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AD PRADEEP KUMAR
If India is emerging as a software superpower with a reputation for being a haven for software development, it is mainly due to the presence of a large, highly skilled pool of professionals trained by some of the quality educational institutions in the country.
The National Centre for Software Technology (NCST) has played a vital role in providing quality education in computer software in India. It took a lead role in bringing the Internet to India in the late 1980s, and has served a number of companies throughout India, helping them design and set up their own networks.
NCST's courses are well-reputed, and only the best manage to get admission here. NCST's post-graduate diploma courses in the IT area, offered in the part-time mode, are specially popular all over India.
According to NCST director Dr S Ramani, ``There was this feeling that part-time courses were second-rate courses. From the very beginning, we have believed that this need not be true. We wanted to run a part-time programme that would beas highly respected as any full-time programme. We believe we have succeeded in this.''
``We also believed that the right people to teach courses are those who are actually practising a profession. It gives the teacher much greater credibility, particularly when the course participants are professionals themselves,'' adds Ramani.
In IT, NCST runs two well-known, part-time diploma courses, the post-graduate diploma in software technology (PGDST) and the advanced post-graduate diploma in software technology (APGDST). Recently, NCST has also started a full-time, post-graduate diploma (FPGDST) programme in Bangalore. The post-graduate diploma in software technology is an intensive first-level course in computing that provides a comprehensive introduction to software technology.
Candidates who successfully complete the PGDST requirements are eligible to apply for APGDST any time within 41 months of their completing the PGDST requirements.
The FPGDST course is offered only at NCST Bangalore. The next suchcourse will commence in June 1999. It is aimed at graduates with a computer programming background such as that available from most B Tech/B E courses or a B Sc in Computer Science or some of the diploma courses. The duration of the course is 52 weeks.
NCST's R&D divisions also conduct several advanced courses, each of 1-2 weeks' duration. These courses are oriented mainly towards professionals sponsored by their employees. NCST also runs specialised courses at the request of the industry.
Annually, NCST conducts an examination for Competence in Software Technology (CST). This is an organised set of related tests for professional knowledge and practical skills. The CST examination is held in cities all over India each January-February. There are four levels of examination namely E Level (Entry Level), I Level (Intermediate Level), D Level (Diploma Level) and G Level (Graduate Level).
The E Level examination is aimed at helping companies identify graduates who show a potential for computer-relatedtraining, but have no prior computer training.
The other levels identify professionals with specific knowledge and skill sets. The CST exam serves to identify promising professionals for R&D employment at NCST, promising participants for its PG diploma courses, and trainees for summer training fellowships.
In addition, NCST compiles a database of information about the candidates who take the CST examination. It uses this to help companies in their recruitment process, and to save them the effort of conducting their own recruitment examinations. The database also allows candidates to apply for different jobs based on the results from a single examination.
Students in the pre-final year of their BE, B Tech or MCA, and those in the first year of their ME or M Tech are eligible for summer projects at NCST. Up to 10 fellowships are awarded every year, based on the candidate's performance in the D-level CST exam as well as individual academic records.NCST is an autonomous R&D organisation under the Departmentof Electronics with offices in Mumbai and Bangalore. It functions as a centre of excellence in the area of software technology and related computer science. It was developed with the objectives of conducting R&D in software technology and for providing a thrust to continuing education in the IT sector.
For details, write to Course Administration, National Centre for Software Technology, Gulmohar Cross Road No. 9, Juhu, Mumbai-400 049; Ph: (022) 670 3251, 620 1606; Fax: (022) 621 0139; E-mail: crsadmin@konark.ncst.ernet.in.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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This story was printed from Net Express located at http://www.expressindia.com. Net Express provides a portal to India, with news from The Indian Express and The Financial Express along with sites on travel and tourism, the entertainment industry, the power sector, the environment and much more.
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