Corporate Diary: June 2007

PARTNERSHIP

Satyam, IBM set up KidSmart centres

Satyam Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of Satyam Computer, along with Byrraju Foundation and IBM and Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA), has set up two KidSmart centres in the Indian city Hyderabad.

Taken up on a pilot basis at the Boys Upper Primary School and Government’s High School, they expect to replicate it in other schools later. The IBM KidSmart early learning programme is a corporate community relationship initiative from IBM. It deploys latest hardware, software and educational materials to give young children with a stimulating environment. It is aimed at pre-school centres and primary schools.

Wipro Infotech signs MoU with AMU

Wipro Infotech, the India, Middle East and Asia Pacific IT Business Unit of Wipro Ltd, announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Centre for Distance Education of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) in Aligarh to act as the strategic IT services partner for the Institute.

Through the partnership, Aligarh Muslim University has engaged Wipro as the preferred IT partner for providing technology solutions and participating in the e-Learning initiatives at its Centre for Distance Education (CDE). Wipro will offer value added services in the form of imparting training by conducting seminars / workshops for students and university faculty members and technical staff in both academic and practical spheres. Wipro would also share Literature/Content/information on emerging trends in technology with the university for academic purposes.

HCL, Saba Alliance targets India

HCL Technologies, a global IT service provider; and Saba, the premier Human Capital Management (HCM) software and service provider have joined forces to provide Saba’s products bundled with HCL’s services to the customers.

The two companies will provide their services and relationships throughout Asia Pacific, mainly India, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore. They are also planning to expand in North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Saba will offer knowledge management services such as learning management, system implementation, performance management, talent management, e-Learning and courseware. The company already has its sales and marketing office in Mumbai.

The Indian customers will be offered Learning Management System (LMS) in-house, and Product Implementation system benefits. The Saba LMS, implemented by HCL, is a high level strategic solution for planning, delivering and managing events within an organisation; and includes e-Learning, re-skilling, talent, and employee first initiative.

Adobe to tie-up with schools in anti-piracy push

Adobe India plans to forge alliances with educational boards at the school level as part of its initiatives in the areas of building an employable talent pool and spreading awareness about the need to curb piracy.

It is looking at tying up with educational boards including CBSE and ICSE apart from extending its initiatives at university level. Adobe has tied up with the largest university in Tamil Nadu and are in talks with various other universities for partnership. The company would be providing software and training for faculty and students.

The company is working closely with Business Software Alliance (BSA) for preventing privacy. BSA along with Nasscom has churned out strategies to curb piracy. As a result, piracy in India has come down from 72% in 2005 to 71% in 2006. However, Adobe found that piracy of its software is about 90% and it is trying to bring this down.

PRMIA enhances their partnership with KESDEE in India

PRMIA (Professional Risk Managers International Association) has established a strategic relationship with KESDEE through a Private-Label Learning Portal. KESDEE has developed and hosted this private-label portal for PRMIA to train future Risk Managers.

PRMIA offers the only globally endorsed Professional Risk Manager (PRM) certification programme, pursued by over 1,800 active candidates from more than 90 countries. India has over 155 candidates who have already initiated this programme and over 385 new candidates who will start the programme this year.

KESDEE has developed “ePRM Coach” to be a comprehensive online tutorial for the Professional Risk Manager (PRM) Exam. KESDEE’s ePRM coach is designed in accordance with PRMIA’s exam structure and the prescribed study guide. This e-Coach is useful not only for those pursuing certification but also for everyone as valuable reference tool and benchmark of Risk Management competency as per Global Certification Standards. KESDEE also signed a contract recently with Standard Chartered Bank for the implementation of KESDEE’s financial e-Learning solutions globally. All 500 e-learning courses offered by the company will be made available to Standard Chartered Bank for the training of its staff.

PRODUCT

Tata Interactive Systems launches TOPSIM

Tata Interactive’s suite of business simulations – TOPSIM, which are being launched globally are made available to the UK market for the first time.

TOPSIM offers a rich and highly complex environment with a case-based approach. Over that period, it has been used by major corporations as well as by universities and business schools in Europe and, more recently, India and  the USA.

TOPSIM is not e-Learning but blended learning with the emphasis on the classroom and where the learning is collaborative. As a team-based competitive simulation, TOPSIM requires that players show the ability to make strategic decisions as a team. As it simulates the whole business environment, it gives participants a bird’s eye view of business management and competitive dynamics.

TOPSIM Simulations are advanced and comprehensive models that simulate operating environments, used as innovative methods to teach business and management competencies. The simulated environments include business start-ups; a single business function; overall management of an enterprise; managing in global markets, and the macroeconomics of a country.

SkillSoft avails on-demand video

SkillSoft PLC , a leading provider of e-Learning and performance support solutions for global enterprises, government, education and small to medium- sized businesses, announced commercial availability of the Leadership Development Channel (TM), a unique collection of on demand video learning programmes featuring prominent thought leader and CEO content designed to accelerate performance and success at all levels of an organisation.

Building upon SkillSoft’s extensive library of rich web-deliverable learning assets, the Leadership Development Channel provides executives and managers with cutting-edge thinking in business and leadership in a dynamic, engaging and easily consumable  video format.

SkillSoft’s Leadership Development Channel is a growing online library of over 450 video learning assets that can be accessed on demand for concise, just-in-time application-based learning. The Leadership Development Channel can greatly enhance existing multi- modal learning programs and is ideal for both individual and group learning experiences, including use as a meeting starter, for one-on-one coaching and during facilitated learning sessions.
The collection is regularly updated with new programmes and encompasses a wide range of online, live and on-demand video learning assets. In addition, select videos are available for download for use on portable devices, including cell phones, iPod and BlackBerry devices.

Infotech companies enter in educational sector

Many infotech companies like Microsoft, HP, Zensar and Cadence are working with NGOs to provide better infrastructural facilities to schools, teaching them the use of computers in their education.

Companies like Intel, Cisco, and Yahoo have been involved more directly in education programmes. Recently, Intel has donated INR 1.5 million to the Karnataka state government, India. Intel employees had invested 13,500 voluntary hours in educational institutes. While Yahoo! India employees have been working Parikrma Humanitarian Foundation to empower underprivileged children by providing them quality education. Recently, Yahoo! has inaugu-rated new school for slum children. Cisco Systems has partnered with educators, businesses, governments and community organizations to launch the networking academy programme, NetAcad. Cisco employee volunteers explain technical updates like VoIP to students.

PROJECT

Cisco to create virtual classrooms

In what could be termed as first time in India Bapatla Engineering College, an Andra pradesh based institute, has announced that it will deploy Cisco Digital Media System to extend the classroom environment and create anywhere, anytime learning experiences.

Cisco Digital Media System will virtualise the classroom environment with remote broadcast and viewing of lectures and on-demand materials. The college will stream live, sessions conducted by visiting professors and subject matter experts to the classrooms. Lectures can be viewed online in 15 classrooms and 40 e-class rooms simultaneously. The solution will also help the institute to simultaneously record and archive the sessions. This will help the students to refer the sessions at their convenience from their hostel rooms as well. The archived sessions is presented to the students over Cisco Video Portal, a web-based application that allows students to quickly browse, search, and view digital media interactively.

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