IT/BPO Services

The IT/BPO service programme Asia and Eastern Europe will initially focus on five countries of which two in-dept. For Armenia, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka limited information on the needs of l3SOs and commitment/interest of companies is available. For those three countries the results of the recruitment phase will depend if there is real ground to start an integrated programme. The counterparts in Albania and Macedonia have showed commitment and potential thus an integrated programme will be offered in these countries. Contributing to the importance of software exports for the development of the Macedonian economy is the countrys limited domestic market. The Albanian government and donor organisations have been investing heavily in the digital infrastructure in the past years. The country is now more competitive and ready to look beyond its own borders and to become the hub for software development in the region, which is the ambition of Albanias IT industry. Albania and Macedonia, however are not visible as IT outsourcing destinations in the EU yet. Other constraints prohibiting exports are the limited market knowledge and soft skills of the IT companies. Furthermore, the BSOS in both countries are small and only able to offer export support to a minimum extent. In visiting Albania and Macedonia a strong cooperative attitude and commitment to promote IT exports to Europe from all levels (government, donor organisations and the sector itself) was noticeable. It became clear there is no organisation present that focuses on (1) exports to Europe and (2) on improving the export management and marketing capabilities at individual company level. This is where CBI could have real impact with a new IT programme, by offering opportunities for networking, improved access to EU market information, improved export marketing skills and branding Macedonia and Albania as near shore destinations for software development. The BSOS could, because of their capacity/size, be supported to a certain extent in strategizing and upgrading their services for exports. By participation in the ECP audits and HRD modules BSO staff will obtain more knowledge on what is important in exporting to the EU. Finally, supporting the IT industry in particular contributes to youth development and high-skilled employment provided by the sector. The number of ICT graduates in Macedonia almost doubled in the period 2003 - 2008 to 800 per year. AITA, the Albanian sector association, is strongly involved in curriculum development for students to establish a good link between business needs and the education sector. In Albania, the IT sector does not seem to face a brain-drain, but rather a `brain-gain as Albanians moved abroad come back to work in the Albanian IT industry (source: AIDA). In supporting the IT industry CBI contributes to innovations as knowledge intensive services companies routinely play a critical role in co-producing the service solution along with their clients."