OREANDA-NEWS. September 24, 2009. IBA organized a series of meetings between IBM EE/A, IBA, the Belarusian State University (BSU), the Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics (BSUIR) and the Gomel State University (GSU) in Minsk, Belarus, reported the press-centre of IBA.  

Victor Merkuriev, IBM EE/A representative in Armenia, Belarus and Georgia, presented the Academic Innovative Program aimed to improve the Belarusian higher education and the competitiveness of the Belarusian IT specialists in the local and international labour markets. According to Merkuriev, participation in the program allows universities to gain free access to a wide range of the IBM software, specialized editions and materials on training courses, and to organize training and certification of teachers and students.

For that purpose, IBM developed the following programs and courses:

Academic Initiative Program that provides access to the IBM state-of-the-art software and training aids

IBM Lotus Symphony-based practical course designed for training in office technologies and available for free download

Academic qualification program intended for student certification with the entry of their personal data into the IBM Student Opportunity System international database available for employers worldwide

Science of services, management and engineering, a specialized course in design of the IT systems that provide customer services.

During the events, IBA and IBM representatives congratulated teachers and students on the beginning of the new academic year.

The participants developed a preliminary plan of the program implementation in the Belarusian universities.

Ivan Vroublevski, IBA HR Director, comments: “The Academic Innovative Program is a new stage in cooperation of Belarusian Universities, IBM and IBA. For many successive years, IBA has been investing in public IT education and equipping students and teachers with the knowledge and skills that allow them to use IT to their advantage.”

For example, IBA jointly with BSUIR, BSU and GSU created numerous scientific and research laboratories.

Vroublevski adds: “The program of innovative cooperation presented to the Belarusian universities provides additional advantages to each of the parties. Universities will conduct unique free courses and educate IT specialists that will be in high demand at the local and international labor market. IBM and IBA will strengthen their ties with the Belarusian universities through promotion of world-class education in Belarus.”