IT professionals need to be carefully guided

Harshini PERERA

[ Profile:]

Name: Kapila Ranasinghe

Experience: Involved in the industry for 14 years.

Professional qualifications: B.Sc, Double MBA

(General and Finance), Fellow of Business Management Association, UK,

Fellow of Society of Sales and Marketing, UK

Civil status: Married, has a child

Sports: Played martial arts at national and international level

The IT industry should have a Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic and Time-based (Smart) plan to reach high goals in the future. The return on investment (ROI) in the IT industry is very high and it takes only a limited time to achieve results of the investment, Pioneer Institute of Business and Technology (PIBT) Managing Director/CEO and Quality Assurance Institute (QAI), Chairman Kapila Ranasinghe said in an interview with the Daily News Business.

Excerpts of the interview:

Q: How do you see the IT industry growth in Sri Lanka?

A: The master plan of the country has changed from Mahinda Chinthana to Mahinda Chinthana Idiri Dekma. The other sectors in Sri Lanka should also feel that a change should come into effect. Today, the education industry has a vital role to play and we should empower people with required competencies.

This is an era where the workforce is given prominence. If a foreign company needs to establish itself in a country it first looks at the availability of a trained workforce in that particular country. Education industry in any country plays a prominent role in creating a readily available workforce. The availability of IT professionals in Sri Lanka is not adequate to fulfill the demand. A serious study and an analysis should be done on the requirements of IT professionals for the next five years.

Sri Lanka needs to produce at least 50,000 IT professionals to fulfill the demand in the next five years to be in line with Government plans. We still need people for software development for the export market, BPO and other firms. These professionals should be examined, guided and trained accordingly.

Q: What are the challenges you see in the IT industry?

A: The industry needs a master plan for its growth The industry is mostly driven by the private sector and it should work with the Government for a master plan. The Information Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) has been conducting a valuable service to the IT industry.

The main challenge in the IT industry is the difficulty in producing competent IT professionals. Many companies emerging in Sri Lanka absorb the prevailing base of IT professionals.

We need to design a road map to employ and develop IT professionals after their education.

Q: Where does Sri Lanka stand among the other countries in the region?

A: Where the IT industry is concerned, India is the main competitor and there is an ample workforce in India. The quality and the loyalty of our workforce is much higher than the other countries in the region. The workforce in Sri Lanka is very much strong in their analytical and mathematical skills which have become a plus point in competing in the international market.

Sri Lanka is cost-effective than any other country in the region for IT education and software development. Our engineers deliver quality output better than other countries and hence the performance based payment is high in Sri Lanka.

The IT engineers produced in Sri Lanka are highly analytical and they absorb the business domain knowledge easily.

It is also significant to notice that the number of years an employee works in a company is higher in Sri Lanka than in any other country. Therefore, Sri Lanka is a preferred destination in the IT industry.

Q: Where will Sri Lanka's IT industry reach in 10 years time?

A: If Sri Lanka could have a target of foreign income from the IT industry, it could probably produce USD 12 billion worth of annual foreign income in five years. There will be problems and challenges Sri Lanka has to face but it is achievable.

Q: How does PIBT relate to the growth of the IT industry?

A: We have started PIBT not only as an educational institute but also as aservice provider for the IT industry with the best of resources to sustain it.

All the directors in the company are from the IT industry. We need to produce a competent IT workforce.

We have built up a direct partnership with the Greenwich University to offer BSc. (Hons) degree in Computing.

Students spend Rs four to five million on their education in foreign countries for undergraduate programs.

They could do the same program in Sri Lanka for a fraction of that cost for Rs 500,000. The lecturers mostly are industry experts and they are experienced in the relevant area they teach.

Most importantly, they are young achievers in education and career. When the lecturers are young the students can interact with the lecturers.

I am also involved in lecturing as a resource person.

Q: What are your future plans?

A: Our expectation is to produce a competent workforce and we have a industry placement department when a student finishes studies. Any graduate can register to find a job placement after studies. Our graduates will get placements after their completion.

Q: How do you see the competition in the IT education industry?

A: Though there is severe competition, we differentiate our company with the quality of education it provides. The quality is the differentiating factor. We keep fair and affordable fees. Students can pay their fees on a monthly basis.

The competency of IT professionals is very important for us. PIBT has a technology Advanced Technology Center (ATC ) for training Java, Web and .Net technologies for which there is a heavy demand.

Q: What is your philosophy in life?

A: My philosophy is to support the country and needy people in terms of consultancy and financially.

The era of information is gone, Sri Lankans can differentiate from others as this is the era of wisdom.

Q: What is your advice to young people who are eager to climb the corporate ladder?

A: My advice for them is to be competent in whatever field they choose. Success is defined by the choices they make and they have to make the right choice to develop.

One has to balance intimate, corporate and social life. It is beneficial to balance all these three facets as they complement each other.

Q: How do you spend your leisure?

A: I go for underwater diving, filming and enjoy nature and wildlife in my leisure. I also engage in religious activities with my close family members.