Pakistan Computer Association (PCA) has decided to organize an extensive training program from August 17 to provide a unique opportunity to IT professionals and computer vendors for learning and understanding the Open Source Operating Systems (OS O/S).
According to an announcement of the PCA here on Sunday, the stakeholders would be given detailed orientation sessions about these operating system, which would be available almost free of cost to the stakeholders, ending monopoly of expensive software in the country. This would be first of its kind of training program where IT experts and other stakeholders would be provided an opportunity to learn about low cost operating system helpful in Pakistan business environment and working conditions of local corporate culture. The PCA would not charge any cost of training, but provide maximum literature, data and training advice from national and international experts to learn about the Open Source Operating Systems (OS O/S).
The training will help the IT professionals to learn how to operate state of the art software technology and launch the same in Pakistan effectively. Hence, an affordable new IT new technology would be available to all users in Pakistan besides protecting and ensuring following the Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) Regulations.
The IT industry of Pakistan needs to enhance its adaptability to grasp the emerging global trends as well as to ensure smooth application of the rapidly changing technology and to attract further investment in the sector Pakistan Computer Association (PCA), has taken special initiative of providing training opportunity in Open Source Operating Systems (OS O/S) to the stake-holders of the industry throughout Pakistan.
The trend of Open Source O/S is rapidly growing and getting popular in Europe and rest of the world. To ensure / promote its application, some countries have even managed special legislation from their parliaments in their countries. The first phase of the country-wide training would be held on Monday, 17 August 2009 in the Federal Capital Islamabad and the same training would be conducted in the other parts of the country subsequently.
The IT industry of the country, while appreciating the initiative of the PCA has demanded that government should persuade the software companies to introduce country specific prices for our country, so that the public at large should be benefited through affordable prices. This is more so keeping in view the fact that Pakistan is a poor and one of a third world countries wherein unaffordable exorbitant prices are beyond the purchasing power of the common end users.
The PCA has announced that all these high profile trainings shall be conducted by certified and qualified professionals in collaboration with Pakistan Software Export Board and Muhammad Ali Jinnah University, Islamabad and more importantly it would be provided free of cost. Certificates shall be awarded among the participants on the conclusion of the workshop.
Munawar Iqbal, President of the PCA Central has said that the training facility will be available to IT professionals and preferably vendors only to ensure productivity and effective usefulness of the training programme. He further added that, through professionally adequately trained, well conversant, manpower and by following in letter and spirit IPR Regulations new venues of international investment in this sector shall be possible.
