The 2007 awards for the 48th International Mathematical Olympiads will be made on the 30th July. With over 500 contestants from many countries this was a meeting of the very best mathematical brains in the world.

The winners were: In first place predictably was Russia, and China took a close second place. The final podium place went to Vietnam, who despite being the smallest country in the play off, showed that their investment into science based education is returning dividends.

Where does the UK sit in all this? Well, with only 11% of graduates studying a science subject (Vietnam 83%) it is no wonder we don’t even make the top 20 (28th). Nor do any of the European countries and indeed the USA, the largest developed economy in the world only made 5th! Interestingly, India only made 25th and they output the population of small country in graduates each year!

With 160,000 developer vacancies in the UK that cannot be filled, we have a dire skills shortage. Vietnam on the other hand is scaling up IT resources to meet the rising demand for developers from the UK and USA. Vietnam is now the third country of choice for offshore software development. Harvey Nash has been developing software for UK and USA businesses for many years. Now scarce resource in the UK is abundant in Vietnam.

All the latest Microsoft technologies, including SQL server 2005, .NET 3 are enabling British and American business to maintain a competitive edge. Global innovation is here. You might be surprised to see what is delivered as British is made in Vietnam. For those people who worry about offshoring: It is the same as importing iron ore into Britain in the 1800’s. Our expertise in manufacturing turned it into gold.

Now we are engaging in a global resource pool and our future is in our own hands. Adapt or die?

Offshore software development –Vietnam number one destination

There are times when you see a wave coming from far out to sea but you wait till you see it has turned to the big roller. By the time you have your surf board in the water the wave has just hit the beach and all around are saying “wow, look what you missed!”

Well here’s one I didn’t miss. Seven years ago we made the decision to develop software offshore in Vietnam for our clients. A brave decision when all around were going to India. The first few years were tough. Every time I met a prospective client the routine was the same, why Vietnam? To say we were an early adopter would probably to mild. We were literally the first offshore software development company to open up there.

How smug do you think I felt when first Intel, then IBM and now Microsoft decided Vietnam is a great location to develop software. Now the Wall street Journal and the Times has published articles confirming that Vietnam is rapidly becoming a hub for software development. Indeed research by PWC the advisory firm shows Vietnam to be a country of choice over both China and India. Now I can say “Wow, I got it right!”

So right that seven years on, Harvey Nash now employ over 2,000 technology professionals in Vietnam and the SilkRoad ( www.silkroad-net.com ) acquisitionboosts our offshore capability even further with the addition of business process outsourcing services The offshore service is our fastest growing business in the UK, growing by 47% last year. We’re pleased to have established a strong and early presence in the region, but don’t expect to be the exception for long, as more and more businesses look to Vietnam for future offshore expansion.

Still we started riding this wave so early we have a really long ride to the beach. Anyone who wants to join us will be welcolme.