Schools and companies join together for success

"Talented people are the most vital force in the software industry. Without qualified professionals, it is impossible for the industry to continue to prosper," says Wen Tao, president of Dalian Neusoft Institute of Information.

Dalian is home to 620 software development and service outsourcing enterprises, including 33 Fortune 500 companies and some 200 other foreign-invested firms. Half of the world's top-10 information technology and business process outsourcing providers are doing business in the port city.

Aware that trained professionals are crucial to the continued success of the park, the local government is cultivating talent by supporting IT education, so it too is enjoying rapid development - education and industry are now benefiting each other. The city is home to more than 200 IT training institutions.

On March 8, a local computer training and certification center was authorized by the Computing Technology Industry Association, an influential international IT association.

Last August, a semiconductor college jointly established by Dalian University of Technology and Intel Corp became operational.

To date, the 22 universities and colleges in Dalian have begun more than 100 IT-related programs that offer training to more than 20,000 students. Among them, five colleges are specialized in software education, with Dalian Neusoft Institute of Information leading the way.

Founded in 2001 by Yida Group, the parent company of Dalian Software Park, together with Neusoft Group, China's largest software exporter, "the Neusoft institute is expected to build up an IT talent pool for Dalian and even for China," said Wen.

More than 12,000 full-time students are now studying in the institute. Different from the traditional domestic university approach to teaching, the institute uses an industry-based training method in which students are taught in accordance with a potential employer's requirements. It reduces the cost of human resource training for companies and assists students in finding jobs.

Over the past five years, the institute has trained 1,500 students for industry leaders like Neusoft Group, Alpine and HP.

As well, the center offers training to the next generation of potential hi-tech entrepreneurs. "We have established a venture office for students who intend to run their own businesses. It provides a practical working environment for them to get familiar with company operations," said Wen.

Wen added that the institute has been expanding its cooperation with international firms and universities in order to train IT professionals using an international perspective.

The effort included cooperation with multinationals Intel, HP, IBM, Toshiba, and SAP.

"The companies chose us as their partner because our teaching mode answers the demands from trends in IT development. Feedback from employers shows that our students have good command of foreign languages, IT applications, communications and innovation," Wen noted.

The Neusoft institute has also established partnerships with colleges and universities in Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, South Korea and Russia.

"We are committed to building a world-renowned first-class IT institute," said Wen. "We are confident that we can grow together with the booming software industry of Dalian."

(China Daily 03/18/2008 page16)