Foreign varsities show interest in Infy's 'Campus Connect'

Various foreign universities have shown interest in IT major Infosys' 'Campus Connect' initiative, which is aimed at creating IT 'industry-ready' professionals through industry-academia partnership.

At present, Infosys has 330 Indian colleges covered under the 'Campus Connect' initiative. As part of the initiative, the teaching faculty of these colleges are trained in the latest industry trends and IT-related courses. Subsequently, the teachers impart training to the students in the colleges to prepare a pool of ready talent.

Some of the foreign universities from Malaysia and Singapore have already enrolled for the initiative. Now, it is the turn of the US universities to show interest in it.

"The US universities want Infosys to share the technology, study courses and the industry knowledge that we have gained over the years. They are not keen on sending their teachers for training. They are more interested in the technical knowledge that we impart to the teachers under the initiative," Infosys CEO & MD S Gopalakrishnan said in his address to the 42nd convention of the Computer Society of India.

Apart from training the teachers, seminars and faculty workshops are being held in colleges under the initiative. The company also works with educational bodies to help align college curriculum with industry requirements. The Infosys courseware is published on the web. Selected students will be offered projects at Infosys.

Gopalakrishnan pointed out the 'Campus Connect' initiative was aimed at creating a large talent pool, including all regions of the country. "We have several colleges from rural areas registered under the initiative. This will ensure that the benefits of IT reaches all sections of society," he added.

He noted that the benefits of the IT industry had started trickling down. "Not many know that 40 per cent of the candidates who were recruited by Infosys this year are children of parents who do not even have a basic college degree. This is a significant development. It shows that the IT industry has impacted the social fabric of the nation in a positive way," he added.

He further said that the company was recruiting candidates from 1,100 colleges across the country. "We are also active in the rural areas. For instance, we are selecting candidates from North Karnataka towns like Hubli and Dharwad for our BPO operations," he stated.