Malabar focus: Stakeholders join hands for IT hub

KOZHIKODE: The major players in the IT sector in Malabar have agreed  to join hands to promote the region into an IT hub.  The organisations, IT parks and investors in the IT sector will hold regular events every month to attract top IT brands to Kozhikode.  The decision was taken at  the review meeting of the IT conclave held here. It may be recalled that the IT conclave was conducted  to attract more players into the  IT sector in the city which has more than 50 firms now.

The majority of the participants felt that a concerted effort was essential to reach the expected targets. Though a few companies are doing well,  it is insufficient to transform the region into an IT hub. The Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), Calicut Forum for IT (CafIT), Malabar Chamber of Commerce and the two IT Parks, the government Cyber Park and the Uralunkal Cyber Park would join hands to realise the programme. Mr P.T. Haris from Calicut Forum for IT (CafIT) said that the quality of new entrants into IT sector from the  engineering colleges of the region was poor.

“Except a few institutions, the majority are not at all ready to interact with the IT sector to upgrade the teaching and learning process in tune with the changing trends and growing demands of the industry,”  he added.     More focus should be given to the education sector with proper industry-institution linkages, he said. Though many of the successful names in the IT arena hail  from the region, only a few have returned to feel the giant strides achieved by the region in areas like infrastructure and connectivity, it was pointed out.