IBM collaborates with six colleges in Tamil Nadu

NEW DELHI, INDIA: IBM announced new and extended collaboration with six engineering and technology colleges in the state of Tamil Nadu to provide a platform for development of software skills among the students.

The collaboration has brought the establishment of a series of IBM Centers of Excellence (CoE), creating an opportunity for students to learn new skill sets on IBM software products like  DB2, WebSphere, Lotus, Rational and Tivoli.

The CoEs were launched at Sona College of Technology, Salem; KLN College of Information Technology, Madurai; Kalasilingam University, Krishnankovil; RMK College of Engineering, Chennai; Karpagam College of Engineering, Coimbatore and Sri Krishna College of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore.

IBM will follow a two-pronged approach, providing the colleges with access to technologies relevant to the market, while ensuring the right skills are taught. The students can gain first-hand experience of the software products that are installed at the campus. Through this initiative, IBM will work closely with the colleges in the state of Tamil Nadu, leveraging the selected colleges as CoE.

Himanshu Goyal, country manager, Academic Initiative, Developer Works & Globalization, IBM South Asia remarked, “Organizations are not looking for nuts-and-bolts programmers and easy-to-document support workers. Increased competitiveness and demand for the corresponding business and technology skills will require students to develop a unique skill-set never seen before. But the supply of such people with the right skills for a smart planet is increasingly inadequate. CoEs are an extension of IBM’s commitment to nurture skills for the 21st century.”

The colleges will provide infrastructure and high end systems, while IBM will extend its entire range of software suite free of charge.

KK Sivagnana Prabhu, head training & placement, RMK Engineering College, Chennai stated, “We are glad to collaborate with IBM to provide a platform to students that will help them in receiving updated industry knowledge. The association will give our students the opportunity to partner with some of the best minds across the world, help us in churning out industry-ready professionals thus increasing placement opportunities.”

The CoE is an outgrowth of IBM's academic initiative which covers 2,000 colleges and universities around the world.