smirch of economy today. According to surveys, the country has the second largest
assembly of English speaking technical professionals in the world, after US. Statistics
show that there are over 1,832 educational institutions and polytechnics training about
67,785 computer software professionals every year. Add to this the number of graduates
passing out of IITs and one gets a mind-boggling number.
Heard of the three Rs-Reading,
wRiting and aRithmetic? Add another member to the R family-computeR knowledge. Today's
kindergarten kids are not only taught "London bridge is falling down" in their
activity room but also how to use computers. As these 4-5 year old tiny tots try their
hand at the magical world of computers, companies rush in to offer special school training
programmes, CD tittles and books. For example, US-based The Fourth R Inc. With over 200
centres in 35 countries, the firm set its first shop in India-Chennai, last November. The
company provides interactive computer learning solutions for kids. The courses are split
up according to the levels of learning: Techno Tots (3-5 years), Explorers (6-8 years),
Voyagers (9-11 years), Cybernauts (12-14 years) and Techno Teens (15-17 years). The
learning process is based on the four key roles of the computer: that of a tool, tutee,
topic and thought-provider. Go ahead and make cards for mothers day or prepare a budget
for your pocket money this summer-right on your dad's laptop. 
While the idea was
mooted about 15 years ago, a key initiative to increase quality IT workforce in India
through the formation of Indian Institute of Information Technologies (IIIT) saw the light
of the day only last year. A joint effort of industry and the government, today there are
IIITs in different cities including Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Allahabad. These
institutes offer both computer software engineering degree and short-term courses.
Recently, Oracle School of Advanced Technology was opened in Hyderabad IIIT campus. This
is the third school being opened there, following the IBM School of Enterprise Wide
Computing and Metamor School of Excellence in Software Development Methodology. Next in
line is a Microsoft school. 
Courses about the Net, on the Net
and by the Net. Studies reveal that the explosion of Internet has created an additional
demand of over 1 lakh job every year. Cashing on this wave are Quantum, Aptech, NIIT, Zed
Education, among many others. Zed Online, the Net-based training course of Zee Education
has a course on E-commerce. The ZED Virtual University is another distance learning
program that offers a range of ten courses including Management, Computer and Internet. 
If you aren't doing a computer course, you aren't "in". Says
Geetanjali Sharma, a 15 year old student, "The more recognised and famous institute,
the better it is." Needless to add, Aptech and NIIT are hot favourites. In many
cases, youngsters force their parents to shell out extra money for going to these
institutions. What makes these institutes the most preferred flavour of the Generation
Next? 
