At a brand new industrial park in southwest China, where buildings still smell of fresh paint and masonry, the National Institute of Information Technology (NIIT) is gearing up to train 50,000 Chinese students over the next five years.
The training contract was signed on the sidelines of China’s ‘Big Data’ conference and exhibition at Guiyang. Separately, the company sealed an agreement with the provincial government to establish a Big Data Talent Research Centre in Guiyang “to enhance innovation and research”.
The once impoverished city of Guiyang, the provincial capital of the southwestern Guizhou province — well known in history for its role during Mao Zedong’s Long March — is now fast emerging as one of the most prominent landmarks in China’s cyberspace. The Gui’an New Area is at the heart of the new enterprise.
Mr. Li had earlier held a meeting with top cyber entrepreneurs, which included Michael Dell, CEO of Dell computers; Terry Gou of the Foxconn Technology Group; and Rahul Patwardhan, NIIT’s global head.
‘Big Data’ refers to a massive accumulation of information, siphoned from multiple sources and domains, which can then be analysed to make informed decisions. Consequently, Guiyang will host server storage farms, intertwined with an army of engineers, who can cull out useful information from the vast data reservoirs that are being established in the city.
“China is accumulating massive amount of hardware and on account of the proposed scale, major shortages of trained programmers are inevitable. That is where we, as digital trainers, come in,” says Kamal Dhuper, NIIT’s country head, in a conversation with The Hindu .
Mr. Dhuper points out that the company can cope with the heavy work load as well as the challenge posed by the perceived Chinese language barrier. “Most of our trainers are Chinese so language is not an issue. Besides we actively follow Synchronous Learning Technology. This allows trainers to connect with multiple locations in real time,” he observed.
Add to Flipboard Magazine.
Follow @hpcasia
Recommended for you
