IT industry

Volume 2 April-June 2007

Communique
for the Academia Issue 9

Friends,

This issue of Communique is a mixed bag, offering you insights and news about the various developments
Please mail your taking place in the IT-BPO manpower development space. Besides focusing on some of the key initiatives being
feedback or request for rolled out by NASSCOM, to take on the skilled talent bug bear, we also have for you the success stories – of
further information to companies within the IT-BPO industry that have made headway in their manpower development efforts and created
NASSCOM IT Workforce environments that are conducive to attracting and retaining talent. The ‘Insight’ section, which spotlights software
company Cincom, is one such example.
Development Forum at
itworkforce@nasscom.in In this issue, we also provide you with a helicopter view on the hot-growth ‘Gaming and Animation’ market in
India, which is throwing up immense job opportunities for the country’s Gen Z. This article is a must read for both
students and leaders of the academia, who will gain knowledge about this emerging market and the inputs it
requires in terms of curriculum and training.

We look forward to your feedback on the Communique, so that we can align it to your information needs and add to
its relevance.
1
Editor

In this issue

In Focus
2 Opinion
5 Case Study
8 10 13 HR Insight NASSCOM
Initiative
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Indian Animation and Gaming industry: An insight

The rise of the Animation and Gaming industry in India has been nothing short of meteoric.
The segment, driven by significant outsourcing by global customers and a fast growing global
market, is offering immense employment potential to India’s Gen Z. At the same time, there
is a huge talent shortage within this market, which could impact its future growth. In this issue
of Communique, we look at the Animation and Gaming industry, the business opportunity it
throws up and the challenges it faces in terms of requisite, skilled talent.
The global and Indian market: The global animation market was estimated to have touched US$ 59 billion in

IN FOCUS 2006, with an expected CAGR of around eight per cent over the 2006-2010 period. The market will grow to around
US$ 80 billion in 2010. Of this revenue, around 40-50 per cent is attributed to the cost of development, which
means that the market for content and related services is estimated at US$ 25-26 billion and forecast to touch
US$ 34 billion by 2010.

A 2007 study by NASSCOM on the Animation and Gaming market has indicated the following:

• The worldwide gaming market stood at US$ 21 billion in 2006 and was expected to grow to US$ 42 billion
by 2010 (a CAGR) of 18 per cent over 2006-2010
• The gaming content market (developer’s perspective) touched nearly US$ 7 billion in 2006 and was estimated
to cross US$ 13 billion in 2010 (a CAGR of 17 per cent over the 2006-2010 period)
• Within the gaming market, mobile and online gaming were expected to grow the fastest at CAGR of around
30 and 25 per cent respectively
• The US and Europe were the biggest market for outsourcing animation and gaming functions.
• The Indian animation and gaming industry touched US$ 354 million in 2006, a growth of 24 per cent over the
previous year
• The sector is expected to touch revenues of US$ 869 million by 2010, at a CAGR of 25 per cent over the
2006-2010 period
• As of now, there are around 300 animation companies in India, employing around 12,000 professionals and
3,000 freelancers
• Despite the existing focus on exports, the animation and gaming companies are now focusing on the high
growth domestic market
• The Indian gaming industry touched around US$ 48 million in 2006 and was expected to touch US$ 424 million
by 2010. Currently, the mobile and console gaming market account for almost 77 per cent of the total gaming
market in India.

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The potential: According to the NASSCOM study, despite its ever-growing size, the Indian animation and gaming
industry will account for less than two per cent of the worldwide market in 2010. Clearly, this is just the tip of the

IN FOCUS
ice-berg. The immense untapped opportunity that lies beneath, needs to be addressed by Indian vendors.

The challenge: The NASSCOM study shows that adequate manpower will remain one of the biggest challenges
facing the industry going forward. A significant shortfall is expected in the number of skilled animation and gaming
professionals being churned out by the market and the actual industry requirement. The demand-supply gap
meanwhile is being spurred by factors such as a lack of creative/gaming and animation culture, lack of awareness
about the employment potential of this industry and the absence of reputed training institutes to help students build
necessary skill sets.

