TRENDS: IT, ITes companies look to Mysore as a source of talent.With the cost of living and of real estate going through the roof in the major cities, companies are looking at cheaper options, and tier II cities are coming into their own.Mysore fits the bill for many: Just 140 km from India's IT capital Bangalore, it has itself emerged as an attractive destination for IT, ITeS and other companies. Infosys Technologies has built the world's biggest training centre in Mysore, with a capacity to train around 14,000 professionals simultaneously.Software exports from Mysore crossed the Rs 350 crore mark in 2004-05. Major players based in the city include Infosys, Wipro Technologies, L&T, Software Paradigms, Comat Infoscribe, Excel-Soft, WeP Peripherals, Technovations Ind., E-Bench India, P K Technologies and Catalyst One.Mysore has five engineering colleges and a host of other academic institutions. "Mysore has a history of availability of good technical talent," concedes Hema Ravichandar, a strategic HR consultant.The colleges in and around Mysore produce some13,000 graduates annually from different disciplines, including about 3,000 engineering graduates.But only 20-30 per cent of them meet industry's requirements. Rajesh Kumar, the head of Pro-HR, a placement firm that recruits from Mysore for the ITeS sector, says tier II cities lack English language and communication skills."Manpower in Mysore and other tier II cities requires training in career development because there are fewer opportunities here than in metropolitan cities. They are not aware of the latest trends and what it takes to be up there," admits Samatha, the HR head of Haya Soft, a career development academy that recently launched a diploma in career management in Mysore to train IT job aspirants."Professionally recognised and 'industry-vouched' courses are limited," agrees Raman International Institute of Information Technolgy chief Venkatesh, who is launching a finishing school in Mysore."The challenge for companies in Mysore is non-availability of support for lateral hire, though talent is there at the entry level," says Infosys senior consultant Srinivas Burra. Cities like Hyderabad and Chennai have more opportunities. They have national-level training facilities. Hence the talent there is far superior to that in Mysore."Mysore is more an academic centre than a training facility. As a result, the supply chain is limited and companies try to fill their requirements from HR firms in Bangalore or elsewhere. There is need for specialised HR firms for lateral hiring," says Srinivas.Adds Visvesvaraya Technological University e-Learning project officer G L Shekar: "Efforts like pre-placement talks by VTU have added to skill improvement."
