Sun Microsystems India and NIIT launched an initiative to expand the technology horizons of India's large student population by introducing specialized education and training programs on Sun technologies. Through this alliance, NIIT will have access to the latest Sun technologies, tools, technical resources and curricula on the Java and Solaris platforms. Sun will enable NIIT to offer a range of customized programs to a broad spectrum of students through the latter's network of IT education centers.

Bhaskar Pramanik, MD, Sun Microsystems India said that students emerging from these programs would further grow the Java and Solaris developer communities in the country. “We are committed to the spread of Java and Solaris education in India, through the auspices of the highly successful 'Authorized Sun Education Center' program. NIIT is known for its pioneering work in the field of IT education and training and we are indeed happy to be associated with an institution that shares our deep-seated commitment to furthering the cause of IT education in this country”.

Speaking at the launch, Karie Willyerd, VP and Chief Learning Officer, Sun Microsystems Inc., said that the shortage of skilled IT professionals is one of the most pressing issues in the IT industry and in businesses all around the world and the demand for IT professionals with up-to-date skills, far exceeds the current and projected supply. She stressed that academic institutions need to help their students acquire skills on the latest technologies so they can better meet that demand and succeed in their careers.

Vijay Thadani, CEO, NIIT Ltd said that as a part of its ongoing efforts to continually enhance its Industry Endorsed GNIIT curriculum, NIIT would now integrate the latest generation of the Sun Java platform into the GNIIT curriculum for the under-graduates. GNIIT students will work with high-end visual development tools such as Java Studio Enterprise that focus on improving developer productivity and software quality. For working professionals the high-end Sun curriculum will be integrated into NIIT's CATS (Curriculum for Advanced Technology Studies) offerings. This will allow professionals to get access to training on the latest platforms and tools.

“We will announce the refreshed GNIIT course in June. We are likely to train around 2 lakh students under the new curriculum in two to three years duration,” Thadani added. He said that in order to reach the two-tier and three-tier cities, NIIT is planning to open up 60 new centers across India. However, he hinted that there is the likelihood of revision of the course fee, which they would announce in the next couple of weeks.

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