Infosys to set up training institute

BANGALORE: Software leader Infosys Technologies Ltd. said on Thursday it will
invest $7.3 million to build a training institute for its staff as part of its
expansion plan.

The firm said in a statement it will set up the institute in the southern
Indian city of Mysore along with its regular software campus.

The Infosys Leadership Institute, which is expected to train up to 1,000
employees annually, will be only for its staff initially. It will later be
expanded to cater to customers, suppliers and stakeholders.

The institute is expected to be operational by October.

"Infosys is experiencing phenomenal growth in terms of geographical
area. We need to create and nurture a large number of high quality leaders with
a global perspective," said Nandan Nilekani, Infosys' managing director and
president.

"This institute will enable us to do just that," he said.

Infosys, India's second-largest listed software exporter, added 985 staff in
its October-December quarter, taking its total number to 8,910.

The Nasdaq-listed firm has software development centers in eight Indian
cities including Bangalore and three outside the country - in Toronto, Boston
and London.

Infosys provides computer software services to customers that include global
giants Boeing Co., Cisco Systems and Nortel Networks.

In afternoon trade, Infosys shares were down 4.24 per cent at Rs 4,300 while
the Bombay index was off 1.4 per cent.

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