IBM, the world’s largest computer-services company has established centres of excellence (CoE) in 10 colleges across Karnataka, aimed at creating a platform for the development of software skills among the students. IBM said that THE CoEs, will give students a unique opportunity to learn new skill sets on IBM software products – DB2, WebSphere, Lotus, Rational and Tivoli – and help them to develop business solutions.  “Today’s services-and-knowledge-based economy has altered the industry landscape, and it requires different skills and ways of learning.

IBM CoEs are an extension of IBM’s commitment to nurture skills for the 21st century driven by the services economy,” said Himanshu Goyal, country manager - academic initiative, developer works & globalization, IBM South Asia. “The COEs will ensure that the students learn not only how to use the technology in real applications, but also how to continue learning once they graduate so that they stay current in a rapidly changing environment.”

The CoEs were launched at MS Ramaiah Institute of Technology, PES Institute of Technology, CMR Institute of Technology, Babuji Institute of Technology (Davangere), Dayanand Sagar College of Engineering, BVB College of Engineering and Technology (Hubli), Nitte Mahalinga Adyantaya Institute of Technology (NMAMIT-Nitte), Acharya Institute of Technology, PES School of Engineering and National Institute of Engineering (Mysore).

IBM said that the CoEs are an outgrowth of it’s academic initiative that covers 2,000 colleges and universities around the world — a global model committed to drive evolving open standards-based IT skills.