IT training player taps new horizons

Saumya Bhattacharya / New Delhi

What does an IT training company do when the chips are down in the sector? It bets big on the other flavour of our times—e-governance. The latest entrant in the IT training segment, New Horizons India, has partnerships with government as part of its strategy of making inroads into India.

Not only that, the company is also planning to cater to government schools in a big way. It is in talks with various state governments to take some of its courses to schools.

New Horizons India president and CEO Ajay Kumar Sharma said, “We plan to enter government schools in a big way. IT training in government schools and institutions is a major growth area and we are in talks with at least two state governments for this.”

It is in the process of customising its international school model to suit the needs of the Indian market.

Stating that the IT training market in India will make a comeback on the back of e-governance, Sharma said, “If the government is a big spender on the e-governance front, it spells a big market opportunity. Hence, we have identified e-governance as one of the focus areas.”

New Horizons has a major focus on R&D in areas including training methodology, mode of delivery, operational systems and procedures, and strengthening various elements of an integrated learning approach.

“Though we cannot measure the quantum of the India-specific R&D spend, the India venture will also be a premier destination for receiving fruits of the entire range of global R&D on a concurrent basis,” said Sharma.

For its part, New Horizons India has set aside an amount of Rs 200 crore for India operations, to be invested over three years. Of this, the company is planning to spend Rs 60 crore in the fiscal year ending March 2004. The amount will be spent on company operations in norrth and south India. The company will open centres in the rest of the country next year. The company has lined up the retail segment launch for June 2003.

New Horizons India is a 20:80 joint venture between US-based training major New Horizons Worldwide and the Shriram group. New Horizons Worldwide posted revenues of $512 million in 2002.

— The Financial Express