The manpower shortage: The animation industry employed around 16,500 professionals in 2006 and the
number is expected to go up to 26,000, at a CAGR of 14-15 per cent. Although the forecast growth is impressive,
it falls short of the potential growth that the industry can achieve. The gaming sector too is facing the same issue.
Currently, there are nearly 150 gaming companies, employing around 2,500 people. This number is estimated to
rise to 13,000 by 2010 (at a CAGR of over 50 per cent). While industry revenues are expected to grow ten-fold and
touch US$ 424 million, it is still lower than the estimated potential of US$ 732 million that the gaming industry can
achieve by 2010.

The animation gaming industry has the potential to generate approximately 34,000 jobs by 2010. However, the
number of professionals joining this sector will be lower than this figure. This shortfall will be a result of factors such
as lack of proper training institutes, lack of trainers, awareness about the industry, accredited courses.

Furthermore, NASSCOM also expects there to be a gap in the capabilities of students coming out of the country’s
training institutes and the needs of the industry. The training institutes themselves are not geared up in terms of
infrastructure or faculty to provide high quality learning to students. Some institutes have set up branches across
the country, which are not well equipped with global-class infrastructure or capable faculty. Moreover, a number of
them are offering short duration programmes – basically three and six month courses – which do not produce high
quality students.

The skills required for animation: The animation industry requires professionals who are equipped with both
technical and soft skills.

On the technical side, potential career seekers for the animation industry need programming expertise, logical and
analytical ability, understanding and application of the sciences such as Physics and Maths. The technical skills
enable professionals to understand the logic behind creation of a good animation and facilitate the development of
creative content. The analytical ability and application of science facilitates the creation of quality animation from
the base structure and drawings.

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On the soft skills side, animation professionals need knowledge of art and art application, communication skills,
interpersonal skills and story telling. The soft skills help professionals to think creatively and develop animation
keeping in view the target audience and its aesthetics.

The skills required for gaming: The gaming industry needs creative, experienced people, particularly for the
task of concept development. Often, gaming companies hire consultants from abroad and creative directors from
advertising/film industry for assistance.

For the pre-production stage, the gaming sector needs lead engineers, artists and animators. Programmers,
meanwhile are needed for the production stage, where the skills required depend on the platform in use. The skills
needed are essentially the know-how of the tools used for game programming.

The availability of relevant courses: While, there is an overall shortage of good training institutes catering to
the gaming and animation market, the industry has witnessed some changes over the last few years in the area

IN FOCUS of quality education for this sector. Institutes such as Whistling Woods International Ltd. (Mumbai), in collaboration
with the Seneca College (Canada) are offering the latest courses in animation production and development. Yet
another institute is ZICA, which has a student exchange programme with IIT (Kanpur) and enables students to gain
experience of new technology and production processes.

Animation and gaming education is also available from certain studios, who have set up their own captive training
institutes in order to regularise the supply of talent professionals. Examples of such initiatives are Takshaa Training
Institute (set up by Ittina Studios), the Graphiti School of Animation by Graphiti Multimedia, among others.

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Easing the placement process: The improved way of

