UST Global partners with ICTAK

TechnoparkToday.com(Jan, 2014):  UST Global, an information technology solutions and services company for Global 1000 enterprises, has announced that it has made a significant investment in the newly constituted Information and Communication Technology Academy of Kerala (ICTAK), a public-private company set up by Kerala State IT Infrastructure Ltd. (KSITIL) to improve employability of graduates for IT and ITeS industries in the state. UST Global will also have two of their senior trainers on the Technical Committee responsible for refining the curriculum, with focus on soft skills and technical skills development.

The no-profit academy, based at Technopark in Trivandrum, will work in four broad areas —establishing state of the art facility for developing faculties for training in IT, providing specialized training to faculties for engineering, arts and science colleges, ITIs and polytechnics across Kerala, carrying out research and consultancy support for industry for capacity building and courses in IT, and developing and maintaining a world class curriculum related to Information Technology industry and to function as a resource centre for curriculum and faculty development.

Alexander Varghese, Chief Administrative Officer & Country Head, UST Global, who will be on the board of governors for ICTAK; said, “As a responsible IT industry leader, UST Global is already impacting the employability of thousands of youth around the world with its extensive STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) education and workforce development initiatives. Through our investment in the new academy, we are hoping to make similar meaningful contributions and support State of Kerala in reforming the ICT capabilities of the state by empowering engineering and technology students with best of the resources to develop their industrial skills.”

“Kerala’s IT industry crossed $1 billion in turnover in 2012, and has the potential to add significant direct employment opportunities to expand its existing base of 80,000 in the next few years. For the state to meet the growth prospects and help students leverage the tremendous employment possibilities, the setting up Information and Communication Technology Academy of Kerala (ICTAK) is a vital step. It will majorly augment the infrastructure development and skill enhancement programs of the state government. We are delighted to note the keen interest and commitment of IT corporates in partnering with us to support the objectives of the academy,” said Jayasankar Prasad, former Director of the Kerala State IT Mission, who has been appointed its special officer.