Wanted: Software makers, not managers

BANGALORE: It may come as a surprise to many that India - the 'software coding machine' of the world - while producing engineers in thousands is in fact, scouting for the 'right kind of talent'.

A definition of the 'right kind of talent' of course varies with respect to the various domains. The concern area for many companies is when the requirement for software architects arises.

The growth path for a promising software engineer with about 7-10 years' experience in the industry almost always leads to a manager's post. And that is the end of the engineer's technical growth. As managerial duties and challenges take precedence, technical talent gets pushed to the back burner.

Finding itself in a similar situation, Adea International, a software solution provider for the communications, retail, healthcare and government sectors launched a training program for its employees.

Unlike the usual training programs for freshers, the 'Young Architects' Program' targets software professionals with about 2 years' coding experience. Admission to this program is strictly on nomination by their respective project managers.

Dr. T Ashok, CTO, Adea Internationals said, "Like many other companies we also faced the same problem, finding experienced people to architect software. First we tried looking in different cities, which didn't work, so we came up with this program."

The company has short listed 14 "brilliant" employees from its 450-strong staff at the Bangalore and Hyderabad centers after a series of tests.

The six-month long program includes rigorous practice and training sessions with external resource persons and working on live projects. The completed projects are subject to evaluation by individual customers.

With this kind of a comprehensive training, Dr. Ashok says that a professional with 4 years work experience will be equivalent to one with 6 years experience.

Not only is this program free of cost, but it also offers other perks such as a certification and salary hikes at the end of its term. However, the trainees are required to sign a bond, which entreats them to work with Adea for as long as a year after the completion of the program. "We have not really insisted so far because it is more a matter of trust and responsibility, but yes, we have to get them to sign it", said Ashok.

In a bid to attract the right talent and to reduce training overheads, Adea has tied up with the Siddaganga Institute of Technology (SIT), Tumkur near Bangalore. The company has set up a lab in the campus and has selected ten students from the third year to undergo regular training conducted by Adea engineers.

"It is as good as them working for Adea. At the end of their course, they can start working on projects straightaway", said Ashok. The first batch of these trainees will be passing out this year.

The company has plans to extend this program to other institutions in the city and plans to invest in about hundred students from various institutions around Bangalore.

The investment is in fact less compared to the benefits the company gets in the long term, states Ashok, indicating the growing need for the academia to align themselves more closely with the industry needs.