OPINION getting engineering graduates into IT companies
By Professor P S Gill
Background
The matter of streamlining the placement process of engineering graduates in IT companies is gaining importance,
particularly in today’s context, when the sector needs relevant, employable manpower. The present placement
scenario within IT companies is in need of improvement. With the ever-increasing outsourcing of IT-related projects
to India, there has been a phenomenal rise in the demand for IT professionals. This heightened demand, has in
turn fuelled the mushrooming of engineering institutes across India. Despite the checks and balances imposed by
the government, through statutory bodies like AICTE, the majority of the engineering institutes in the country are
not up to the mark.
According to a NASSCOM survey, around 3.5–4.0 lakh engineering graduates pass out of these institutes every
year, but only 25 per cent of them are employable by the industry. Thus, despite the large number of engineering
graduates becoming available annually, IT companies are still facing a major resource crunch of suitable
manpower. NASSCOM studies indicate that there was a requirement of 1.5 lakh IT professionals in the country
during 2006-07, but only one lakh suitable candidates were available. This adds a backlog of about 50,000
professionals. By year 2010, the cumulative backlog is estimated to be half a million. Due to this large gap in the
demand-supply situation, the present placement scenario is facing significant challenges, including the following:
• Mass-recruitment companies have to visit a large number of institutes to pick up the required number
of students
• Most companies try and be the first to visit good institutions so as to get the creamy layer of students.
The institutions have a difficult time deciding which companies should be invited first
• There are good students even in the ‘not-so-good’ institutions who do not get the opportunity for campus
placement as top-tier companies do not visit them
• It is felt by many institutions that year-round placement activity creates a strain on their limited resources,
impacting the entire teaching process
• In a number of cases, mass recruitment companies pick up students in the fifth semester itself, leading to a
general disinterest towards the course among these students.

Based on my understanding of the above scenario, I am proposing to streamline the placement process by
implementing a new model. The new model needs to incorporate the following:

a) It must allow for an annual, Common Placement Test (CPT) for the placement of engineering graduates in
IT companies, on the lines of CAT and GATE. The test can be conducted online, by a designated statutory apex
body like NASSCOM or AICTE or a body comprising both

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b) The client-side computing requirement for the online test can be met out of the computing resources available
in the engineering institutes across the country
c) Final-year engineering and MCA students, having cleared all subjects up to pre-final year and having an
aggregate score of at least 60 per cent should be eligible for the test. Such students, desirous of appearing
in the test, should apply and obtain an admit card for the test. To make the test convenient and fair, a student
must be allotted an exam centre other than his/her parent college
d) A suitable exam fee may be levied to meet the running costs of the system
e) The question bank for the online test should be prepared by a group of eminent professionals drawn from
the IT industry and from institutes of repute. The question bank should include queries that test the basic IQ
and IT skills of the candidates. The soft skills of the short-listed candidates can be judged during subsequent
interviews, to be conducted by the companies
f) The question bank must be updated every year, to reflect the advancements in technology and to make the test fair
OPINION g) Since the test would be online, the results can be declared almost immediately. Each student appearing in the
test should be awarded a percentile ranking on the lines of CAT and GATE
h) The IT companies can then invite applications from the CPT-qualified candidates. While inviting applications,
the companies should specify the range of CPT ranking of the applicants. Obviously, the range will be dictated
by factors like job requirements, standing of the company in the market, compensation package offered and the
number of vacancies in the company
i) A fee (per selected candidate) may also be charged from the companies employing the candidates on the basis of
CPT percentile. Out of this fund, some percentage should also be passed to the parent institutes of the selected
candidates. This will enable the institutes to upgrade their infrastructure and improve the salaries of faculty. In the
long run, this will further improve the quality of engineering graduates passing out from these institutes
j) Based on the percentile achieved, candidates can assess their standing within their peer group and make
better choices regarding the companies they’d like to join.

Advantages of the proposed placement model

• The proposed placement model offers a range of benefits to students, the academic institutions and IT
companies. For one, it will cut down the time required for the placement process, thus lowering the overheads
of the companies and the institutes
• The students will be involved in the placement process at a very late stage, in the final semester, leaving
them to concentrate on their studies till the pre-final semester. This will definitely improve the quality of
engineering graduates
• The global CPT ranking will also make it easy for the companies to identify the subset of candidates they
should target. They can pick the required numbers of suitable candidates without having to make costly and
laborious visits to colleges
• A candidate will also know the subset of companies that he/she can join on the strength of the CPT percentile.
He/she is likely to have a higher level of satisfaction in the employment. This would reduce the attrition rate
• Each student, irrespective of the standing of parent institute, will get an equal opportunity for placement.

