The brains behind latest software starts with people

SHANGHAI: NIIT, Asia's top IT training company, has high altitude ambitions for China.

Eying the nation's bulging software industry and its thirst for talent, the India-headquartered company plans to establish 100 training centers in China by next August, on the back of an already well-established network of 172 branches in 24 provinces and autonomous regions.

The trainer, with a vast education delivery network spreading more than 30 countries across the world, also wants to diversify into other areas of education in China and evolve into a global talent development company.

"We have redefined our company, from an IT education training firm to global talent development company," Prakash Menon, president of NIIT China (Shanghai) Ltd, said.

"We are changing the complete picture and I am working on a project to figure out which are the other areas we will get into for education."

Founded on December 2, 1981, NIIT has since become a hot attraction for youngsters longing for a career in the IT sector. With its first training institution in China debuting in Shanghai 10 years ago, the company has expanded in the country at a stunning pace.

It employs 900 teachers and trains some 50,000 students in China, providing a comprehensive education environment to both individuals and enterprises, and offering training that is customized to the varied needs of clients with diverse backgrounds.

But it wasn't always easy. Menon, the founder of NIIT's China business, experienced difficulties when he initially tried to replicate what was successful elsewhere, into Chinese classrooms.

"We were using the teaching methods as what we are doing in the Western world, but I realized later that Chinese people learn in a different manner from Westerners and therefore we had to change methods for Chinese," Menon, who was participating in the Summer Davos Summit in Dalian, said.

For instance Chinese students were accustomed to what he called a problem-solution approach to learning. Chinese, he said, excel at tackling problems as they were taught, but face difficulties when it comes to independent and innovative problem solving.

"For Indian students, they could never fly if you hold their hands in the beginning because they will always turn dependent on the help, while Chinese students are always cautious to take the first step and help should be offered in the first place," Menon said.

To adjust to the local market the trainer combined the advantages of different teaching methods and employed about a dozen of professionals from local colleges to help localize and customize the curriculum.

Despite the initial difficulties, Menon and other NIIT's leaders remain optimistic on China's training market given the nation's potential to capitalize on the booming software industry, and the need for technical know-how.

IT sector on fast track

Latest figures from the Ministry of Information Industry indicated that China's software industry continued to expand during the first four months of this year with a total income of 143.5 billion yuan, up 28 percent on the previous year.

In 2006, the total revenue in the industry stood at 480 billion yuan, with 12,400 enterprises engaged in the software business, or 952 more than a year earlier. As the revenue surges there is a growing need for professionals.

It is estimated that 100,000 new jobs in the industry need to be filled every year.

"IT is a very good industry for China because the raw material of IT is the human mind," Menon said.

"The more human minds, the more software you can write. China's raw material is plenty and lots of companies are coming to establish software companies. The only strategy China should use is to create qualified raw material because the infrastructure is already good."

He said the company is targeting only people who have completed 12 years formal education and want a good year in information technology.

"All the courses we are offering are designed to make students become software engineers in the areas of business applications," Menon said.

What makes Menon feel most proud is NIIT's ability to keep up with changes.

"The most important thing for any institution that looks at IT education is to keep pace with changes because in this industry technology keeps changing very fast," he said.

"You need to have the ability to change, and if you have to change, one of the most important elements in education is to create new content."

This is one of NIIT's core strengths, he said.

He recalled when Microsoft launched Windows Vista late last year, NIIT released a new book about the operating system on the same day.

"One of our obvious advantages is course design," he said.

"Courses do not mean course materialsWe go to the industry, and ask the computer and software industry, what are the knowledge, skills and attitudes that they need people recruited and employed one year or two years from now."

NIIT also focuses on and invests handsomely in research and development. Up to 10 percent of the company's revenue will be spent in the area every year.

Research and development is central to NIIT's IT learning philosophy. It is a core strength that helps it identify emerging market needs, create new learning methodologies and techniques, refine curriculum, making it cutting-edge, enabling it to improve education delivery.

(Shanghai Start 09/07/2007 page10)