Feb 21 - 27, 2000
M.Aslam

PAGE Report

A seminar on e-Commerce and IT Technology followed by the launching of a specialised one-year diploma in e-Commerce and Internet Technology was held at a hotel in Karachi last week.

The chief guest of the event, organised by BMS-InfoTrain, the joint venture partners of the unique diploma programme, was the system engineer of Microsoft Pakistan, Malik Muhammad. Other speakers included Ahsanullah Khan, the chairman of Skill Development Council, a joint project of Labour, Manpower and Overseas Pakistan, World Bank, ILO and Employers Federation of Pakistan.

Ahsanullah urged software developers and vendors like Microsoft to consider the charges of their products for a developing countries like Pakistan. Otherwise, he cautioned, copyright or no copyright ‘we will have to survive.’

At this point in time, the InfoTrain speaker announced from the dais that Microsoaft Pakistan will offer a 93 per cent on its products to students in Pakistan.

PAGE talked to Malik Muhammad later and was told that Microsoft will be offering a substantial discount to students and teachers of academic institutions in Pakistan. He, however, refused to comment on the 93 per cent discount announced by the InfoTrain and instead asked PAGE to wait for details till February 22 when a licensing agreement will be signed in Karachi.

The one-year diploma programme will provide an opportunity to the successful students to become a network engineer, Web or e-Commerce specialist, and Internet programmer to meet the growing demand of IT professionals in the country.

The programme is a joint venture of Business Management Services (BMS) and InfoTrain. BMS specialises in developing software for Database management, Web development and e-Commerce. InfoTrain provides a wide variety of high-end technical training and IT related services to individuals and corporate sector. It also have the collaboration of Skill Development Council.