In an innovative tri-city partnership with the International Institute of Career Development, Tiruchi and Divya Knowledge Process Management Ltd, Bangalore, the Coimbatore-based Hi-end Software Integrated Ltd has signed an agreement with the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Career Development (IECD) of Bharathidasan University in Coimb-atore, to offer its School University Tie-up Scheme (SUITS) programme to classes V-IX students in Tamil Nadus 45 schools affiliated with the Directorate of Matriculation Schools.This is the first time that a university is offering computer education courses to school students. Moreover, a certificate awarded by a university rather than a private institute will have greater credibility when students seek employ-ment, and also inspire confidence among would-be entrepreneurs, says Selvaraj Kathiravan, an education postgraduate of Bharathiar University, Coimbatore and founder-director of Hi-end Software. Starting his career as a school teacher in 1992, Kathiravan quit the teaching profession two years later and worked in industry for seven years before launching Hi-end Software in 1999. Since then he has transformed into a serial entrepreneur promoting HSI Publications (2000); Yamuna Book House (2004); Elegant Notebooks in (2006); Hi-end Education Academy (2008); Hayagrevar Publishing Com-pany (2010) and Edu Media Network (2010). Hi-end Softwares industry-friendly SUITS programme has been widely welcomed by educationists, teachers and parents, and has been adopted by 45 private schools affiliated with the Directorate of Matriculation Schools, Tamil Nadu, with 6,523 students having already completed the 12-month certificate programme jointly designed with Bharathidasan Universitys Board of Studies. Encouraged by the response of Matriculation schools, Kathiravan proposes to extend the programme to government, aided and CBSE schools. Providing industry exposure to students is vital to the SUITS progra-mme, and we plan to conduct seminars and symposiums for school children by inviting experts from the IT industry and creating awareness about business and knowledge process outsourcing and entrepreneurship. Skills-based training at a young age will mould children into better technologists and entrepreneurs of the future, and eliminate the huge problem of unemployability of plain vanilla engineering graduates, says Kathiravan. Way to go! Hemalatha Raghupathi (Chennai)
