The Hindu Business Line : AP Govt seeks help for knowledge centres

THE State Secretary for Information Technology and Communication, Ms K. Ratna Prabha, called for support from various departments, and the private sector in implementing Jawahar Knowledge Centres (JKC) across the State.

She was speaking at a meeting of vice-chancellors, principals of engineering colleges, heads of Computer Science departments, CEOs and HR heads of IT and ITeS companies, aimed at improving the quality of the workforce in the State.

Describing JKC as a gigantic task, she sought their cooperation in helping chart out new courses that suit the needs of the industry.

The Professor of Computer Science and Robotics, School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University, Prof Raj Reddy, said, "If Andhra Pradesh aimed at even 10 per cent of the projections made by the Nasscom-McKinsey report, we would need at least 25,000 IT Professionals. That would not be an impossible task. Apart from training students for an IT Job, we need to concentrate on creating entrepreneurs to create jobs for others."

The Regional Director, Nasscom, Hyderabad, Col. S.V. Ramachandran, while citing the recent Nasscom-McKinsey report, said that there was potential for additional direct employment for 1.6 million people in five years.

The State Chief Information Officer (SCIO), Government of Andhra Pradesh, Prof. Subba Rao Ghanta, explained how improvement in quality of education had improved the prospect of jobs in multinational companies.