North Carolina universities partner with tech giant to groom future tech workers
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced plans Thursday involving the state’s universities to create a regional Technology and Innovation Hub to help train 2,000 technology workers over the next five years.
The initiative is part of deal with Infosys, which is partnering with the North Carolina college system to design a custom curriculum to train a new workforce specializing in advanced technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, digital design, cloud computing and big data. The IT services company, headquartered in Bangalore, India, plans to inject $8.7 million into the Wake County project.
Cooper, who was joined by Infosys CEO Vishal Sikka in making the announcement, said the initiative was expected to contribute $2.9 billion to the state economy. To further boost tech education, the state has also created a $3 million grant to train local residents.
“North Carolina’s central role in technology innovation makes our state a perfect fit for Infosys,” Cooper said in a press release. “Our world-class universities and our high-tech workers drive growth and attract companies from around the world that are looking to innovate.”
The hub is one of four that the company plans to create, with the first announced in Indianapolis in May. The hubs will act as a research and development group to serve Infosys’ enterprise clients, which often require custom engineering support. In total, the company plans to hire 10,000 U.S. tech workers in the next two years, including “software developers, analysts, digital architects and other technology professionals,” according to a governor’s press release.
“It is our endeavor, and our passion, to be a leader in boosting American innovation in the transformation of core industries, and to help create the next generation of American innovators and entrepreneurs through world-class education and training,” Sikka said in a statement. “This is absolutely critical as we help our U.S. clients, and every client, renew their core businesses and simultaneously innovate into new breakthrough areas, while empowering employees through learning and education.”
Read more at EdScoop’s sister publication, StateScoop.
