U.S. To Train 3,000 Offshore IT Workers

[lostinblue 1,989]

http://www.informationweek.com/news/software/integration/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=226500202

Despite President Obama's pledge to retain more hi-tech jobs in the U.S., a federal agency run by a hand-picked Obama appointee has launched a $36 million program to train workers, including 3,000 specialists in IT and related functions, in South Asia.

UPDATE: InformationWeek has learned that USAID just launched a similar campaign in Armenia.

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nformationWeek's Andrew Conry-Murray spoke with Mike Rowland about Joe Tucci's speech at the EMC World convention in Las Vegas. Mike is the Creative Support Manger of Cabela's.Following their training, the tech workers will be placed with outsourcing vendors in the region that provide offshore IT and business services to American companies looking to take advantage of the Asian subcontinent's low labor costs.

Under director Rajiv Shah, the United States Agency for International Development will partner with private outsourcers in Sri Lanka to teach workers there advanced IT skills like Enterprise Java (Java EE) programming, as well as skills in business process outsourcing and call center support. USAID will also help the trainees brush up on their English language proficiency.

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USAID is contributing about $10 million to the effort, while its private partners are investing roughly $26 million.

"To help fill workforce gaps in BPO and IT, USAID is teaming up with leading BPO and IT/English language training companies to establish professional IT and English skills development training centers," the U.S. Embassy in Colombo, Sri Lanka, said in a statement posted Friday on its Web site.

"Courses in Business Process Outsourcing, Enterprise Java, and English Language Skills will be offered at no charge to over 3,000 under- and unemployed students who will then participate in on-the-job training schemes with private firms," the embassy said.

USAID is also partnering with Sri Lankan companies in other industries, including construction and garment manufacturing, to help create 10,000 new jobs in the country, which is still recovering from a 30-year civil war that ended in 2009.

But it's the outsourcing program that's sure to draw the most fire from critics. While Obama acknowledged that occupations such as garment making don't add much value to the U.S. economy, he argued relentlessly during his presidential run that lawmakers needed to do more to keep hi-tech jobs in IT, biological sciences, and green energy in the country.

He also accused the Bush administration of creating tax loopholes that made it easier for U.S. companies to place work offshore in low-cost countries.

As recently as Monday, Obama, speaking at a Democratic fundraiser in Atlanta, boasted about his efforts to reduce offshoring. The President said he's implemented "a plan that’s focused on making our middle class more secure and our country more competitive in the long run -- so that the jobs and industries of the future aren’t all going to China and India, but are being created right here in the United States of America."

Obama in January tapped Shah to head USAID. At the time of his appointment, Shah—whose experience in the development community included senior positions at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation—said the organization needed to focus more on helping developing nations build technology-based economies. "We need to develop new capabilities to pursue innovation, science, and technology," said Shah, during his swearing in ceremony.

Sri Lanka's outsourcing industry is nascent, but growing as it begins to scoop up work from neighboring India.

In addition to homegrown firms, it's attracting investment from Indian outsourcers looking to expand beyond increasingly expensive tech hubs like Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Mumbai. In 2007, consultants at A.T. Kearney listed the country as 29th on their list of the top 50 global outsourcing destinations.

[Obama 2012 1,714]

Does this really surprise anyone?

Taxpayer dollars hard at work.... ugh.

[peejay 327]

Sri Lanka's outsourcing industry is nascent, but growing as it begins to scoop up work from neighboring India.

In addition to homegrown firms, it's attracting investment from Indian outsourcers looking to expand beyond increasingly expensive tech hubs like Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Mumbai. In 2007, consultants at A.T. Kearney listed the country as 29th on their list of the top 50 global outsourcing destinations.

The Globalists fled the USA for Mexican cheap labor, lax labor laws, and lax environmental laws, but found that China is even cheaper and laxer.

The race to the bottom of the toilet continues. And this time with American taxpayer monies bankrolling it. Stupid is what stupid does. The race to even more heights of American governmental stupidity continues.

[Pooky 3,347]

Sri Lanka's outsourcing industry is nascent, but growing as it begins to scoop up work from neighboring India.

In addition to homegrown firms, it's attracting investment from Indian outsourcers looking to expand beyond increasingly expensive tech hubs like Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Mumbai. In 2007, consultants at A.T. Kearney listed the country as 29th on their list of the top 50 global outsourcing destinations.

India is outsourcing work to somewhere cheaper?

[Obama 2012 1,714]

The Globalists fled the USA for Mexican cheap labor, lax labor laws, and lax environmental laws, but found that China is even cheaper and laxer.

The race to the bottom of the toilet continues. And this time with American taxpayer monies bankrolling it. Stupid is what stupid does. The race to even more heights of American governmental stupidity continues.

Oh it's not stupidity. The ruling class knows exactly what they are doing. They are making more and more money for themselves and their cohorts. Lobbyists control this country as well as special interests. Not the votes of the people anymore.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

India is outsourcing work to somewhere cheaper?

Yes. India isn't even close to the bottom in terms of cost of labor.

[Heracles 417]

Oh it's not stupidity. The ruling class knows exactly what they are doing. They are making more and more money for themselves and their cohorts. Lobbyists control this country as well as special interests. Not the votes of the people anymore.

It looks like you're starting to get it, to put two and two together.

They're only able to do so because you guys let them. Repubs and libertarians ignore that 80% of the country is left to fight for 15% of the wealth. Whereas, the reason this is not the case in most other first world countries, is because the 80% have demanded their share; which is access to at least 50 to 60 percent of the wealth.

It's why people receive 4 weeks vacation, a huge severance package, sick pay, fringe benefits and most of all adequate pay in countries like AUS. Over here, they have you guys fooled into thinking that anyone demanding that is just a lazy liberal. Once the global market opened up, they exported jobs abroad, ###### over millions of Americans and America, while increasing their own wealth and bottom line.

Cheap foreign labor, that we cannot possibly compete with, is no different to slavery or the exploitation of people during the industrial revolution. You guys are just too busy fighting each other for the 15% to even notice this.

Edited August 7, 2010 by Heracles

[DEDixon 39]

It looks like you're starting to get it, to put two and two together.

They're only able to do so because you guys let them. Repubs and libertarians ignore that 80% of the country is left to fight for 15% of the wealth. Whereas, the reason this is not the case in most other first world countries, is because the 80% have demanded their share; which is access to at least 50 to 60 percent of the wealth.

It's why people receive 4 weeks vacation, a huge severance package, sick pay, fringe benefits and most of all adequate pay in countries like AUS. Over here, they have you guys fooled into thinking that anyone demanding that is just a lazy liberal. Once the global market opened up, they exported jobs abroad, ###### over millions of Americans and America, while increasing their own wealth and bottom line.

Cheap foreign labor, that we cannot possibly compete with, is no different to slavery or the exploitation of people during the industrial revolution. You guys are just too busy fighting each other for the 15% to even notice this.

true, while the global economy is elevating impoverished countries to a better living standard, the american standard of living and QOL is rapidly decreasing. it is like merging harvard with the university of georgia - harvard won't be what it used to be in the end.