The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Coimbatore News : ‘Information age is history, today is participation age’

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 24, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore

‘Information age is history, today is participation age’

Staff Reporter

Innovations begin in colleges and universities: Expert

— Photo: K. Ananthan

COORDINATION: Bhaskar Gandhavadi (centre), Chief Learning Officer, Sun Microsystems, Bangalore, releasing the first copy of the conference souvenir at PSG College of Technology in the city. R. Rudramoorthy (right), Principal, is receiving the first copy.

COIMBATORE: 1/6th of the world population of six billion is not connected. But, India has come a long way in communication and information technology (IT). From IT exports of $ 12 million in 1980 we will be touching the $ 60 billion mark in 2010, Bhaskar Gandhavadi, Chief Learning Officer, Sun Microsystems, Bangalore, said here recently.

Inaugurating a two-day conference on “Innovations in Information and Communications Technology” organised by the Department of Information Technology of the PSG College of Technology, he said that network was what was going to connect the whole world. “Today information age is history, it is the age of participation”.

Mr. Gandhavadi said that innovation was the creativity in technology and India was having it in abundance. Since Indians were seen as innovators, it would be seen as a strength and hence Indian labour would no longer be considered cheap. The average compensation was very high compared to many other countries. “In addition to technological talent, we also have the added advantage of English. We are fortunate that our medium of instruction and communication is English,” said Mr. Gandhavadi.

But, in spite of all this, he lamented that the number of employable engineers was very low. The top five recruiters in the IT sector needed nearly 19,000 fresh talent this financial year. “But they are not available due to the disconnect between what the industry needs and what the colleges offer. The concept of college ambassadors nominated by the companies in colleges will serve to address this problem.”

He believed that innovations began in colleges and universities and not in the company board rooms. He urged the industry and institutions to work in close co-ordination to make use of such innovations.

R. Rudramoorthy, Principal, said that to strengthen the global competitive position, optimum use of communication and information technology was required.

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