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It has been a long journey for both these companies who are now leaders in overseas IT training markets. The significance of Indian IT training companies', role in the global market can be gauged from the fact that NIIT Ltd, a global training major, has been featured once again in this year's trainingoursourcing.com list of 20 global training outsourcing companies. Aptech started on its international journey in 1993 with a maiden center at Bahrain, and today operates in nearly 40 countries across five continents. What is important is that Aptech's international business contributed 55% to its total revenue in 2006-07, out of which 47% came from retail.

China has over the years become a very important market for NIIT and Aptech. Agrees Khera, "Since our business in China is contributing 35-40% to our revenues, for us it's a very important market. If one ignores China, he has to pay a heavy price."

But what is important to note is that out of the top five players in the Chinese market, according to a latest IDC report, the leading two are Indian (NIIT and Aptech). The top five in the Chinese IT education and training service market made up for 51.8% of the market share with Aptech at #1 with 32.1% and NIIT Ltd at #2 with a 7.6% market share. Others included Xinhua Computer Education (4.6% market share), Qinghua Wanbo (3.8%) and Si Yuan IT Education (3.7%).

Latin America is another market that will grow significantly in the future, and both companies are placing their bets on it. In 2007, Aptech is planning to expand into several countries of Latin America (it is already present in four). It will also be opening additional centers in South Africa, the Philippines, and CIS countries.

While China continues to be on the NIIT radar, Americas and Europe (for corporate training solution) and Vietnam, Indonesia, Africa, Malaysia, Latin America, and Mexico will be the focus for individual learning segment. But then NIIT "aspires to be a billion dollar firm by 2011".

Aptech's current international operations encompass countries across Africa, Latin America, South East Asia, China, the Middle East, Apac, and SAARC. Aptech's current LATAM operations include centers in Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela, and figures as an important geography in Aptech's international expansion plans.

The time is not too far away when India also becomes the nurturing ground of prospective IT leaders, with NIIT Ltd already claiming to be one of the top 5 IT training companies globally. (This story focuses on individual and corporate training, and not on content development.)