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In conclusion, I’d like to say that the current infrastructure in the country supports the proposed system, though it
has to be made extremely robust to combat security attacks of any type.

The task of hosting the question bank, its maintenance and conduct of the test can be entrusted to a third party.
The exam fee received from the candidates and the amount levied on the companies (per selected student) can
OPINION be used to cover the running costs of the proposed system and to improve the teaching processes in the parent
institutes of the selected students.

Once implemented, the proposed model would create a win-win situation for all stakeholders – the companies,
the institutes and the candidates. It would improve the final output quality of the colleges, would result in a
higher satisfaction level amongst IT professionals and reduce the placement overheads and attrition rate of the
IT companies.

Prof. P S Gill is HOD (CSE & IT) at JSSATE, Noida. He can be contacted at: pavittergill@hotmail.com

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Industry-academia partnership
A look at how Maveric Systems is building relevant talent for the software testing industry by
focusing on job-specific and personal effectiveness skills.

The company
Maveric Systems is a leading independent software testing company in India, catering to the BFSI vertical.
Maveric has delivery centres in Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, Dubai, London and New Jersey. The company
has been growing at 80-100 per cent year-on-year for the last four years.

case study The market

Software testing is widely acknowledged as one of the fastest growing segments within the IT services industry.
Though, on an average, software services are growing at about 10-12 per cent, testing is growing at more than
50 per cent per annum.
Leading IT companies in the country today derive up to 10 per cent of their revenues from their independent
software testing businesses. Over the last seven years, independent testing has rapidly emerged as a fast growing
revenue stream for IT services players in the country.

The challenge
This rapid growth in demand for software testing services has had a corresponding impact on the supply side.
In 2006 alone, there was a shortfall of 15,000 software testing professionals in India. This shortfall is stated to be
a result of the following:
• The fact that young professionals are not aware of the career potential of the testing market
• The lack of higher business domain knowledge, process knowledge and client management skills among
testing professionals, a major requirement for the market
• The absence of training and learning programmes that cater specially to this market. As specialised software
testing as a career has emerged only in the last 7-10 years, academic institutions as well as corporate entities
are not geared fully to nurture software testing professionals.

The Maveric initiative

In order to take on the manpower and specialised skills challenge being faced by the testing industry, Maveric
conceived and implemented a unique industry-academia collaboration in early 2004 with the Management
Development Centre of LIBA (Loyola Institute of Business Administration, a leading business school in the country).

Through this partnership, Maveric Systems has created a Two-Year Post Graduate Diploma in Software Testing.
The programme has been designed to create a breed of specialised professionals who have been groomed for a
career in software testing.

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Maveric sponsors the entire cost of the programme for selected students, offering them a customised
post-graduate programme from a leading Business School at virtually no cost.

The programme has been designed to offer students a balanced mix of academic inputs and hands-on experience
in software testing. The course covers three trimesters of intense classroom sessions at LIBA, followed by three
case study trimesters of hands-on project internship at Maveric. On completion of six trimesters, students are launched into a
fast-track career in software testing.

The programme imparts to students basic managerial skills, an overview of specific business domains, software
testing skills, specialised tool skills and interpersonal and effective teaming skills.

Implementation and progress

The first training programme at LIBA was organised in September 2004. Newspaper advertisements and internal
referral programmes created awareness about the training. Typically, BEs ad MCA graduates applied for the
course. As part of its plans for 2007, Maveric is planning to train two batches of students. The programme has
received a great response from learners, particularly BEs, B-Techs and M.Scs (IT background) from well-known
academic institutions.

The benefits
The programme is enabling learners to gain in the following way:
• Build a quicker learning curve and understand client requirements better
• Build domain and business process knowledge rapidly
• Create the ability to determine and define ideal test processes relevant to the client
• Ensure high quality Business Communication and Test Reporting

Future plans
Based on the encouraging response to the programme, Maveric has decided to increase the intake of students
in 2007 by taking on two batches – one in January and the other in June 2007.

