TCS to partner with British Council Generation UK-India program to create opportunities for British students
LONDON, UK, November 13, 2015: (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS), Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a leading global IT services, consulting and business solutions organization, today announced a unique initiative to develop UK talent. One thousand young British university graduates will have the opportunity to spend a year, training and working for TCS at its Innovation Labs and software development centers across India through a new partnership between the British Council and TCS.
With employment opportunities in the UK IT sector set to grow at almost twice the UK average employment rate between now and 2020 according to the Tech Partnership, the Social Market Foundation has predicted that the UK faces a shortfall in domestic supply of around 40,000 graduates in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics per year. The new TCS-British Council partnership aims to address this challenge by helping to foster the next generation of digital talent in the UK and provide British employers with the graduates they will need to succeed in the future.
British Council Chief Executive Sir Ciarán Devane said, “This partnership marks a great new phase in the UK’s developing relationship with India. It is fantastic that a thousand young graduates from across the UK will be able to benefit from India’s expertise in digital technology and also gain invaluable international experience working at TCS, one of the world’s largest technology consultancy organizations. India is emerging as a global superpower and initiatives such as this will enable the next generations in both countries to engage, learn and grow with each other.”
“As a technology partner to many large British businesses, we see their desire to exploit new and exciting opportunities presented by digital technologies. However, all too often, our customers are unable to do this quickly as the UK talent pool needs knowledge and training in these new technologies,” said N Chandrasekaran, CEO and MD, TCS. “By providing 1,000 British graduates with the opportunity to work and train with TCS, we hope to help address this skills shortage and give UK employers access to the digital expertise that they will need to compete and succeed in the hyper-connected Digital Economy.”
Trade and investment Minister, Lord Maude, said: “The UK and India have a strong, successful trade relationship. Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the UK this week demonstrates our commitment and ambition to collaborate further. Both countries have a wealth of talent and expertise to share and I am pleased to see so many UK and Indian companies announcing deals this week. By working in partnership we can deliver real benefits and job creation for both of our economies.”
One thousand new internships will take place between 2016 and 2020 and will be managed jointly by the British Council and TCS. Each internship will last 12 months and will give graduates from British universities an opportunity to work for TCS in India, where they will receive training in the technical and commercial skills needed for a career in software development, global consulting, business process management or human resources. This new commitment is part of TCS’ wider investment in training for its workforce, with over 100,000 employees being trained in emerging digital technologies this year alone.
The young British graduates will also have the chance to learn digital and business skills at one of the IT industry’s most successful businesses, the partnership also represents an opportunity to gain experience of living and working in one of the world’s fastest growing economies. Applications for the internships will open in the coming months, with the first cohort set to begin their roles in India in Summer 2016.
Between 2015 and 2020, Generation UK-India aims to support up to 25,000 young people coming from the UK to travel to India to gain experience, exposure and skills. Since its launch in November 2014 by Greg Clark, UK Minister for Universities, Science & Cities and Smriti Irani, Indian Minister for Human Resource Development, Generation UK-India has received more than 7,000 registrations and with over 2,600 completed applications for the first 500 places.
A leading global IT services, consulting and business solutions organization, TCS has been operating in the UK since 1975 and works with some of the UK’s biggest businesses including 33 of the FTSE 100. Today, TCS is one of the UK’s biggest digital employers with more than 11,000 UK employees working across 30 locations in London, Edinburgh, Manchester, Leeds, Ipswich, Norwich, Peterborough, Swindon, Redhill and Liverpool.
TCS’ partnership with the British Council is the latest in a number of digital skills initiatives within the UK. As part of its IT Futures program, TCS is already working with UK schools, universities and the not-for-profit sector to help encourage young people to pursue a career in IT. Since its inception in 2013, the IT Futures program has reached over 23,000 young people in the UK.
About the British Council
The British Council is the UK's international organization for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We create international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and build trust between them worldwide. We work in more than 100 countries and our 7,000 staff – including 2,000 teachers – work with thousands of professionals and policy makers and millions of young people every year by teaching English, sharing the Arts and delivering education and society programs.
Generation UK-India
With the ambition of developing one of the largest mobility programmes – both in numbers and impact, we launched the pilot year program in 2015 and have received a huge response from young people in the UK:
- More than 7,000 registrations and over 2,600 completed applications for 500 places. Applicants were from 130 different UK institutions and from a range of academic backgrounds.
- 85 teaching assistants placed in 55 schools across 18 states in India for 2 to 5 months.
- 402 participants have taken part in the Make in India, Study in India and Digital India Cultural Immersion placements.
- As part of the Digital India strand 40 budding entrepreneurs developed their start up ideas connecting with and pitching their ideas to Indian entrepreneurs, businesses and students.
Current placement opportunities include:
- Cultural immersion courses – Two week placements giving participants the chance to gain an insight into studying, working and living in India.
- Teaching assistant placements – two and five month placements in Indian schools.
- Internships – providing participants with the chance to gain valuable work experience.
- Study placements – short courses for UK students at Indian universities.
These are supported by ‘Think India’ providing online advice, support, guidance and training to institutions and individuals interested in pursuing opportunities in India. Lord Bilimoria and the Right Honourable Patricia Hewitt are program champions. Corporate partners involve: KMPG, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and TCS.
More information:
- Generation UK India website: www.britishcouncil.in/generationuk and www.britishcouncil.org/study-work-create-india
- Video: Generation UK-India: Gain experience and skills in India http://youtu.be/UXOF8CDy1xE
- Follow on social media: #genukindia
About Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. (TCS)
Tata Consultancy Services is an IT services, consulting and business solutions organization that delivers real results to global business, ensuring a level of certainty no other firm can match. TCS offers a consulting-led, integrated portfolio of IT, BPS, infrastructure, engineering and assurance services. This is delivered through its unique Global Network Delivery Model™, recognized as the benchmark of excellence in software development. A part of the Tata group, India’s largest industrial conglomerate, TCS has over 285,000 of the world’s best-trained consultants in 46 countries. The company generated consolidated revenues of US $11.6 billion for year ended March 31, 2013 and is listed on the National Stock Exchange and Bombay Stock Exchange in India. For more information, visit us at www.tcs.com.
For TCS global news, follow @TCS_News.
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