MUMBAI, INDIA: IBM Software Group, a part of IBM, the world’s largest IT services company, will organize a unique skill marathon – Develothon 2010.

The Develothon 2010 starts in Mumbai today, where Pradeep Nair, IBM Software Group’s director will flag off the DeveloperWorks India team in two cars that will travel across 12 cities to engage and interact with software developer community for next 40 days. The move intends to strengthen IBM’s leadership role in imparting world class education on its DeveloperWorks space.

According to Himanshu Goyal, IBM India’s country manager for Academic Initiatives – Software Group, it is for the first time such a unique initiative has been started for software developers and students in India.

“This skill marathon initiative is in accord with growth of developers and students in the areas of software developments and new technologies. It provides a great opportunity to developers and students to socially interact with the developer community and share their knowledge, skills and learn about future technologies,” Goyal told CyberMedia News over the phone from Jodhpur on Saturday.

About IBM’s vision on imparting education, Goyal explained, IBM works with engineering and computer students belonging to the fourth year of graduation across several colleges and institutes.

“Here we try to refresh their knowledge and skills by providing the first hand experience and understanding of latest technologies. So it helps the under graduate students to enhance their knowledge, skills and information about future computing,” he said.
 
During these 40 days, IBM’s software and technical experts will conduct briefings and lectures at various 27 computer and engineering colleges where it has setup the IBM Center of Excellence to communicate with students and developers on emerging technologies and trends.

These cities include, Mumbai, Pune, Goa, Belgaum, Bangalore, Chennai, Vijaywada, Hyderabad, Mangalore, Mysore, Jhansi, Agra, Delhi, Jaipur, Gwalior, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, and Surat.

The topics include cloud computing, information agenda, business performance management and business intelligence using Cognos, social networking and collaborations, mash-ups, rational software delivery framework, service oriented architecture (SOA) and industry solutions.

Moreover, developers and students can avail limited free IBM software certification coupons, speak at the events on a technical topic of own choice and win a trophy and along with it can get free access to top 50 IBM DeveloperWorks resources.

Though, Develothon is first of a kind campaign but Goyal informed, in the past IBM, under its academic initiatives, had done key programs such as IBM Labs and IBM Center of Excellence.

For the IBM Labs, the company provides a 20-30 computer systems loaded with IBM technologies and software applications to undergrads students in engineering colleges to work on it, develop skills and gain experience on IBM technologies. And these students are also awarded with IBM certifications.

“IBM is committed to offer learning about new technologies and share knowledge with students and developers, which help them prepare for future,” Goyal concluded. IBM India expects a large number of students and developers will be benefited with the Develothon 2010.