Mumbai: NIIT Ltd has entered into a strategic alliance with the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) to offer executive development programmes using broadband technology.

The tie-up will make possible high-quality management education to be delivered widely through specially designed centres of advanced learning. While IIM Ahmedabad will provide management content by designing quality programmes and delivering it through an interdisciplinary team of its experienced faculty, NIIT will provide the technology for delivering the programmes. NIIT will also integrate its learning management and e-learning systems with this technology, and implement and manage the overall programme.

The two institutions have signed a memorandum of understanding to this effect. Bakul H Dholakia, director, IIM-A and Vijay Thadani, chief executive officer of NIIT, signed the agreement.

"We are happy to partner with IIM-A, one of the best institutions for management education in India. With our technology and education management expertise, we hope to offer the best in-class training for working professionals, across the country, to give them an edge in their careers," said Vijay Thadani, CEO, of the company.

NIIT will use a two-way video streaming process, which enables both the instructor and student to interact through live video and audio media. In this programme, the instructor will operate from an in-house designed studio located at IIM-A and the students would undergo an interactive session, through live video and audio and other technology-enabled learning mechanisms. This will enable the instructor and students to connect on a real time basis.

IIM-A will initially offer two programmes in the areas of general management and strategic business communications under the alliance. The general management programme, which has been specially designed for practicing managers with 6-10 years of experience, will start in October this year, while the strategic business communications programme for which five years of work experience is required begins in November 2006.

Through this unique alliance between IIM-A and the company, working executives will be able to undertake management education programmes while being at work.