Posted on 08/04/2010 9:07:56 AM PDT by GlockThe Vote
U.S. To Train 3,000 Offshore IT Workers
$22 million, federally-backed program aims to help outsourcers in South Asia become more fluent in areas like Java programming—and the English language.
By Paul McDougall, InformationWeek Aug. 3, 2010 URL: http://www.informationweek.com/story/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 $22 million program to train workers, including 3,000 specialists in IT and related functions, in South Asia.
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.
"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 Shaw, 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.
This article made me want to puke.
the alien muslim continues to take care of his own. perhaps Americans need to learn that lesson too.
He just told members of the AFLCIO and others, that he is helping companies get tax breaks if they “don’t” ship jobs overseas. Promises, promises...........sounds like a campaign speach.
Barry’s gonna train them? I didn’t think he was smart enough to know anything about IT.
The part that is NOT mentioned is that these 3,000 IT workers are just the start of outsourcing US jobs.
Each of these workers will train 2 or 3 interns, and it will spread. Once they have some people and the training materials, they will simply reproduce the training materials and teach entire classrooms of eager minds.
And our taxdollars are funding this whole movement. Saw similar things when I worked at Dell. American taxpayers giving money to a multi-billionare to fire tens of thousands of US workers, to build plants in China, India and Taiwan - and the US workers who built Dell to where they are now are left without a job, without a means to support their families, and are forced to sell their homes to find another job.
And when you throw several thousands on the market at the same time; the homes sell for far less than what they were purchased for. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt.
India also just implemented new tough rules as well.
Must give them source code, must hire locally, etc, etc.
So we give them money and they pass new rules.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100803/ap_on_hi_te/as_india_telecom_security_2
My tax dollars at work to drive down my wages and reduce opportunities by flooding the market with cheap labor, f’in fantastic.
I simply do not have the words to describe how much I hate this regime and if I found them they would get me banned.
Maybe we should join the UAW and build GM vehicles?
Why bother with education, advanced training and certification?
Nut on bolt, nut on bolt, nut on...BREAK TIME!
I believe it is their plan to destroy the middle class, not just the dem’s, but all of the North East eilites.
Once we are dependant we will be willing slaves, or so they think.
My utter hatred for this communist knows no bounds.
Worthless oligarchs like the Gates are dead set on the destruction of this country and all of civilization really.
Personal guilt, lack of spiritual fulfillment, I don't know but they just want to see it all burn.
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.
Hoax and Change indeed.
Americans don’t need jobs, we get unemployment compensation. /libtard
FUBO !
I am in high tech and finding work in that field is impossible thanks to gov’t meddling where the cost of having US employees go higher ! What pisses me off even more is I get to pay for that privilege of helping those companies to ship those jobs overseas !
The gop should run w this.
And US kids should pay 4 years tuition to get a tech degree in college for what jobs?
This story needs to be emailed to all nmews outlets fox bor talk radio. Etc.
Just like John Belushi saying “Illinois Nazis, I hate Illinois Nazis” in the movie “Blues Brothers”. “Northeastern Elites, I hate Northeastern Elites “ !
The guy hates America you didnt know that?
He’s doing everything he can to transfer wealth from those who work hard for it and deserve it to the “oppressed” minorities throughout the world. And destroy this country in the process.
This country is in deep poop.
Now I know he wants to destroy this country.
The difference is our IT developers have double the years of experience, on average, and we've grown up through all kinds of changes in platforms, operating systems, languages, development tools, networks, and whatever else you can imagine.
And we already speak, read, and write English.
You just figured this out?
What a hypocrite. Wow. This is stunning even for the Democrats. Literally lying in Atlanta whill his government pours money into sending jobs to Sri Lanka. Bravo, Obama.
Get this story emailed to everyone.
Sounds like the Liberal Free Traders have a friend in Obama....
Obama now koins Al Gore, Jimmy Carter, George Soros, Bill Clinton, all the other liberals....in supporting Liberal Free Trade
Bump.
bumping
The fact that the US taxpayer is funding USAID to help put American workers out of work makes me want to puke. A friend once asked if I thought that her son should look into going into IT... I told her that he would be better off going into a field where the work can't be outsources, like electrician or HVAC.
Mark
Programming will always be a valuable skill even with offshoring. Just about everything runs on software and that requires maintenance and upgrades. Even if the initial flood on our market occurs it will dry up quickly. China will start utilizing those resources at a rate far greater than we will, helping to reduce the competition.
Most companies that tried the offshoring approach found out just how hard that really is. The cost of managing offshore resources and maintaining a high quality result requires incredibly good management with lots of past programming experience. Most managers do not have those skills and eventually the effort implodes. They then realize the effort could have been done at a better price had they hired local developers.
The cost of rework of crappy code (created offshore) by local developers is far greater than simply hiring fewer locals and taking a little longer to get it right. For some reason businesses think everything should get done in 3-6 months and try to staff in a way to accomplish that regardless of how complex the problem is. It almost always ends in a half ass job or complete failure.
As for body shops, well there have been all kinds of horror stories about stolen IP. The churn rates are high and they tend to work for competitors as well (taking your IP with them). Also, you might be paying for a “Sr” developer but most likely will get a college intern.
The fact our government is using the peoples money to help another country compete for our jobs is insane, regardless of where anyone stands on “Free Trade”.
Notice no one in the MSM even went near this?
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