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Preeti Mehra

NEW DELHI, Jan. 13

WITH the IT industry in the doldrums and recruitments in the sector at a near standstill, IT education institutes are also facing the down cycle. No more are youngsters rushing to pay up for long-term career courses or graduates spinning dreams of earning a five-figure salary after extensive computer training at well-known institutes.

So what do IT training companies do when the demand for IT education has shrunk by about 20 per cent and is facing a further downturn each day?

To survive, they shift focus to the basics in computer education and teach novices short-term courses such as Windows, e-mail and Internet, MS Word, Ms Excel, MS Powerpoint and C++. But there is a limit to the number of students they can find. And, to actually rake it in, they have to invent and re-invent the market in the same way as other companies are doing in these times of recession.

Software Technology Group (STG) has found its answer. Its latest innovation involves tapping the untapped, going where other IT education companies have not reached as yet - to the doorstep of the consumer. More precisely, into the living room where the PC is generally available, but several family members are not able to have access to it due to lack of training and the mindset of the tech-challenged.

STG, while studying its market closely, found a large, untapped niche segment in the homes of PC owners. There were housewives, grandparents, school children and even busy professionals who had a computer at their beck and call, but did not know how to make use of it.

So what did STG do? It started `Dial a trainer' scheme where the computer-uninitiated could call a number and ask a trainer to come home and teach basic computer skills. For instance, New Delhi-based, 27-year-old Ms Rupali Bhatia, mother of a two-year-old, found it difficult to attend classes outside the home. "But I wanted to use the Internet in my free time to write to family and friends, especially my brother who lives overseas. So I jumped at this `at-home' training offer. It really helps housewives like me who have a computer but do not know how to work them," she says.

Thirty-six-year-old Ms Meera Khullar is also gung-ho about doorstep training. Though she paid up at STG for a course in C+ and Oracle, she found she could not attend, what with two school-going children and a busy corporate husband. So, she actually dialled a trainer and finished her courses. ``It was beneficial to me. I am not the kind who can sit idle, watch endless TV soaps or gossip. In fact, I have suggested the same to my cousins as well, it feels good to gain knowledge," she says.

Housewives apart, grandparents wanting to master the Internet and e-mail to keep in touch with their sons or daughters abroad also like the trainer coming home. So do class XII students, who find that the individual attention of the trainer helps them clear their doubts faster.

For STG, it has been gains all the way since it launched the service in November. In fact, this month they have started the scheme in Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune as well. "In the next phase, we will be launching in Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Kanpur and Ludhiana," says STG's spokesperson, while CEO, Dr Suresh Nanda, reveals that the company has received over 2,500 enquiries for the programme already. "Our programme is tailored specifically for non-computer savvy individuals and will help in replacing fear, confusion and ignorance associated with learning computers with fun, confidence and interest," he says.

Sure, but right now it is also helping STG to find new customers.

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