SSI Bahrain is to host a training centre to be set up by India's third-largest software education company SSI, the first time the Madras-based organisation will be setting up such an institution in the Middle East.
SSI has signed an agreement giving Bahrain's Jemil Ali Ebrahim Group the SSI master franchise for the Gulf, a Gulf Daily News (GDN) report said.
Chief executive officer Dr SG Sundaram said the Bahrain centre would specially focus on corporate segment training to upgrade the skills of staff in information technology. Courses initially offered would include Impact, e-commerce, Java office 2000 and Windows 98. "SSI Education has been affiliating with IT leaders like Microsoft and Oracle to offer certified programmes through its authorised training centres in an effort to bring new-age technologies directly from the technology providers," he told the newspaper.
"These programmes will incorporate an industry-relevant curriculum designed by SSI's ISO 9001 certified Content Development Group with the added advantage of a university recognition/certification."
Dr Sundaram said the duration of the course would range from three months to two years. "We are committed to making SSI Education in Bahrain one of the most sophisticated software education centres in the Gulf," he told GDN.
"We shall be in a position to offer special IT courses tailor-made to suit the requirements of the market, especially at a time when the Bahrain government is finalising a strategy on e-government transactions."
Sundaram was a project manager with Oman Computer Services for 10 years before taking up the Bahrain appointment.
SSI Education Bahrain president and managing director TT Thomas said the centre had been set up at an initial investment of BD100,000. It houses four spacious classrooms with 40 computers, a counselling room, a library, an examination room and a multipurpose hall besides the reception area and the administration department.
SSI, which has four core business divisions - SSI Education, SSI Technologies, SSI Enterprise and SSI Web Initiatives - will eventually open its Middle East regional office in Bahrain, said Thomas.
Director of operations Jaan Thomas said the centre would strive to promote Bahrainisation in computer education. The California-based quality assurance firm, Newark Associates, would be involved in overseeing the implementation and delivery standards.
The chairman of the Bahrain centre is Jemil Ali Ebrahim. SSI, which was incorporated in 1991, has already established its presence in Hong Kong, China, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Burma, Bangladesh and the UAE. SSI Education has over 500 centres across India graduating over 130,000 students each year, and since its establishment more than 600,000 students have already graduated, many of them now gainfully employed.
