Mohali, Oct. 25 : ‘Oceanic Consultants Australia’ or the OCA group has today made a distinct recognition in the international market. Not many may know but it once started as an absolutely ‘nobody’ of the industry.

OCA group, which provides consultancy for education in Australia, won three business awards this year in Australia.

The group was originally set up as a homegrown Indian organization. Despite having started from scratch it has emerged as the market leader over the years in its segment.

With globalization influencing the higher education and motivating students to study abroad, this new reality has also given shape to the concept of `education consultancy''.

Naresh Gulati, an Indian businessman, who was hoodwinked by an education services agent in late 1995 that Melbourne was full of lucrative part-time jobs, took a decision that other foreign students should not be misled.

Gulati went on to establish `Oceanic Consultants'' in India in 1996 with a meager capital investment of 3,500 dollars. It became an Australian company in 2001.

Today, million dollar Oceanic Consultants provides advice on course selection and admission, and practicalities such as visa applications and living costs, to international students wishing to study in Australia, New Zealand and Britain.

Naresh Gulati, Chief Executive Official of the OCA group, said: “India is one of the top five source countries for all the five English speaking countries – U. K., Australia, America, New Zealand and Canada. All of them view India as a very important market. And, Indian education system is allying to International education system. So this market offers a significant potential. And, if you see the latest data, 56 per cent of the total Indian population is below the age of 25. So, there''s a big pool of target group what we got. So we see India as a very important market for us.”

Headquartered in Melbourne, with offices in various parts of India, OCA Group''s turnover for fiscal 2008 was 15.5 million USD, up from 9.3 million USD in 2007.

BPO intelligence is one of group''s subsidiary company that offers its clients outsourcing solutions that are aimed at reducing costs and increasing efficiency.

Selected as one of the 100 fast start-up companies of 2008, some of company''s outsourcing solutions offered include promotional material printing and distribution, admission outsourcing and offer letter or mail out management.

Gulati, said: “BPO intelligence, one of our companies is into printing and distribution of material around the world. So we are currently using multiple printers here. We are keen on exploring an opportunity where we could make an investment of 2.5 to 3 billion rupees in setting up a world class printing facility …… if I look around in North India there is no one single press of that standard. There are couple of printing units in Delhi but this part doesn''t have any. So we are very keen in that area. Second is software development. And, that''s something we are very keen on investing.”

Object Next Software, the third company of the group, provides customized software solutions to the international education industry.

OCA Group has yet to reach its potential in revolutionizing the education export industry. And to develop IT systems of institutions and universities worldwide, Object Next Software is widening its reach.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to state that OCA Group has rightly tapped the potential in the burgeoning education industry in India and has shown the path to other players. (ANI)