Infosys to bring foreign talent to India
300 graduates to be recruited from US varsities

Software major Infosys has announced its first large-scale plan to recruit 300 college graduates from universities in the USA this year and 25 graduates from Britain in 2007 as part of an ongoing commitment to create a diversified, global workforce.

In 2005-06, Infosys doubled the percentage of non-Indian employees, hiring more than 25 different nationalities, Bangalore-headquartered Infosys spokesperson said on Monday.

In the first phase, a company statement said, Infosys’ university-level recruiting programme in the US will bring more than 100 American college graduates to India in August, 2006.

The new employees hired will develop their engineering skills at Infosys Development Centre across India for six months before returning to Infosys offices in the United States, it said.

This is the first global recruiting initiative of its size to bring foreign talent to India, the statement said.

Towards multicultural workforce

"This represents a very important landmark in the evolution of Infosys. We firmly believe that the future success of Infosys lies in its ability to create an environment that is open to people from different nationalities and ethnicities," Infosys Chairman and Chief Mentor, N.R. Narayana Murthy said.

"Through the breadth of understanding and cross cultural adaptability that can only be found in a diverse workforce, Infosys will play an even more strategic role for its clients, he said.

Infosys began recruiting for entry-level software engineer positions at top universities in the US following a successful pilot programme that brought 10 young Americans to work in Bangalore, the statement said.

Customised study programme

Applications were admitted from all majors, including liberal arts majors, for the software engineering position. In August, more than 100 new employees from American universities will begin their careers at the Infosys Global Education Centre in Mysore, one of the largest corporate education centers of its kind in the world, it said.

They will participate in a customised education programme for four months, after which the American trainees will be relocated to various Development Centers throughout India for another two months before returning to various Infosys locations in the United States.

Along the same lines, a pilot programme will take place to recruit students from universities in the United Kingdom, the statement said.

"As we expand our global presence, we need to attract bright talent from the local economies. It was with this in mind that we launched university-level recruiting programme in the US," said T.V. Mohandas Pai, member of the Board (Human Resources and Education and Research), Infosys Technologies Ltd. — PTI