With Coimbatore on the threshold of becoming the next ideal IT destination in the state after Chennai, almost all IT majors are making a beeline for the texcity. However, one serious concern for companies is the quality of manpower. Sensing the rising demand for quality manpower, a couple of HR companies have finalised their plans to set up IT finishing schools here. Mind Parlour, a Dubai-based player in HR development and training services, is set to launch its IT finishing school in Coimbatore. Confirming the development, Sajeev Nair, its CEO, the company is looking at Coimbatore to impart training to students and making them industry-ready. “We are looking at having our facility in a leased property and talks are going on. Our plan is to have the school functioning by early 2009,” Mr Nair said.Mind Parlour’s first such school in India is to be set up in Kochi which will commence operations by January 2008 with a batch of 300 students. Bangalore-based Raman International Institute of Information Technology (RIIIT) too plans to have its presence here. RIIIT is in advanced stages of negotiation with a few IT/ITES companies in Coimbatore for tie-ups and plans to become operational in the next six months. “The strategy is to not only bridge the growing demand-supply gap, but also make sure talent pools are readily available for the knowledge firms setting up or expanding their operations here,” its CEO SV Venkatesh said. Such novel IT schools will enable tech graduates hailing from secondary cities, towns and rural areas to get absorbed in the knowledge sector with the right skills, aptitude and competitive spirit, according to Ashok Bakthavatsalam, director, KG Information Services (KGISL), the first ever BPO of Coimbatore.