Infy to look for diversified, global workforce

Bangalore, May 15: IT bellwether, Infosys Technologies Limited, today announced its first large-scale plan to recruit 300 college graduates from universities in the United States this year and 25 graduates from the United Kingdom in 2007 as part of an ongoing commitment to create a diversified, global workforce.

This was the first global recruiting initiative of its size to bring foreign talent to India.

In a release here, Company Chairman and Chief Mentor N R Narayana Murthy said ''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.

''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 added.

In the first phase, Infosys' university-level recruiting programme in the US would bring more than 100 American college graduates to India in August, 2006. The new employees hired would develop their engineering skills at Infosys Development Centers across India for six months before returning to Infosys offices in the United States.

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

Applications were admitted from all majors, including liberal arts majors, for the software engineering position. In August 2006, more than 100 new employees from American universities would begin their careers at the Infosys Global Education Centre in Mysore, India, one of the largest corporate education centers of its kind in the world, the release said.

They would participate in a customised education programme for four months, after which the American trainees would be relocated to various Development Centers throughout India for another two months before returning to various Infosys locations in the US. Along the same lines, a pilot program would take place to recruit students from universities in the UK.

''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,''the release said, quoting Mr T V Mohandas Pai, Member of the Board - Human Resources and Education and Research, Infosys Technologies Ltd.

''We plan to run a pilot at top universities in UK this year for 25 positions. We feel college graduates from the US and UK offer unique skills and perspectives that will blend with the skills of our Indian employees to expand our capabilities in all areas,'' he added.

In 2005-06, Infosys doubled the percentage of non-Indian employees, hiring more than 25 different nationalities.

Subsidiaries such as Infosys Consulting, Infosys China and Infosys Australia would also enhance Infosys' global workforce as they continue on their path of growth. Infosys Consulting Inc., the consulting arm of Infosys Technologies Ltd., which primarily recruited in the United States, would reach 500 employees in the next two years while Infosys China hoped to touch 6,000 employees by 2010, the release added.

UNI