Chennai, June 20: IBM today announced the 'Drona Partner Programme'for faculty members and for ISVs aimed at providing a platform for collaboration between independent software vendors (ISV) and academia, At a function organised here, IBM India/South Asia Vice-President (Channels, Marketing and Ecosystems) Anil Menon, quoting industry sources, said approximately 1.5 million skilled IT experts will be needed by 2012.

"The overall aim of the Drona Programme is to demonstrate how IBM is collaborating with ISVs, universities and partners together to grow IT as part of the liberal arts", he said.

The Drona Programme, which is expected to benefit such ISVs and faculty members, would pave way for better understanding on current requirements and bottlenecks for faculty members and to ISVs, he said.

"Today's IT jobs require more than just strong technical abilities-they also demand industry and business knowledge, as well as effective communication and interpersonal skills. This makes it imperative for industry, partners and academia to understand what the businesses are looking for in the next generation of IT hires. We hope that the Drona Partner Programme will give a boost to qualified job-ready professionals to lead the future of the IT industry", he said