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| India-Pakistan | |
| Pakistan Government to increase software exports from $50 million to $5 billion by 2010 | |
| 2008-04-27 | |
KARACHI: The Federal government has planned to increase software exports up to $5 billion by the end of 2010. Sources told Business Recorder on Saturday that the current level of software export was about $50 million per annum, sector needs more support from government to increase its exports.
To a question, they said government realised that it seemed to be difficult to enhance software export up to that extent in a competitive international market with insufficient IT professionals. In view to increasing the number of IT professionals, government is considering the commencement of IT Development Programme (ITDP) aimed to facilitate students by providing quality education and training in a affordable fee packages, they said and hoping that it would play a key role in producing sufficient IT professionals across the country. They apprised that government has planned to increase the production of trained, diversified and well skilled IT professionals up to 53,000 per annum in next two years through ITDP. Software development primarily depends upon the qualified professional, however, the estimated growth rate of 20 percent per annum in the domestic software market will require over thousand software engineers every year, they added. However, the reputable institutes produce not more than 150 software engineers annually, where 80 percent of them, are being trained during jobs at software houses and user organisations, they said. "Immense livelihood opportunities are present in IT field and it is wide open for professionals to enter in it and earn lucrative salaries besides playing vital role in the growth of country's economy," they maintained. To a question, they replied that about 400 to 500 software engineers were produced in substandard institutions with lack of proper and qualified arrangements causing to produce low quality IT professionals across country. Due to poor education, they have failed to meet the market requirement and earn low salaries as compared to qualified professionals across globe, they said. "Our software industry is not investing enough in the IT sector and the market is characterised by old technologies leading to low charge rates. Therefore, products are competing in lower value-added segments of the global services market," they lamented. Keeping the view, the government has evolved a policy to provide incentives on software exports and manufacturing of computer hardware, besides establishing software technology parks, data networks, they said. | |
| Posted by:john frum |
| #2 If they offer their services cheaply enough they'll have US CEO's lining up to outsource their work to Pakistan. Quality doesn't matter. Security doesn't matter. All that matters these days is cost. Oh yeah - it would help if they announced that all the outsourcing companies in Pakistan were at CMM Level 5 (top-rated quality). CMM is self-assessed, self-reported, so it should be easy for them to achieve this quality 'distinction'. |
| Posted by: Lemuel Phath3861 2008-04-27 20:51 |
| #1 Didn't realize Viruses and Trojans were so valuable... |
| Posted by: john frum 2008-04-27 19:10 |