Chinese IT mngrs to be trained in India

As many as 1,000 software managers from south China's Shenzhen city are to undergo training in India to improve their communication skills and etiquette.

Some 1,000 software managers from south China's Shenzhen city are to undergo training in India to improve their communication skills and etiquette, reports Xinhua.

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The Shenzhen local government inked an agreement on Wednesday with the Indian outsourcing solution provider Zensar Technologies Ltd on setting up an organisation to provide courses and work experience for China's software project managers.

The trainees will learn etiquette, communication and negotiation skills as well as international standards for the software outsourcing industry for three months, director of the administration office of Shenzhen Software Park Zeng Guozhong told China Daily.

They will go to work for Zensar in dealing with US and European clients for their remaining time in India before their six-month training period ends, said the paper.

The lack of qualified project managers is becoming a serious problem, said Zeng.

"The companies are frustrated, not because they can't win deals, but because they're not sure how to run the projects successfully.

"The project is significant since the human factor is becoming more and more crucial to the development of the city's software outsourcing industry," Zeng was quoted as saying.

The government will subsidize 1,000 such trainees over three years with $1,812 each, or about one third of the total training fee. The rest will be paid by the companies and individuals, said the paper.

The scheme may be applied nationwide in three years, according to Zeng.

The software outsourcing business has grown rapidly in this IT-driven southern boom town riding a wave of foreign companies selecting China as an IT offshore (ITO) and business offshore (business process outsourcing, BPO) destination.