Maveric is currently in the process of enrolling over 100 students from campuses for this programme.

For details about the project, contact:

N N Subramanian,
Director and Co-Founder, Maveric Systems
subbunn@maveric.co.in
Ph: 044 – 2820 7690
Links: http://maveric-systems.com
http://www.liba.edu/scripts/executiveprogrammes.aspx

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In this issue, we speak to Mona Gupta, Senior Manager HR, Cincom Systems, a software
company with a remarkable 10.3-year average global employee tenure and find out what
makes it tick!
Company: Cincom Systems India
Background: Cincom Systems India is a 100 per cent Subsidiary of Cincom Systems Inc., a 40-year old organisation
in the field of IT and related fields. Cincom, a developer and marketer of strategic business software to leading
corporations across the globe, is ranked among the world’s largest independent software companies. Organisations
like ABRO, Alcatel, Boeing of Canada, Emirates Bank Group, Ericsson, GE Capital Bank, JP Morgan, Penn State
University, Time Warner Communications, etc have trusted and grown with the organisation.

HR insight Area of expertise: From building and managing a complete offshore development centre to basic helpdesk and contact
centre support, Cincom is a one-stop shop for all IT services. These are offered on the basis of various business models
like ODC (Offshore Development Centre), BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer), BOO (Build-Own-Operate), etc.

In India, the company has a software development centre catering to the international and domestic markets.
Cincom has a major contract with the Chhattisgarh State Electricity Board (CSEB), where it provides the customer
with a complete complaint management solution, including services for provisioning of hardware, software and
human resources. Cincom’s other prominent customers include a major name in the Indian domestic airline
business and Delhi Tourism.

The company’s focus is to offer CRM and manufacturing solutions within the domestic market for the coming year,
while addressing the SME segment with specific products and related services.

Vision driving the company: Cincom’s vision for the future is based on the pursuit of three key values, which
have been interwoven into its organisation. These include:

• Character to act on its beliefs

• Competence to achieve its goals
• Commitment to see it through.

These embedded values have and will continue to drive the company’s productivity resulting in higher profitability
and sustainability for Cincom and its customers.

Basic qualification of existing skilled/technical manpower: At Cincom, there are various opportunities available
for people to join in. The company hires from trainee level positions to Project Managers for various functional and
technical domains.

Skill sets required going into the future: Cincom is looking for people with skills in Java, .Net, and testing
tools and processes. The company predominately requires people from the engineering or MCA backgrounds
with excellent analytical and communication skills, industry or functional knowledge on manufacturing, insurance,
banking and the call centre sector.

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Career path for individuals at Cincom: Cincom attempts to provide an accelerated growth path to people who
display potential. Opportunities exist and the company ensures a fair chance to everyone. The company works
towards the following:

i. Providing opportunities for movement to the next responsibility level

HR insight ii. Trying and arriving at a balance between employee aspirations and company goals. It maps the employee
strengths and developmental needs to plan for career advancement. Adequate development plans, and training
are decided accordingly.

Providing a conducive environment for growth and for nurturing leadership qualities is also a priority for Cincom.
It’s the constant endeavour of the company to help staff members understand their role in the overall organisational
structure and contribute to its success.

The work culture: The average employee tenure at Cincom worldwide is 10.3 years. This is significant
considering that Cincom has more than 800 employees on its payroll and been operating for nearly 40 years now.
It also indicates the pioneering employee-friendly culture that the company has promoted much before employee
retention and/or attrition became a severe issue anywhere on the globe.

Considering Cincom System India started its operations in 1998, it has been able to manage a 4-5 years of
average retention period for its senior staff members. Much of Cincom’s retention can be attributed to the visionary
leadership of Tom Nies, CEO, Cincom Systems. Also the longest serving CEO of an IT company in history,
Tom Nies is a celebrated IT professional. The Smithsonian Institute recognised him with Bill Gates and Steve Jobs
as one of the ‘pioneers of the software industry’.

