The ICT Centre of Excellence (ICE), also known as the ICT Academy, is a public-private entity focused on addressing the acute shortage of manpower in the ICT/BPO sector through a comprehensive system of training and placement schemes.

While the ICT Skills Development Programme, which is now operational, is providing financial support to companies for training and work placement, the ICT Academy, in its turn will ensure that all the required skills needed to match the demand are readily available. In partnership with leading ICT training providers, the Academy will be running industry-led short courses but with a very important evaluation component, which is Certification.

The training programme has been co-created by the world’s leading technology institution, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA, Accenture Services Ltd and the ICT Academy. The training will be free of charge to the selected participants and upon successful completion of the Software Developer Certification test, they will be offered work placement in either Accenture or in other ICT/BPO companies.

At the launch of the programme, the ICT Minister, Tassarajen Pillay Chedumbrum, recalled that Government is taking a series of policy actions and implementing supporting measures to consolidate the sector and be responsive to the call of the private sector. By 2015, the ICT sector is expected to increase the contribution of the digital economy from the current 6.8% to a double digit figure, and, in the process, create some 15,000 new high value jobs, he said.

Moreover, the Ministry of ICT is coming with two new initiatives shortly targeting at SC, HSC and Diploma holders. The Oracle University and the Microsoft Academy have agreed to partner with the ICT Academy to train the unemployed youth under their respective Workforce Development Programmes. These programmes, which are heavily discounted, aim at capacity building and will be provided free to the unemployed youth.