This New Year, the Centre for Development of Imaging Technology (C-DIT) has set its sights beyond the State’s shores. The centre, one of the premier communication and technology training institutions in the State, is also launching courses relevant to the times.
Celebrating its 25th anniversary, C-DIT’s action plan focusses on extending the reach of its academic activities, spreading the network through more off-campus centres and introducing new courses, apart from modifying and popularising courses already on offer.
The highlights, K. Mohan Kumar, Head, Communications Division, C-DIT, says, will be the setting up of off-campus centres in Lakshadweep and West Asia. The idea is to have three centres in Lakshadweep, while the number and location in the Gulf are yet to be decided. Preparations are on to launch market and field surveys to identify the requirements there and decide on suitable courses — new or modified, depending on what the surveys will reveal.
The centre is thinking how to expand its network in the State and if possible, to go for off-campus centres in each of the 140 Assembly constituencies. However, these plans are in a nascent stage and an academic advisory group is being put together to chalk out a course of action that will see more and more people getting access to the academic fare on offer from the centre.
One of the significant courses to be launched shortly, Mr. Mohan Kumar says, will be to train technicians for metro rail projects. This will essentially be a collaborative venture, possibly based at the C-DIT’s new venture, the Professional Skills Academy at Kaloor, Kochi. Talks are in progress with the Kochi Metro Rail and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation since the only such training centre, at present, is in Delhi. With more States launching metro rail projects, the requirement for technicians cannot be underestimated, Mr. Mohan Kumar says.
Another new course will be a three-month diploma programme in Android applications development under the aegis of the academy. Applicants are expected to have a diploma or a degree in engineering or a degree in any discipline with knowledge of object-oriented programming. Final year students who have completed the course can also apply. The course will attract a fee of Rs. 18,000 plus taxes, while a concession of Rs. 3,000 will be offered to the students of the first batch. Details and application forms are available on www.psa.cdit.org (or from the Course Coordinator, Professional Skills Academy, C-DIT Regional Centre, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kaloor, Kochi; ph: 98952 97374, [0484] 644 4489).
The academy has been set up with financial assistance from the Union and the State governments for conducting advanced IT training and education programmes, mainly in the area of software technology and management. The courses are designed to provide skills in software development and project management to fresh engineering and management graduates and college students. The courses are being offered in collaboration with software industry leaders with the objective of equipping the students to acquire skills to find ready employment or start ventures on their own.
The other projects C-DIT propose to take up during the silver jubilee year include completion of digitisation of old manuscripts and palm-leaf documents for the State Archives Department; a mass awareness and control programme on cyber security to check the rising threat of cyber crimes; expansion of IT education programmes through CyberSri for marginalised sections, including those belonging to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes; entrepreneurship training and skill building for women-based micro enterprises; a Cyber Darshan programme to educate students on the do’s and don’ts of Internet and mobile phones; protection of rare books in rural libraries; establishment of an e-governance call centre and kiosk in Kannur and Kayamkulam; the second phase of the Green Kerala Express programme; job fairs in Kannur and Alappuzha; and a mobile application to help schools pass on the attendance details of children to parents.