The company may be a worldwide organisation, but its focus is to promote a close-knit family atmosphere. Every
new employee coming into the organisation gets a Welcome Pack including the Welcome to Cincom CD with a
personal message from Tom Nies.

Despite being privately held, the company shares company information with everybody within. Anyone who has a
Cincom official e-mail ID is eligible to receive important financial data and/or company information. Everyone knows
when the company performs well and everyone knows when the company has had its worst quarter.

Cincom has unique ways of encouraging and rewarding its people. The prestigious Don Quixote club award is
one such unique recognition programme. This programme awards those employees whose performance is crucial
to the company’s success. The honourees receive a Quixote medallion and a gold Quixote Club ring for their
initial nomination. Thereafter, for each additional nomination, honourees receive a Quixote medallion along with a
diamond added to their ring. Their manager or nominated manager presents these to the honourees on Quixote
Day. Cincom India staff members are the winners this year.

At Cincom, there is no one standing over anyone. The company does not allow display of hierarchy. All executives
occupy cubicles.

To express appreciation for contributions over the past year and to share with all employees best wishes for a
prosperous new fiscal year, October 1 or the nearest working day after that date has been designated for an
Executive Open House. October 1 is the first day of the new fiscal year. Each year an Open House is held globally

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hosted by the appropriate Senior Director for that area and/or location. Tom Nies, Cincom President and CEO,
hosts the World Headquarters Open House.

Cincom’s state-of-the-art peer-to-peer communications platform also provides an organic system for fostering
communications and knowledge sharing among branch offices around the world. All information is shared with
everyone in the company, regardless of seniority, level, function, or ‘aura’. In its open approach to address
employees’ queries, the company dedicates an Open House section know as ‘Heard a Humour’ on its website for
its employees to post any question, to which they are entitled to receive a reply within seven days. This section
provides latitude to all employees to voice opinions, be heard and feel valued.

The company prioritises learning in its employees. In India, it has facilitated a tuition reimbursement policy for
employees who wish to pursue skill enhancement programmes. The reimbursement is of two lakh rupees, open to
all Cincom employees in India.

HR insight Furthermore, Cincom employers have taken their eyes off the clock. The company has started a flexible hours
system that allows its employees an option of being at work from 8:30–5 pm or 10:30–7 pm or in specific cases
choose on their own. The tech support team is allowed to work from home for 2-3 days per week and Cincom
provides the infrastructure needed to do so.

The many perks that Cincom employees enjoy include:

• Medical insurance
• Accidental insurance
• Business travel and insurance (company provided)
• Short and long-term disability insurance (company provided)
• Accrued vacation
• Pick-up and drop facility
• Internal and external training
• Employee referral incentive programme
• Smoke-free workplace
• Quixote Club (recognition programme)
• Tenure awards
• Casual dress
• Outdoor management events and parties.

For further details/query, please write to Mona Gupta at: mgupta@cincom.com

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In this issue of HR Communique, we take a look at two key initiatives unveiled by NASSCOM,
nASSCOM that will help take the ‘skilled, employable manpower challenge’, currently confronting IT-BPO
INITIATIVE industry, by the horns.

Making a success of NAC

Relevantly skilled, employable manpower continues to be one of the key challenges facing the IT-BPO sector in
India, one that is likely to impede the growth of the industry in the years ahead, if it is not overcome.

Recognising this major need for a large, ever-replenishing pool of talent, NASSCOM has been working closely with
the industry, the government and academia to build a platform that encourages BPO talent creation.

The result has been the NASSCOM Assessment of Competence (NAC), a special initiative designed to create a
strong base of relevant human resources, in order to sustain India’s edge in the global BPO industry.

Having successfully completed its pilot phase, the NASSCOM Assessment of Competency programme was rolled
out in November 2006. The NAC test, designed by NASSCOM and Hewitt, as well as leading ITeS-BPO industry
players, is one of the most significant human resource development initiatives to be unveiled by NASSCOM in the
recent years.

