Technology

Edserv Softsystems acquires Alta Vista UAE

Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

Source: www.equitybulls.com via PwC – EdLive

Indian education services company Edserv Softsystems said it acquired its UAE-based peer Alta Vista UAE. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Acquisition is in line with Edserv’s strategy to expand its overseas online learning business. Alta Vista UAE provides various contents for K-12 and UG / Skill development in the Middle East. Edserv will offer the newly acquired contents through mobile platforms. Edserv is a 4th generation education company established in 2001. The company is listed on the listed in BSE and NSE. In 2011 the company posted a revenue of INR 1.1bn (USD 22.3mn) and a net profit of INR 416.9mn (USD 8.7mn).

AICTE to give 1 crore INR seed capital for research parks

Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

Source: DNA India via PwC – EdLive

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) will fund institutes with 1 crore INR to set up research parks, in order to encourage research among students. An industry partner will also be tasked with setting up the research park, along with providing funds to the tune of 1 crore INR. The research activities to be carried out in the park will also include studies needed for the industry.

“This will be a perfect give-and-take deal. While the industry will participate in financial assistance, the institutes will conduct research on the basis of industry needs. Researchers will also get hands-on experience with real-time industry research activities,” said SS Mantha, Chairman, AICTE. The research park will be set up on the institute premises itself, which should make available at least a 3,000-square-feet area for it.

“We aim to open such research parks in at least one state each. However, more such parks would be welcome to provide ample opportunities to research scholars in India,” added Mantha.

Besides this, the AICTE is also going to offer other schemes to encourage research work. The top 100 research students will be placed at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) laboratories. The scholars will be shortlisted through a competitive model of testing and the AICTE will give 15,000 INR per month to each student for three years.

COU announces new family medicine training opportunities

Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

Toronto, February 2011

The federal government would be funding $11.3 million over four years to support a project in Ontario that offers new family medicine positions and training opportunities across Canada from 2011. The funding would cover the entire costs for establishing residency positions. The Council of Ontario Universities (COU) is striving to improve access to healthcare for Ontarians in remote and rural communities. Approximately 60 additional third-year family medicine residency positions will be created at Ontario’s six Faculties of Medicine to enhance emergency medicine and enhanced skills, which includes McMaster University, University of Ottawa, Queen’s University, University of Toronto, University of Western Ontario, as well as the Northern Ontario School of Medicine at Laurentian University and Lakehead University.

According to Dr. Catharine Whiteside, co-chair person of COU Faculties of Medicine and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto, “focusing on specializations such as anesthesia, obstetrics, care of the elderly, palliative care, rural skills, mental health and additions, will be a starting point to support comprehensive family practice in under-served communities.” Hence, with the continuing support from provincial government to improve health care facilities across Ontario, people living in rural communities will be having greater benefits.

Deloitte hires

Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

Source: CyberMediaNews, Mumbai, March 2011

Indian IT Industry is on a hiring spree. IT Consulting firm Deloitte would be hiring an 2.25 lakh candidates in 2011. With this addition, the total number of employees working in the IT/ITeS sector in India would grow to 22.3 lakh in 2011. As per the predictions for 2011, IT outsourcing industry and business processes will reach US $ 71.7 Billion for 2011, which would account to 5.8% of the country’s GDP.

“This would be the starting point of active participation between telecom service providers and various industries including IT, Media, Banking, Healthcare and Education in reaching and offering services for the empowerment of rural India”, predicts Mr Jolyon Barker, Global Leader Deloitte’s TMT,2011.

Quoting a spokesperson from Deloitte, “The advantage for customers from MNP would be better quality of service, lesser call drops, better infrastructures and an increase in loyalty programs and customer retention marketing techniques. Operators offering 3G services would have an edge with the introduction of MNP as not all operators have won the auctioned 3G spectrum.”

West Bengal is the place for IT investment

Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

Source: egov weekly, Delhi, Monday, 15 November 2010

West Bengal’s IT Minister Mr. Debesh Shah stated that the government expects huge investments and creation of 25,000 more jobs in the IT sector by 2010‐11. IT is the fastest growing sector with over 150,000 jobs created in 2009, only second to food processing in WB. Although issues related to land acquisitions had a minor impact, it did not stall the growth of IT in the state. Furthermore, Mr. Das added that recent considerable investments by Tata has burst the myth that Tata group of companies wouldn’t make any long term investments after their pullout from Singur.