THE TIMES OF INDIA

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2003

Oracle to train 4,000 Chinese software engineers annually

PTI

BEIJING: In a big boost to China's ambitions of becoming a global IT power,
US-based software major Oracle has agreed to train 4,000 Chinese software
engineers annually.

The agreement, signed between the company and the China International Talent
Exchange Foundation (CITEF), is an effort to cater to the rising domestic
demand for software professionals, which is expected to surpass 200,000 in
the next three years.

The training programme, on the lines of Oracle's workforce development
programme, will train local personnel for China's 11 national software bases
in major cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu.

Oracle will also offer its patent software products, teaching material and
test service, valued at more than $12 million.

As China had given priority to develop its software industry as a national
strategy, the CITEF would further cooperate with multinationals to enhance
the standards in the domestic industry, a CITEF official said.

China has also announced plans to invest $120 million in software
departments at 35 universities in the latter half of this year.

Each of the pilot departments, including top institutions such as Tsinghua
University and Beijing University, would receive 30 million yuan, senior
Education Ministry official Zhang Yaoxue said on Thursday.

Another US-based software major Sun Microsystems has donated software worth
$3.5 million for college education to the ministry.

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