Going for global IT training

A lot of training institutions followed suit after NIIT used the line, "global IT education" to describe its information technology course offerings in April 2001. But what does it take to be global in an increasingly competitive world where an IT diploma does not guarantee that the holder has the skills necessary to land a job in the field?

"We felt that if we wanted to be a player in the ICT (information and communications technology) space, the Philippines needed an IT institution that could train Filipinos globally in industry-relevant skills. We sensed the gap between industry demand and what was being offered locally and we felt we could fill this gap," said NIIT (Phils.) president Bartolome Silayan.

NIIT has its roots in the National Institute of Information Technology in India, whose success in IT education has made it the sixth largest in the world and number one in Asia. It has a presence in 38 countries, including technology hotbeds Japan, France, United Kingdom, Germany and the United States. In the Philippines, NIIT’s biggest shareholder is ePLDT, followed by venture capital and financial advisory company Pacific Northstar.

NIIT is, however, not just a school. It is also among the leading software solutions providers catering to multinationals. "Half of NIIT’s worldwide business is software development. It is the eighth largest exporter of software solutions for the global markets. And this is what makes us unique. Our knowledge of industry demand allows us to change our curriculum to meet this demand. Because of our relationship with our customers, we know where technology is going and we share this knowledge in the classroom," Silayan said.

New curriculum

For example, NIIT is offering a new curriculum called "Futures" this year. Launched last May 20, Futures covers three learning areas: core concepts, software engineering and key technologies. The method of delivery for this new curriculum is computer-based training of CBT. The students’ courseware includes compact discs to allow 24 hours, seven days a week on-demand learning.

Designed as a two-year course, Futures requires only three two-hour sessions weekly and may be taken even while one is working or while one is studying for a college degree.

NIIT enrollees include those who are interested in pursuing a career in IT and those who simply wish to enhance their current skills through the IT route. While NIIT is not a degree-granting institution, it has established a linkage with Jose Rizal University so that those who complete the Futures course may continue for another two years at JRU and receive a Bachelor of Science degree.

"We have decided to work with universities on degree courses because our competence is in technology. We don’t want to be hampered by all the requirements for offering degree courses. We can keep pace with changes in technology better if we leave the soft skills to the universities," Silayan said.

Aside from Futures, NIIT offers shorts courses for beginners as well as advanced courses for IT professionals.

"Technology creators such as Computer Associates, Oracle and Microsoft have trusted us to develop learning materials for them so we are able to leverage our strength in training and software development," he said.

NIIT is a premier education and training partner or PETP of Microsoft, which means it can help students acquire skills in preparation for certification by Microsoft.

Over the long term, the local NIIT hopes to mirror the success of NIIT elsewhere in the world as a software development company. "We first need to develop that groundswell of IT professionals who are attuned to what’s important, to what the industry demands," he said.