Following the rapid growth and development of India‚s IT, particularly the computer software industry, Indian IT firms are establishing their footprints worldwide, especially in the high-growth economies of China, South Africa, New Zealand and Malaysia. One of the latest such initiatives in the high-growth IT hardware and networking training space is a collaboration agreement between Bangalore-based Indian Institute of Hardware Technology Ltd (IIHT), and the Bahrain Institute of Technology (BIT), the training division of Bahrain Development Bank. Under the partnership BIT will invest US$ 6 million (Rs.2.4 crore) on technology infrastructure in Bahrain to which IIHT will provide the study material, curriculum and faculty.
“Our corporate mission is to acquire a global reputation as a premier training institute for hardware maintenance and networking engineers. Through our new Global Learning Solutions division, we have partnered with numerous technical training institutes to offer IT infrastructure management services (IMS) training solutions in ten countries including China, South Africa, Russia and Indonesia. Through this strategic partnership with BIT we hope to establish our reputation in the Middle East,” says S. Keshava Raju an engineering graduate of Bangalore University and founder-CEO of IIHT. Since its promotion in 1993, IIHT (annual revenue: Rs.70 crore) has morphed into India‚s largest training institute for hardware maintenance technicians. Currently, its 350 franchisees operate training centres in 125 locations in India and six abroad, offering 50 short-term and long-term study programmes to over 60,000 students. Apart from regular hardware and networking courses, IIHT is also the licensed training partner of global IT hardware giants such as Apple, Microsoft, Oracle, IBM and Sun Microsystems.
“We are impressed with the industry-oriented IT hardware and IMS study programmes offered by IIHT. Therefore we are delighted to sign up as its exclusive franchisee in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Under our partnership agreement we will offer short-term diploma programmes in hardware maintenance and full-fledged degree programmes in IMS. This collaboration is the first step towards realising BIT‚s long term vision of establishing Bahrain as a regional IT education and services hub,” says Adel A. Al Safar, CEO of, BIT was in Bangalore recently to sign the partnership deal. Having established itself as a market leader in the hardware maintenance and networking training spaces in India and with a foothold in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, IIHT is all set to expand its operations to the newly liberated countries of Eastern Europe. “Currently the global demand for qualified hardware and IMS professionals is 500,000 against the existing pool of only 200,000. IIHT intends to play a major role in bridging this gap which could slow down economic growth worldwide,” says Keshava Raju.
Srinidhi Raghavendra (Bangalore)
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