Tata Infotech, SmartForce to target e-Learning market

NEW DELHI: Tata Infotech Education Services Division, an IT education

company has announced its plans to capture 40 per cent of the e-learning market

in alliance with SmartForce. SmartForce is an e-Learning company, which provides

integrated enterprise e-Learning solutions. Under this alliance, the companies

will offer end-to-end solutions to the Indian corporates. This alliance will

enable e-Learning solutions on the customer’s Intranet and also at their

offices overseas.

SmartForce would offer its entire range of courses in India. The stress would

be on making teaching, student centric rather than instructor centric.

SmartForce has an in-house development center in Dublin having 550 developers.

The company plans to open a content development center in India.

Speaking on the occasion, Tata Infotech Ltd. head-education services division

Rahul Thapan said, "Currently, e-Learning market in India primarily

comprises of content or instruction in the form of computer based training and

web-based training, which has a 90 per cent market-share. E-Learning is in a

nascent stage and comprises of only 10 per cent of the market. By partnering

SmartForce, we will provide a comprehensive learning solution comprising of

instruction, collaboration, practice and assessment."

Speaking on the future plans he said that the company expects e-Learning to

be 10 per cent of their business next year. The company would initially target

large corporates especially the software development companies and companies

which have offices at multiple locations.