The NAC is aimed at enabling the continuous creation of relevantly skilled, employable talent for the sector. In the
future, it will help align educational curriculum offered by universities and colleges in the country with the needs of
the ITeS-BPO sector. The initiative is also expected to help ITeS-BPO players reduce their hiring costs, improve
efficiencies, enlarge the candidate pool and perhaps more importantly reduce, if not remove the current escalation
the market is seeing in entry-level wages.

The goal of the assessment and certification programme, which is on the lines of SAT, GMAT and GRE
examinations, is also to plug the manpower demand-supply gap the ITeS-BPO industry is expected to face
over the next decade.

NAC received an overwhelming response during the pilot stage itself, with over 6,000 people, 22 companies, state
government and reputed educational institutions participating in the programme. Over one lakh young job aspirants
appeared for NAC in the first year of its national roll-out.

Today, NAC is being taken to the next level, by proliferating it across Tier-II and Tier-III cities and towns that can be
strengthened into BPO hubs and used as playgrounds for nurturing job-ready professionals.

In the months ahead, NAC will be rolled out in various states of India, including Gujarat, Chandigarh, Andhra Pradesh,
Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, among others. It has already gained momentum in the state of Rajasthan. In
order to build a mindshare for NAC, awareness campaigns are being organised at colleges/universities in these regions,
before the test is conducted. Students are being briefed about the BPO industry and the opportunities it offers in terms of
jobs. These campaigns are being supported by various media channels, including television, newspapers and the radio.

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NASSCOM is also bundling NAC with Job Fairs for participants, to take the initiative to its next logical phase.
This move is helping NAC go beyond its assessment and certification mandate and emerge as a plank where
candidates can interface with the BPO industry, talk across the table with the key companies and industry pioneers
and prove their ability to join the sector.

Key benefits of NAC

• NAC will increase the reach of ITeS–BPO industry to Tier-II and Tier-III cities for their sourcing requirements
• It will spread awareness about job opportunities in the ITeS-BPO industry
• It will help create a national standard for recruitment of entry-level talent, helping companies to cut costs
when searching for talent
• NAC will provide aspirants with a common, transparent process to gauge their preparedness for the
nASSCOM ITeS-BPO sector and identify their strengths and weaknesses

INITIATIVE • It will help governments to generate employment and create employability-linked education

The Job Fair is expected to add another layer of confidence for all stakeholders of NAC as it will leverage the scope
and significance of NAC for the benefit of the industry. What is particularly useful for the candidates is the fact that
they get an opportunity to be assessed by companies that are from regions beyond the state.

The ‘Finishing’ Touch

Among the pioneering initiatives being launched by NASSCOM, is the recently announced ‘Finishing Schools for
Engineering Students’ programme, which is expected to enable young technical graduates become industry-ready.
The ‘Finishing School’ for engineering graduates who are still seeking employment has been launched in a pilot
mode and is being conducted during the summer months of May-June 2007, for a period of eight weeks.
Eight institutions, including IIT Roorkee and seven NITs – Calicut, Durgapur, Kurukshetra, Jaipur, Surathkal, Trichy
and Warangal are conducting the programme on a pilot basis.

This pilot effort has twin objectives:

• To empower young engineering graduates to gain job proficiencies through appropriate training
• To make available a larger pool of suitable candidates for the IT industry.
The ‘Finishing School’ cover the curriculum provided on technical and soft skills development. The students will
get an opportunity to reinforce some basic engineering skills and in addition, acquire industry-specific knowledge
and skills, soft skills, and management and employment skills, which are being delivered by trained faculty and
practicing IT and ITeS industry consultants.
As part of the programme, the students will also receive periodical feedback on their performance and undertake
a final exam that highlights their ability in the area of rational, analytical thinking processes identified in a problem
solving environment. The students will have the opportunity to take the NAC-Tech (NASSCOM Assessment of
Competence – Tech), an employment benchmarking test and participate in a Job Fair.

For further details, log on to: www.nasscom.org, or write to itworkforce@nasscom.in

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