ICICI OneSource to set up two outsourcing centres in Ireland

London, June 14 (UNI) Britain has been outsourcing jobs to India for quite a while but the reverse is happening now. The subcontinent's biggest outsourcing company ICICI OneSource plans to develop two centres in Northern Ireland.

Matthew Vallance, ICICI OneSource's managing director in Europe, yesterday said the launch formed part of plans to create a global network of outsourcing locations. ''Technically, it would be possible (to do all call-centre work in India), but some of our clients want some parts of their work handled close to home,'' he said.

The backoffice services specialist outlined plans to strengthen its British operations in one of the most significant attempts by an offshore outsourcer to take on UK-based rivals on their own turf.

The company plans to create 1,000 jobs in northern Ireland over the next two years in the two outsourcing centres. The new offices will largely handle call-centre work on behalf of British and European clients that do not want to shift such functions to the sub-continent.

The Northern Ireland centres, one in Belfast and the other at a site in the northwest province, will be ICICI OneSource's first operations centres in the UK. It is also the first time that an Indian outsourcer has developed such a centre.

UNI XC SHR KP1509